The Poison Path Grimoire

The Poison Path Grimoire is a practical guide to the magical and ritual use of poison plant allies.

It shares a detailed formulary, including rituals, magical correspondences, and recipes for working with the baneful herbs of occult herbalism. The book looks at the plants of fate and the divination practices they support, love magic with poison plants, shadow work and spell work, the devil’s garden, and the use of nightshades as power plants for medicine and magic. It also explores poison history, lore, occult toxicology, and the alchemical power of working with poison.

Examining the art and science of working with noxious and malefic plants and fungi, author Coby Michael discusses the occult properties of poison and how poison plants can be used in spell work and other magical operations. He presents a detailed formulary containing rituals, magical correspondences, and recipes for working with specific poison plant allies and other baneful herbs of occult herbalism.

Exploring the path of dark herbalism, the author explains how it encompasses not only veneficium—poisonous plants and fungi—but all plants that humanity has tried to forget. This includes “invasive” plants and those difficult to domesticate, as well as those arbitrarily regulated or simply feared as “toxic” or “poison.” He explains how dark herbalists seek out plants that are adversarial or taboo because the qualities we consider “dark” are the plant’s spiritual medicine and can offer powerful wisdom and healing.

By examining poison history, lore, and occult toxicology, he clarifies that the aim of using these plants is not to cause physical death, but rather the death of the ego. He describes how “poison” in this context is an alchemical force that allows the practitioner to become a vessel for the forbidden fruit of knowledge. The book shows how the transmutation of our personal poisons can lead to powerful self-transformation.