This is the first shot I'm sharing here. I chose this one because I got an invite for this forum after sharing it elsewhere, and because it covers my favorite theme - magic plants. Species that, beyond ethnological significance, have been used for shamanic, healing or psychoactive purposes. I like to grow them and know them.
Atropa belladonna has a long tradition in eurasian plant lore. It can be as powerful as toxic; eating a few of its black berries can kill you. It has been used in pagan traditions and witchcraft, and some of its active compounds, most specially atropine, have been very important in western medicine. Centuries ago, women used a water tincture obtained from the fruit as eye drops. It would dilate the pupils, making them shiny and seductive. Hence the name of the species.
Considering its power, the small, dark purple flowers are curiously shy. But captured from below they seem to show a passage to a different place.
Atropa belladonna has a long tradition in eurasian plant lore. It can be as powerful as toxic; eating a few of its black berries can kill you. It has been used in pagan traditions and witchcraft, and some of its active compounds, most specially atropine, have been very important in western medicine. Centuries ago, women used a water tincture obtained from the fruit as eye drops. It would dilate the pupils, making them shiny and seductive. Hence the name of the species.
Considering its power, the small, dark purple flowers are curiously shy. But captured from below they seem to show a passage to a different place.
