Description
The Poison Path Grimoire
The Poison Path Grimoire by Coby Michael is a detailed and practitioner-focused exploration of dark herbalism, centred on the traditional and ritual use of poisonous and baneful plants.
Rather than presenting these botanicals as something to fear or avoid, this book approaches them as complex allies within spiritual practice. Across many traditions, plants labelled as “poisonous” have long held a place within ritual, folklore, and medicine, often sitting at the edge of what is understood, controlled, or accepted.
This text brings together practical application and deeper context. It includes a working formulary of rituals, recipes, and correspondences for engaging with baneful herbs, alongside discussions of poison plant lore, occult toxicology, and the historical role these plants have played within magical and healing systems. Topics explored include spirit work, divination, shadow-focused practice, and the use of nightshade plants within ritual frameworks.
A key thread throughout the book is the reframing of “poison” as something more than physical harm. Within many spiritual traditions, it is understood as a force of transformation, believed to support the breaking down of limiting structures, including ego, perception, and identity. In this sense, the work is not centred on harm, but on confrontation, awareness, and change.
This is not introductory herbalism. The material assumes a level of awareness around plant safety, ethics, and responsibility. It is best suited to practitioners who are interested in expanding their understanding of plant-based work beyond commonly accepted or domesticated forms.
