Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright, which was very well narrated by Leslie Howard.

Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright is a work of nonfiction and it marks my eighth read of 2025! There's a general introduction for this book, which is followed by each plant presented in alphabetical order. For each poisonous plant listed, there is first a quote about the poisonous plant, followed by information on what makes the plant poisonous, the plant's place in history, its folklore, and what it had been used for historically. I found the information fascinating! I enjoyed how the information was presented by the author. 

Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants is a great read for those that who are gardeners, lovers of botany, lovers of folklore, and readers of nonfiction. I would highly recommend this book.

Listening time for Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright is 7 hours, 15 minutes.

Below is the publisher's summary for Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright, which I found on Amazon's website:

Discover the folklore and history of our most toxic plants.

"If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison,' it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later." (Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland)

In both history and fiction, some of the most dramatic, notorious deaths have been through poisonings. Concealed and deliberate, it's a crime that requires advance planning and that for many centuries could go virtually undetected. And yet there is a fine line between healing and killing: The difference lies only in the dosage!

In Botanical Curses and Poisons, Fez Inkwright returns to folkloric and historical archives to reveal the fascinating, untold stories behind a variety of lethal plants, witching herbs, and funghi. Going from A to Z, she covers everything from apple (think of the poisoned fruit in "Snow White") and the hallucinogenic angel's trumpet to laurel, which emits toxic fumes, to oleander (a deadly ornamental shrub), with each plant beautifully illustrated by the author herself. This enthralling treasury is packed with insight, lore, and the revealed mysteries of everyday flora-including the prevalence of poisoning in ancient Rome, its use in religion and magic, and common antidotes - making this perfect for gardeners, writers, folklorists, witches, and scientists alike!

I am giving Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!