Witches’ Ointment, Cannabis, and Europe’s Lost Entheogens

Series Navigation: Part 11 of 16 in the Entheogenic History Series.

Few ideas in the study of European entheogenics are as provocative, or as misunderstood, as the Witches’ Ointment Hypothesis. Emerging from the intersection of history, pharmacology, anthropology, and religious studies, this theory proposes a radical reinterpretation of one of Europe’s darkest chapters: the witch trials of the Middle Ages and early modern period.

Rather than viewing the fantastical confessions of accused witches as evidence of devil worship or mass delusion, the Witches’ Ointment Hypothesis suggests something far more human and far more grounded in plant knowledge. The vivid reports of flying through the night sky, transforming into animals, communing with spirits, and attending ecstatic nocturnal gatherings may have been powerful, internally generated visionary experiences, induced by psychoactive herbal preparations applied to the body.

At the center of this theory is the so-called flying ointment—a topical concoction whose effects blurred the boundary between waking consciousness and immersive hallucination. While much attention has focused on the dangerous nightshade plants involved, a growing body of scholarship suggests that cannabis played a crucial and underestimated role in these formulations.

Reframing European Witchcraft Through Entheogens

Medieval Europe lacked the scientific language to describe altered states of consciousness. When people encountered experiences that felt ecstatic, terrifying, erotic, or transcendent, they interpreted them through the dominant cosmology of the time: Christian theology. Within that worldview, unexplained visions were either divine or demonic.

Traditionally, historians dismissed witch confessions as symptoms of mental illness or coerced lies. The Witches’ Ointment Hypothesis suggests that many accused individuals, often rural healers or midwives, were working with psychoactive plants long before such knowledge was criminalized by centralized religious authorities. Their experiences were real to them, not because they physically flew, but because their minds convincingly simulated those realities—a phenomenon now explored through modern neurotheology.

The Flying Ointment: A Transdermal Portal

Unlike later entheogenic traditions that relied on ingestion or smoking, European flying ointments were typically applied topically. Historical texts describe ointments rubbed onto the skin, especially areas with thin membranes such as the armpits, groin, or mucous membranes.

Applied transdermally, potent compounds from plants like Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade) enter the bloodstream more gradually, producing intense psychoactive effects while reducing the risk of immediate poisoning. These sensations often produce fully immersive hallucinations that feel indistinguishable from waking life. Users may believe they are traveling or interacting with others while their bodies remain still, mapping uncannily well onto historical accounts of witches “leaving their bodies.”

The Role of Cannabis in Witches’ Flying Ointments

Cannabis and hemp were widely cultivated across medieval Europe for rope, textiles, and medicine. In the context of the flying ointment, cannabis functioned as part of a sophisticated herbal synergy; a psychoactive “cocktail” designed to shape, soften, and stabilize the experience.

Cannabis contains cannabinoids that interact with the endocannabinoid system. When combined with tropane alkaloids, cannabis may have helped reduce panic, anxiety, and dysphoria, which are common effects of deliriant plants. Rather than pushing the user deeper into terror, cannabis could have introduced warmth, emotional openness, and a sense of familiarity.

The “Cocktail” Effect: Vision Without Collapse

Knowledge of dosage and plant synergy would have been refined over generations. Cannabis likely served multiple roles: enhancing sensory imagery, deepening internal visualization, and providing muscle-relaxing properties that made prolonged visionary states more tolerable. This balancing act was crucial. Tropane alkaloids can cause dangerous physical distress; cannabis may not have made these plants safe, but it could have widened the margin between vision and medical crisis.

Broomsticks, Bodies, and Symbolism

One of the most infamous elements of witch lore is the broomstick. Rather than a literal flying device, the broomstick may have functioned as a symbolic or practical applicator. Some scholars suggest ointments were applied using smooth wooden tools to reach sensitive areas efficiently without accidental oral ingestion. In this light, the broomstick becomes a misunderstood artifact of embodied pharmacology.

Why the Witches’ Ointment Hypothesis Still Matters Today

Today, as interest in psychedelics resurges, this history reminds us that altered states have always existed. The demonization of witches parallels modern drug panics, where complex human experiences are flattened into moral threats. Cannabis’s role in these ointments challenges simplistic narratives, showing it as a foundational tool for navigating the intense visionary landscapes of Europe’s past.

In the final article, we turn the lens around to ask: Why do academics remain so skeptical of these entheogenic theories?