Flying Ointments: The Dark Folklore Behind the Witch’s Broom

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Long before ointments became linked to witches and sabbath folklore, they were widely used as traditional medicinal remedies. One of the most intriguing legends surrounding witches claims they used “flying ointments” before riding their broomsticks into the night sky. These ointments were traditionally used to relieve a variety of ailments, and knowledge of their preparation was once widespread among village herbalists and apothecaries. In premodern medicine, salves containing sleep-inducing and solanaceous plants were commonly employed for their medicinal properties, with some herbs also known for their mind-altering effects (henbane, fly agaric and mandrake). Their association with diabolical witchcraft did not emerge until the Middle Ages, when fear and superstition began to reshape perceptions of folk healing practices.

The existence of witches’ ointments became a major point of debate during the witch trials, particularly between prosecutors and the accused. Some believed that witches’ sabbats were real gatherings attended by the devil, and that special ointments allowed witches to spiritually or physically “fly” to these meetings. Because these salves were said to contain toxic and dangerous ingredients, they were viewed as proof of wickedness and corruption.

Others argued that the ointments did not grant supernatural powers at all, but instead caused vivid hallucinations and altered states of consciousness. According to this view, the experiences described by the accused were dreams, visions, or sensory delusions brought on by the psychoactive properties of certain plants. More humanistic thinkers of the time used this argument to defend those accused of witchcraft, claiming they were not truly consorting with the devil or attending literal sabbats, but rather experiencing fantasies induced by powerful herbal preparations.

The plants described in many medieval flying ointment recipes raise important questions about whether these preparations were ever genuinely used in the ways later folklore claimed. A number of the ingredients commonly listed either lack psychoactive properties entirely or are dangerously toxic. Herbs such as poison hemlock and wolfsbane frequently appear in these recipes despite being highly poisonous and nonhallucinogenic, making their practical use both questionable and extremely hazardous.

Among the plants mentioned, deadly nightshade is one of the few known for its deliriant and hallucinogenic effects. This has led many historians and researchers to believe that many flying ointment recipes circulated during the height of the witch trials were likely exaggerated or intentionally sensationalized. The formulas often repeated the same terrifying ingredients — deadly herbs combined with bizarre additions like bat’s blood or the fat of unbaptized children — creating descriptions that sound more like the fantasies of witch hunters than the work of knowledgeable herbal practitioners.

The Broom as a Symbol of the Witch

Few symbols are as deeply connected to witchcraft as the broomstick. From medieval folklore to modern Halloween imagery, the witch riding through the night sky on her broom has become an enduring cultural icon. But behind the legend lies a fascinating mix of history, herbalism, superstition, and misunderstood women’s traditions.

The story of flying ointments and witches’ brooms reaches back to the Dark Ages and the witch trials of Medieval Europe, where fear and folklore intertwined to create myths that still captivate us today.

Many women accused of witchcraft during Medieval times were ordinary women responsible for domestic life — wives, midwives, healers, servants, and herbalists. What did nearly all of them have in common? The household broom.

Because the broom was so closely associated with women’s daily labor, it naturally became linked to the image of the witch. Over time, the broom transformed from a simple household tool into a symbol of feminine power, domestic magic, and rebellion against social expectations.

In occult symbolism, the broom also carried deeper meanings. Some traditions viewed it as a symbol of fertility and union. The broom handle represented masculine energy, while the bristles and gathered plant fibers symbolized feminine energy and the womb. Together, the broom became an emblem of balance, creation, and life force.

The Origins of Flying Ointments

Historical accounts and surviving recipes suggest that some ointments contained plants from the nightshade family, herbs long associated with magic, visions, and spirit flight in European folklore. These stories likely contributed to tales of witches flying, shapeshifting, or traveling to sabbaths in altered states of consciousness.

Some legends claimed witches applied these ointments to broomsticks or directly onto sensitive areas of the body to absorb the compounds more effectively. While this imagery became sensationalized during the witch trials, it also reflects historical misunderstandings of folk medicine, women’s herbal knowledge, and trance practices.

Folklore, Fear, and Herbal Traditions

The fear surrounding flying ointments was amplified during periods of religious persecution and mass hysteria. Women knowledgeable in herbalism were often viewed with suspicion, especially when they practiced traditional healing methods outside religious institutions.

Many of the plants linked to flying ointments were dangerous and potentially deadly if misused. The sensations caused by toxic herbs — vivid dreams, hallucinations, disorientation, or sensations of floating — may have inspired stories of spirit flight and supernatural journeys.

Today, historians and occult researchers generally view these stories through a combination of folklore, anthropology, and historical herbalism rather than literal accounts of magical flight.

A Modern Perspective on Flying Ointments

Modern interest in witchcraft and folk traditions has revived curiosity about flying ointments, but it’s important to approach the topic responsibly. Historical flying ointments often involved highly toxic plants that can cause severe poisoning, permanent injury, or death.

These substances should never be recreated or used casually, especially on sensitive skin or mucous membranes where absorption is significantly increased. Many traditional recipes are dangerous, and historical fascination should not be mistaken for safe herbal practice.

Instead, many contemporary witches and spiritual practitioners explore the symbolism of flying ointments metaphorically — as representations of trance work, meditation, dream exploration, spiritual journeying, and altered states achieved safely through ritual and mindfulness.

However, the author of the book 'Poison Path Herbal' states'at safe dosages, these preparations can provide a means for enhancing altered states in combination with other techniques. They relax the body and mind, lowering inhibitions and opening the practitioner up to subtle reality.'

Flying ointments are easy to make in theory, and one can use any basic salve-making recipe. Salves are made by infusing oil with dry plant material and then heating the oil along with beeswax to give it a thicker consistency. Vitamin E oil or rosemary essential oil can be added to help with preservation. You can also take a more traditional route and use rendered pork or goose fat.

Other essential oils can also be added for aromatherapy or to enhance the action of the ointment. Mugwort essential oil can be added if you plan on using the ointment for divination or to enhance dreaming and produce more vivid experiences if applying the ointment before bed (not to be taken internally, do not use when pregnant or breastfeeding). Clary sage, lavender, rosemary, and spikenard all have the effect of enhancing the mental faculties, dream recall, and mental clarity. This helps with keeping focused and bringing information back from the spirit world.

Safe Flying Ointment Recipe (for external use only)

Herbs used in this ointment recipe are safe to use externally and internally as tea. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is a feminine herb intimately connected to the moon and sacred to goddesses that rule the lunar sphere, and it can be used to connect with dark moon and crone goddesses. Mugwort is one of the primary divinatory herbs used to enhance psychic ability, aid in rituals of prophecy, and promote prophetic dreams.

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) complements the feminine nature of mugwort. Like the other Artemisia species, it is sacred to the goddess Artemis/Diana and other lunar deities, including Hecate. Magically, wormwood can be used for psychic work, protection, and calling spirits. It is a powerful banishing herb that purges parasitic entities and clears the energy field.

You will need:

7 drops of these essential oils (combine EO of clary sage, rosemary or lavender)
1 tablespoon of dried wormwood and mugwort each steeped in 250 ml of olive oil for seven days. Alternatively, you can mix infused cannabis oil with wormwood/mugwort oil
7 drops of Bach oak essence (optional)
30 grams of beeswax

How to:
Melt the beeswax in oil that you strained earlier. Remove from heat and add essential oils and Bach drops. Fill the containers - I use a glass container.

Artemisia Tea before Magical Workings (do not drink this tea if you're pregnant of breastfeeding)

1 g of mugwort

1 g of wormwood

2 star anise pods

Infuse the herbs in one cup of hot water for fifteen minutes. Drink this tea thirty minutes prior to any psychic working. The tea helps lower inhibitions and focus the mind to access intuition more easily.

The Enduring Mystery of the Witch’s Flight

The image of the witch soaring through the night on her broomstick continues to fascinate because it represents freedom, mystery, feminine power, and resistance to oppression. Whether viewed as folklore, symbolism, or misunderstood herbal history, flying ointments remain one of the most mysterious aspects of European witchcraft traditions.

Behind the legends are stories of women, herbal wisdom, ancient beliefs, and society’s fear of the unknown — themes that still resonate centuries later.