A closer look
European witches in the Middle Ages were supposedly flying on broomsticks, but historians now believe they were actually applying hallucinogenic flying ointments to their broom handles and absorbing the drugs through their highly vascular lower regions. They would use toxic plants like belladonna and henbane, which are deadly if eaten but create intense sensations of flying when applied topically to mucous membranes. The iconic image of a witch riding a broom across a full moon is basically just a misunderstood historical record of peasant women getting incredibly high on nightshade via self-administered mystical suppositories. It completely changes the vibe of every Halloween decoration you have ever seen. While modern wellness influencers are selling you expensive mushroom lattes for mental clarity, these medieval ladies were literally going on astral trips by straddling a piece of drug-laced cleaning equipment in their dark cottages
