English Summary/英文概要： Discover the folklore and history of our most toxic plants through this beautifully produced, gorgeously illustrated compendium.

“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!

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 一本附有精美插圖的書，關於有毒植物的民間傳說和歷史。

在《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》中，愛麗絲很清楚：如果你喝了太多標了「有毒」瓶子裡的東西，遲早會對身體有害的。

在歷史和小說中，一些最戲劇化、最惡名昭彰的兇殺案皆是肇因於毒殺。這是一種隱蔽和蓄意的犯罪，需要提前計劃，而在許多世紀以來幾乎未被發現。然而在醫療和殺戮之間僅有細微的界線：區別僅在於劑量！

在本書中，Fez Inkwright 蒐羅民間傳說和歷史檔案，揭示了各種致命植物、巫術草藥和真菌背後不為人知且精彩的故事。從 A 到 Z，她涵蓋了從蘋果（想想《白雪公主》中的經典橋段）和被稱為「致幻天使的喇叭」的曼陀囉，從散發有毒煙霧的月桂樹，再到夾竹桃（一種致命的觀賞灌木），每一種植物都附有精美的插圖和相關的歷史、傳說和軼事。這個引人入勝的寶庫充滿了洞察力、知識和驚人的植物之謎——包括古羅馬中毒殺案的普遍性、有毒植物在宗教和魔法中的使用，以及常見的解毒劑，一本獻給園丁、作家、民俗學家、女巫和科學家的絕佳有毒植物參考資料。 (Zoe)

Fez Inkwrightis an illustrator and author with a passion and knowledge of botany, nature, primitive religions, and folklore. She has produced work for children’s books, created hand-drawn maps, and designed tattoos. She lives in Bristol, England.