As the title suggests, this book takes as its starting point the fabled witches' ointment of medieval legend, said to give medieval witches the ability to fly. Drawing on the evidence of sources such as manuscripts containing herbal recipes and potions, as well as testimonies from witch-trial records, Hatsis argues that a genuine European herbalist tradition – one that had a deep knowledge and understanding of the use of psychoactive, psychedelic plants – was demonised by the dominant Christian culture of the early modern period and given the narrow and literal attributes of a 'flying ointment'. With current academic thought (Wilby, Klaniczay, Pocs et al., following on from the work of Carlo Ginzburg) exploring the idea of European witchcraft as a Western form of shamanism, this is a timely and exciting book.
 
Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press (Inner Traditions Internation), 2015. 286 pages. Paperback. New.