Poisonous Roots

From Catherine de’ Medici and Cleopatra to Lucrezia Borgia and Empress Wu Zetian, whispers of a special knowledge of plants and poisons (and a ruthless willingness to use it) have historically followed powerful women across centuries and cultures.

Like a nightshade vine on a trellis, the lore of female poisoners is deeply entwined with the fear of women’s independence, ambition, and ability to defend or avenge.

Many plants have the ability to function as both medicine and poison, and women with special interest in them have long been met with accusations of witchcraft or vilified as cunning, secretive, and duplicitous. A tincture in a tea, a garden that can heal or harm.

Notes: Jasmine absolute, incense, milky tea, vanilla absolute, black amber

The most popular options are the 0.3ml and 0.5ml (on average, 1ml is 8-12 sprays).

0.3ml is offered as a budget-friendly way to trial scents, but they only come in sample vials (dabbers) and dram bottles as the volume is not atomizer-friendly.

All samples are in Eau de Parfum (EDP) format. All scents listed are sample sizes only, your purchase does not include the original bottle.

While each sample is carefully made using precision tools, there may be slight variations due to the hand-filled nature. Containers may be larger than the sample itself, so it may not come all the way filled as this also helps with preventing overflow and leakage. Dram bottles are amber glass, but due to supplier availability, dram bottles may come in clear glass at times.