Venelestis Medicatrix Botanical Oracle is a deck exploring plants as medicine and poison. It features 49 plants that are used in both traditional folk medicine and modern Western phytotherapy, combined with plants that are toxic or poisonous. Yet most of these plant allies are already well known from our everyday lives, not only as medicinal herbs and poisons, but also as spices, foods, and ornamentals in our parks and gardens.
Venelestis Medicatrix invites you to explore the line between medicine and poison, while also offering a safe and personal stepping stone into the world of herbalism, plant recognition, and learning.
The seven customary companion cards feature pollinator insects, which support the life cycle through growth and renewal.
Card Specifications
- Deck of 56 cards (with possibility of future expansions)
- Full color front and back, rounded corners
- Size: 62mm x 112mm
- Paper: thick card stock, matte finish
- Comes in a soft tuck box
For more ideas and tips on how to use your Venelestis decks, see the Curate page.
The deck will not come with a LWB or an explanation pamphlet, it is meant to work with the readers intuition and using available herbal resources.
The plants and insects featured in this deck are:
- Achillea millefolium - Yarrow
- Alcea rosea - Hollyhock
- Althaea officinalis - Marshmallow
- Anethum graveolens - Dill
- Arctium tomentosum - Woolly burdock
- Arnica montana - Arnica
- Artemisia dracunculus - Tarragon
- Avena sativa - Oat
- Bistorta officinalis - Bistort
- Calluna vulgaris - Heather
- Cicorium intybus - Chicory
- Citrus limon - Lemon
- Coffea arabica - Coffee
- Conium maculatum - Hemlock
- Cynara cardunculus - Globe artichoke
- Datura inoxia - Thorn apple
- Echinacea purpurea - Purple coneflower
- Echium vulgare - Viper's bugloss
- Foeniculum vulgare - Fennel
- Hedera helix - Ivy
- Helleborus niger - Hellebore
- Humulus lupulus - Hops
- Lavandula angustifolia - Lavender
- Levisticum officinale - Lovage
- Lunaria annua - Honesty
- Malus sylvestris - Crab apple
- Malva sylvestris - Common mallow
- Matricaria chamomilla - German chamomile
- Melissa officinalis - Lemon balm
- Myosotis scorpioides - Forget-me-not
- Myrtus communis - Myrtle
- Narcissus poeticus - Poet's narcissus
- Nasturtium officinale - Watercress
- Paris quadrifolia - Herb-Paris
- Passiflora incarnata - Passionflower
- Petasites hybridus - Butterbur
- Plantago lanceolata - Ribwort plantain
- Potentilla erecta - Tormentil
- Primula veris - Cowslip
- Pulmonaria officinalis - Lungwort
- Pulsatilla vulgaris - Pasqueflower
- Ribes uva-crispa - Gooseberry
- Ruta graveolens - Rue
- Tanacetum parthenium - Feverfew
- Tanacetum vulgare - Tansy
- Tribulus terrestris - Puncturevine
- Tussilago farfara - Coltsfoot
- Vaccinium myrtillus - Blueberry
- Valeriana officinalis - Valerian
Insects:
- Bombus terrestris - Bumblebee
- Bombyx mori - Silkworm
- Cetonia aurata - Rose chafer
- Danaus plexippus - Monarch butterfly
- Apis mellifera - Honey bee
- Vespa crabro - European hornet
- Vespula vulgaris - Common wasp
Venelestis Medicatrix Botanical Oracle Deck • Medicinal and poisonous plants
Venelestis Botanical Oracle Decks are tools for divination through relationship.
They are designed for people who don’t want meanings handed to them, but who want to build a personal symbolic language through attention, observation, and repeated encounters. Rather than fixed interpretations, the cards invite you into an ongoing conversation with plants as living presences, shaped by your experiences, questions, memories, and environment.
These decks are for diviners, herbalists, occult practitioners, artists, researchers, and curious minds who trust that meaning emerges through practice, not instruction. They work equally well for beginners and experienced readers, because the system grows with you.
What makes these decks differentBotany as a shared language: Each card carries the internationally recognized Latin name of the plant. This grounds the deck in a neutral, cross-cultural reference point, not a predefined esoteric system, allowing meaning to arise through your own research and lived experiences.
Illustrations meant to be recognized: The artwork is inspired by traditional botanical illustration, prioritizing clarity and recognizability over abstraction. These are plants you can learn to notice in the world, not just symbols on paper.
Curated, not coded: Each deck contains 56 cards: 49 core species and 7 companion cards. They are not arranged into archetypes or hierarchies. Patterns, themes, and relationships emerge through use, and through the way you choose to work with them.
Crafted with care: Printed on FSC-certified matte cardstock and produced locally in the Czech Republic, each deck reflects an intentional approach to material quality, sustainability, and longevity.
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Reviews
I own the four decks created by Venelestis and I absolutely love them! As a medical herbalist who is also a botany nerd, I particularly appreciate the accuracy of the drawings. I’m also very happy to find plants in this deck that are not often featured in plants themed oracles!
What a beautiful and really special oracle set this is! I love the illustrations of the plants and insects, they really sing to me. I know this will become a valued and very close companion on my herbal journey. Can't wait to add the expansions as well when they come out! 💚🌿
~Medicatrix might be my favourite set, just cause it contains some of my fave plant allies. As always with Venelestis decks, the quality is impeccable.