WEBVTT - What Is Eye of Newt?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bog Obam here. If you've ever read or seen

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<v Speaker 1>a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, or even if you haven't,

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<v Speaker 1>you may be familiar with the spooky passage in which

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<v Speaker 1>the witches are casting a spell filet of funny snake

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<v Speaker 1>in the cauldron, boil and bake. I have newton, toe

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<v Speaker 1>of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog, adder's

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<v Speaker 1>fork and blind worms, sting lizard's leg and owlet's wing

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<v Speaker 1>for a charm of powerful trouble like a hell broth.

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<v Speaker 1>Boil and bubble. But hold up, I have newt. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>Macbeth is a fictional work, but there are certainly people

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<v Speaker 1>around the world, back then and today who practice witchcraft.

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<v Speaker 1>Do they really use these types of things? If so,

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<v Speaker 1>it would seem like some animal rights activists should get involved.

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<v Speaker 1>I think about all those poor newts and little owl babies.

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<v Speaker 1>Worry not, however, I have newt is a real thing,

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<v Speaker 1>but not literally. All of the ingredients in the witches

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<v Speaker 1>brew are just old terms for various herbs, flowers, and plants.

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<v Speaker 1>Some say that people who practice witchcraft gave these flora

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<v Speaker 1>gross and disturbing names to deter other people from practicing witchcraft.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's the list of what's really in Shakespeare's cauldron. I

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<v Speaker 1>have Newt is mustard seed, toe of frog, buttercup, wool

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<v Speaker 1>of bat, holly leaves, tongue of dog is hound's tongue,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a toxic flowering weed whose seeds sometimes contaminated

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<v Speaker 1>grain stores, adders fork is adders tongue, which is a

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<v Speaker 1>type of fern. And blind worm. Okay, a blind worm

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<v Speaker 1>is really an animal. It's a tiny snake with small

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<v Speaker 1>but functional eyes. So now you can make a witches

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<v Speaker 1>brew yourself if you're so inclined. However, we seriously do

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<v Speaker 1>not recommend actually ingesting it. Some of those ingredients are

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<v Speaker 1>again toxic. So yes, it turns out that I have

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<v Speaker 1>newt is just the seeds for a popular hot dog topping.

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<v Speaker 1>But the classic scene from Macbeth wouldn't be the same

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<v Speaker 1>if his characters spoke of boiling mustard seeds, buttercups, and

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<v Speaker 1>holly leaves. Oh, and about those mustard seeds. In some

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<v Speaker 1>belief systems, one can use mustard seeds, particularly black mustard seeds,

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<v Speaker 1>to cast a spell of strife, confusion, discord, and disruption,

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<v Speaker 1>but other types of mustard seeds have been thought to

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<v Speaker 1>provide protection for non witches against those who practice witchcraft.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the legends out of medieval times goes that

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<v Speaker 1>which is are predisposed to counting and picking up things.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you scatter mustard seeds out around your front door, bed,

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<v Speaker 1>or property, the which will never have time to get

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<v Speaker 1>to you, as they'll be busy counting those mustard seeds.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Deborah Branca and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio's

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works. For more in this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other topics that will get your cauldron bubbling, visit our

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<v Speaker 1>home planet, how stuff Works dot com and for more

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.