Decent paper. The trials were a power struggle between the "science" of the Christian church and the spiritual healing offered by women AND men and the knowledge they had of their local flora and fauna. I think that the mystical aspect to the story is one that is placed upon it by those outside looking in. Natural healing, is, well, natural. And to make it into something supernatural or mysterious is missing the point completely.

Higher magic and herbalism are two very different talents and practices, and the ignorance of the people at the time that still continues to this day creates a stigma on those who would come naturally (pun intended) to the art. It causes them to deny their talents for fear of persecution, even if today it is limited to namecalling and odd glances. Now we just kill the spirit instead of killing the witch, and nobody goes to jail for that.