Toadstones are mythical stones that were thought to be found in the heads of toads. They were supposed to be an antidote to poison and were believed to sweat, change colour or even heat up in the presence of poison and that placing them on bites from snakes, insects, spiders and shrews would extract poison from the wound. They were thought to bring good luck or ward off evil, whether in the present life or in the afterlife.
The Book of Secrets from the 13th century recommends swallowing the stone to "cleanse the bowels of filth and excrements". The stone could then be retrieved and used again. In Europe, they were often made into charms and talismans until the 18th century. Mothers wore toadstones to protect their children from being swapped for changelings by fairies.
Toadstones are actually the fossilized teeth of an extinct type of fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, over 200 to 100 million years old.
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