ALMOND: (Prunus dulcis) The Sweet Almond tree has dark-colored bark, rose to white flowers in early spring, and dry-fleshed fruit with a pitted stone containing the nut. Almonds flavor many dishes. Almond oil is a fixed oil pressed from the Sweet Almond seeds and is used in cosmetics, massage oils, and medicines. Almonds must be chewed well and slowly. The whole raw almond had been described as a cancer preventative. Arabs crossing vast deserts live on only almonds, dates and water. One ounce of almonds can be soaked overnight in four ounces of water and blended in the morning to make a milk substitute. Peeled almonds can relieve heartburn. Ground almonds make a wonderful facial scrub. The oil relieves coughs and hoarseness. Almonds have very little starch and the butter and flour of the nuts is recommended for diabetics. Caution: Almonds contain hydro cyanic acid and can be toxic if eaten in large amounts (over 50 kernels for an adult, ten for a child)
Parts Used: Seed and wood
Magical Use: (Wood) Burn for money, riches and wisdom. Almond wood makes a nice magickal wand. Sweet Almond Oil is one of the primary carrier oils for ritual and anointing blends. In an old fable, Phyllis was deserted by her lover Demophoon and died of grief. The gods changed her into a barren almond tree. When Demophoon returned and embraced the tree, it burst into leaf and flower - a symbol of true love transcending death.
Aromatherapy Use: (Oil) Great base for massage, bath, body and skin-care products. Sweet Almond oil is scentless and nourishing to the skin.
ALOE: (Aloe Vera or Aloe ssp.) This plant has remarkable qualities. Two parts are used: the clear, gel-like central leaf pulp, and the yellow-green juice from the green part of the leaf. The gel is used in creams to soothe, heal, and moisturize the skin, and in shampoos for dry, itchy scalps. It cools the skin, protects it from airborne infections and fungi, and reduces scarring. It speeds cell regeneration, and so treats radiation burns coral wounds, and dermatitis. It can be scraped from split leaves for first aid treatment of small burns, cuts, chapped skin, sunburn, eczema and Poison Ivy rash. Compounds in the leaf juice are added to sunscreens from protection against UV rays and have shown anticancer activity.
Part Used: Pulp or juice from the leaves
Magical Use: A protective houseplant. It guards against evil influences and prevents household accidents. In Africa, the aloe is hung over houses and doors to bring good luck and drive away evil.
Aromatherapy Use: Aloe Vera gel is used in cosmetic recipes where a cream or lotion isn't appropriate.
ANGELICA: (Angelica archangelica) also called "Angel's Food". This three-year "biennial" has a taproot, divided leaves, and umbels of green-white flowers in its third year, and then it seeds and dies. Crushed leaves in car interiors reduce travel nausea. The oil is distilled from the root or seeds. Used in infusion or tincture, the root raises body temperature and promotes digestion, making it an ideal herb for older folks. It also helps bring down the menses. Use it for colds and flu, to induce a sweat and warm the body. The decoction of the dried root is said to remove the taste for alcohol. Simmer two teaspoons of the root in two cups of water for twenty minutes; take one cup twice a day. Caution: Do not exceed the indicated amounts, or the heart, blood pressure, and respiration can be affected. Use the root in salves for skin problems and rheumatic pains. The tincture can be used in doses of ten to thirty drops, four times a day.
Parts Used: Root, essential oil and seeds
Magical Use: Sprinkle crushed leaves around the 4 corners of a house to ward negativity and purify the home, burn for meditation, protection, divination, exorcism, healing/health and visions. The leaves can be smoked in herbal "tobacco" formulas. (Oil) Use for anointing.
Aromatherapy Use: Coughs, Colds, Fevers, Flatulence, Indigestion, Skin Care, Circulation. Do not use during pregnancy or if diabetic.
ANISE: (Pimpinella anisum) Anise has sweetly, aromatic leaves, rounded at the base and narrower on the stem, with umbels of flowers followed by aromatic fruits. The flowers and leaves are used in fruit salads, the stem and roots in sweet soups. In cooking or infused as a tea, the seeds aid digestion, quell nausea, and ease flatulence and colic. Anise is used in cough mixtures, as it is expectorant and soothes spasms of irritant coughs and bronchial problems. It promotes estrogen production and is used to encourage breast milk, ease childbirth, and stimulate libido. Tiny amounts of the essential oil, produced from the seeds, are added to toothpaste, perfumes and mouthwashes, and are used to mask bitter medicines, but in large amounts Anise is highly toxic. The seeds are carminative (they move gas out of the intestinal tract). Used in tea or as lozenges, they soothe a hard cough. For the tea, steep one teaspoon of the seeds in one cup of boiled water for ten minutes. Take up to one and half cups a day. The seeds can also be tinctured using two ounces of seed per on-half quart of brandy and some lemon peel. Let the mixture sit for twenty days. The dose is one teaspoon as needed. The seeds are make into a liqueur called anisette, which is mixed with hot water as a remedy for bronchitis and asthma. Anise seed tea is sweetened with honey and given to children with lung colds. Epilepsy, colic, and smoker's cough are treated with anise. For colic, simmer one teaspoon of the seed in one-half pint of mild for ten minutes, strain, and take it hot. Oil of anise is a natural insecticide.
Parts Used: Seeds and essential oil
Magical Use: Anis seeds are an herb of protection said to avert all evil. In ancient Roman times, they ere baked into a cake that was served at the end of the wedding feast. Purification, Protection, entices spirits to aid in spells, divination, psychic awareness, youth, In a pillow it wards off nightmares.
Aromatherapy Use: Muscular aches and pains, Rheumatism, Bronchitis, Colds and coughs, Colic, Cramps, Flatulence, Indigestion.
APPLE: (Malus spp.) A Druid sacred tree. The apple is a symbol of immortality, A branch of the apple which bore buds, flowers and fully ripened fruit (sometimes known as the Silver Bough), was a kind of magical charm which enabled its possessor to enter into the land of the Gods, the underworld, in Celtic Mythology. Apples clean the liver, cure constipation, and tone the gums. When baked they can be applied as a warm poultice to sore throats and skin inflammations. The cooked apple is especially laxative. The peeled raw apple helps with diarrhea. The cider corrects intestinal flora, reduces stomach acidity, corrects gas, and helps the kidneys, take three or four cups a day. Apple cider vinegar and water make a rinse to restore hair, scalp and skin, use equal parts of vinegar and water. Blondes should use white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, water, and honey aid digestion when taken with meals, use two teaspoons of vinegar to a glass of water, add honey to taste. This was one of my great-grandmothers favorite cures for a sore throat.
Parts Used: Whole fruit (cooked or raw, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and wood
Magical Use: Wiccan altars are often piled high with apples during Samhain for the apple is considered to be one of the foods of the dead. For this very reason Samhain is sometimes known as "Feast of Apples". Apples are considered symbols of life and immortality. The apple has long been used in spells of love. The blossoms are added to love sachets, brews and incenses, and they are infused in melted pink wax, then strained out to make candles suitable to burn for attracting love. Use apple cider in place of blood where it is called for in old recipes. Apples and apple blossoms are symbolic of love, healing and immortality. Burn the blossoms as incense, wear the perfume, and make them into herb candles for a hand fasting rite.
ASAFETIDA: Ferula asafoetida
Also called Stinking Gum. The pungent gum is extracted from the living
rootstock by notching the plant at soil level. It was a popular Roman
condiment. (If you can imagine that!) Research suggests the plant is
anticoagulant and lowers blood pressure. Used to treat stomach ailments such
as intestinal flu, gas, and bloating. Add a pinch to beans as they cook. The
herb is good in cases of Candida albicans. Has been used for asthma,
bronchitis, and whooping cough because of it's antispasmodic properties and is
a good herb for croup and colic in babies (newborns should get it through
their mother's milk). Another method is to give it to infants via the rectum -
make an emulsion with four parts asafetida to one hundred parts water and
insert. It has been used as a sedative for hysteria and convulsion. Please
Note: This herb tastes awful and is perhaps best taken in capsule form, one
hundred milligrams to one gram being the dose.
a) Parts Used: Resin of the root
b) Magical Use: Use for prophetic dreams, exorcism, and protection. Worn in a
bag around the neck, asafetida dispels diseases and evils of all kinds. (It
literally repels evil spirits!) Add a clove of garlic to enhance the effect.
Asafetida is a classic for exorcism and purification rites. Use it to smudge a
ritual space with smoke. Unfortunately, though asafetida is powerful, it also
has a horrible odor. Just the slightest whiff of the fragrance has been known
to cause vomiting. Use with Care!
10) ASH TREE: (Fraxinus americana or excelsior) A Druid sacred tree. This
spring-flowering deciduous tree has smooth gray bark and showy, scented
flowers, although the scent is unpleasant to some. The bark of the ash can be
used as a substitute for quinine in intermittent fevers. It is reputed to
clear obstructions from the spleen and liver. Simmer two tablespoons of bark
for twenty minutes in one cup water, take a quarter-cup four times a day. The
leaves are laxative and can be used as a substitute for senns (tree leaves are
always gathered before midsummer). Steep two tablespoons of the leaf in one
cup of water for twenty minutes, take one quarter cup four times a day.
a) Parts Used: Bark and Leaf
b) Magical Use: Ash is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as
Yggdrasil. Ash wood makes a traditional Yule log. Druid wands were often made
of ash and carved with decorations. Ash wands are good for healing, general
and solar magic. Put fresh ash leaves under your pillow to stimulate psychic
dreams and prosperity. An herb of the sun, ash brings light into the hearth at
the winter solstice.
11) BASIL: (Oncimum basilicum) The warm, spicy taste of this popular herb's
leaf combines well with garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, and Italian dishes, Basil
flavors vinegar, pesto sauce, and oil. The essential oil flavors condiments
and liqueurs, and scents soaps and perfumes. Inhaling the essential oil
refreshes the mind and stimulates a sense of smell dulled by viral infection.
The infusion relieves gas and stomach pains. Reputedly abortive, it can help
expel the placenta. A warming herb, it is used for colds and flu,
constipation, vomiting, headaches, and menstrual cramps. Steep two teaspoons
per cup of water for twenty minutes, take up to one and a half cups per day.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and stem
b) Magical Use: Burn basil to exorcise negativity from the home. To do a
really thorough cleansing and protection of yourself and your home, also
sprinkle a little basil in each corner of each room in the house and add to
your bathwater. Basil is used to mend lovers' quarrels and brings good luck to
a new home. The scent of basil causes sympathy between two people and so is
worn to avoid major clashes. Basil Use it in rites of exorcism and in the
ritual bath. Sprinkle to powder over the area of your heart to promote
fidelity. The scent brings happiness to the home and will protect you in
crowds.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Bronchitis, Fatigue, Colds, Loss of Concentration,
Migraine, Gout, Aches and Pains, Insect bites, Insect Repellent, Coughs,
Migraine, Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression, Infectious Disease. Key Qualities:
Restorative, Tonic, Antidepressant, Refreshing, Uplifting, Fortifying,
Purifying, Clearing, Warming, Cephalic, Stupefying in excess.
12) BAY LAUREL: (Laurus nobilis) The culinary leaves may be slightly narcotic,
and aid digestion when added to Bouquet garni, marinades, pâté, soups and
stews. The wood is used to give an aromatic tang to smoked foods, and oil of
Bay, from the fruit, flavors some liqueurs. A leaf decoction added to bath
water will relieve aching limbs, and diluted leaf essential oil can treat
sprains and rheumatic joints but may irritate the skin. The leaf and berry are
used in salves for itching, sprains, bruises, skin irritations, and rheumatic
pain. The fruit and leaf are simmered until soft and made into a poultice with
honey for chest colds. Bay leaf and berry tea makes a bath additive that helps
the bladder, bowel, and female reproductive organs. Use two tablespoons per
cup and steep for forty-five minutes, add to bath water.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and berry
b) Magical Use: Bay leaves were used by the Delphic priestesses. The incense
and the leaf are said to produce a prophetic trance. Burn for psychic powers,
purification, wish magic, exorcism, healing/health, protection, divination,
visions, clairvoyance, energy, power, strength, inspiration, wisdom,
meditation, defense, creative word. Put the leaves under your pillow to give
inspiration and visions. An herb of the sun, bay brings the light of summer
into the darkest time of the year. Carry the leaf or place in the home to ward
off illness and hexes.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Sprains, Colds, Flu, Insomnia, Rheumatism.
13) BENZOIN: (Styrax benzoin) Benzoin is a shrubby tree with gray bark, simple
leaves, and short racemes of small, fragrant, bell-shaped white flowers. The
scented yellowish resin is thought to be created in response to injury, so it
is tapped by making hatchet incisions in the trunk. The resin, called benzoin
or gum benjamin, is used as incense, a fixative in perfumes, and is added to
cosmetics to prevent fats turning rancid. The tree resin is used externally,
diluted with water, as an antiseptic skin wash. Taken internally, it relieves
intestinal gas and is antiseptic to the urinary tract. Take ten to twenty
drops in water or tea four times a day. Put it in vaporizers or use it an
inhalant for bronchitis, and laryngitis. A simple method is to place it, along
with a few drops of the oils of peppermint and eucalyptus, in a bowl of
boiling hot water. Put your face as close to the bowl as you can and cover
your head, and the bowl, with a towel. Inhale the steam. Tincture of benzoin
is often added to salves as a preservative, (one pound of benzoin to about one
and a half quarts of salve.) Benzoin is used in Aromatherapy but may cause
allergic reactions.
a) Parts Used: Resin
b) Magical Use: An herb of purification, burned in incense to sanctify an
area. The scent is also used to attract business when combined with basil,
peony or cinnamon. Dilute the essential oil and rub onto the body to increase
your personal power. It awakens the conscious mind as well. Burn to purify,
protect, for prosperity, for astral projection or to increase mental powers.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Asthma, Bronchitis, Laryngitis, Chills, Flu, Colic,
Coughs, Itching, Arthritis, Colds, As a Sedative. Benzoin has been found to
help retain skin elasticity. It is valuable in treating dry, cracked skin and
is believed to be anti-depressant. Key Qualities: Warming, Energizing,
Uplifting, Comforting, Purifying, Elevating, Stimulant, Soothing,
Antidepressant.
14) BERGAMOT: (Citrus bergamia)
Bergamot has aromatic flowers and fruits. The thin, smooth peel yields Bergamot
oil for "true" eau de Cologne and Earl Grey Tea.
a) Parts Used: Flower and fruit
b) Magical Use: Use for money and protective rituals. Add the distilled bouquet
to your bathwater for these purposes. Synthesized versions of the oil abound but
should not be used.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Boils, Cold Sores, Insect Bites, Spots, Varicose Ulcers,
Colds, Flu, Fevers, Acne, Tension, Wounds, Coughs, Stress, as an Antidepressant,
as an Insect Repellent, Depression, Cystitis, Infectious Diseases, Tonsillitis,
Halitosis, Flatulence, Loss of appetite. Key Qualities: Reviving, Refreshing,
Calming, Soothing, Uplifting, Sedative, Regulating, balancing, Anti-Depressant.
15) BERGAMOT MINT: (Mentha x piperita 'citrata') This herb is sometimes confused
with the Citrus of the same name. Bee Balm is also called bergamot at times.
This is a hairless mint with thin smooth leaves and purple runners, it has
purplish flowers. In full sun it develops a strong citrus scent and the whole
plant is tinged purple. In shade the color is more coppery. Use it as an
aromatic herb in potpourri or to make a honey-sweetened drink. The flavor is not
so good for cooking. Also called Eau De Cologne Mint.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and Essential Oil
b) Magical Use: The leaves of bergamot mint are slipped into wallets and purses
to attract money. Fresh leaves are also rubbed onto money before spending it to
ensure it's return. Also used in "success" rituals and spells.
16) BETONY: (Stachys officonalis or Stachys betonica or Betonica officionalis)
Also known as Bishop wort, Wood Betony or Purple Betony. Wood betony has fairly
pungent, scalloped, hairy leaves and spikes of pale magenta summer flowers. A
Druid sacred herb. The arial parts provide a tea substitute and are added to
tonics and herbal cigarettes. An infusion is mildly sedative and cleansing and
is a nerve and circulation tonic for migraine, anxiety, indigestion,
drunkenness, and difficult labor. Wood Betony was an Anglo-Saxon protective
charm
a) Parts Used: Leaf, flower, stem and root
b) Magical Use: This was a very powerful herb to the Druids as it has the power
to expel evil spirits, nightmares and despair. It was burned at Midsummer
Solstice for purification and protection. Sprinkle around or near al doors and
windows to form a protective barrier. If troubled by nightmares fill a small
cloth pillow and place it under your pillow. Betony is added to purification and
protection mixtures and incenses.
17) BIRCH: (Betula alba) A Druid sacred tree. Also known as Lady of the Woods,
Paper Birch or White Birch. The antibacterial leaves give a diuretic tea used to
treat gout and rheumatism, to dissolve kidney and bladder tones and to lower
cholesterol. Steep two teaspoons of leaf per cup of water for twenty minutes.
The dose is one to one a half cups over a day. Birch twigs and leaves are
simmered and added to the bath for itchy skin conditions and falling hair. Taken
before bed, the tea is sedative. The young shoots and leaves make a tonic
laxative. The inner bark is simmered and used in fevers. Twigs and bark are
simmered using two teaspoons of plant per cup of water for twenty minutes. The
dose is one-fourth cup four times a day. The twigs of B. lutea (Yellow birch)
and B. lenta (black birch) are gathered in spring and simmered gently for twenty
minutes to make a delicious beverage. Please note: the leaves must be used
fresh, and not after Midsummer, as they will then contain natural insecticides.
The white birch has no real flavor and does not make a good beverage tea. The
bark and bud oil are used in medicated soaps.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, bark and twigs
b) Magical Use: The traditional broom of witches is made of birch twigs.
Protection, purification, wards negativity, love, new beginnings, changes. Birch
is a feminine tree and an embodiment of the Great Mother. Cradles are often made
of her wood as a protection for the child.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Gout, Rheumatism, Eczema, Ulcers.
18) BLACKBERRY: (Rubus villosus) A Blackberry leaf decoction is a blood and skin
tonic, and a poultice treats eczema. The juicy purple-black fruit are rich in
fiber and Vitamin C. The root is a classic remedy for diarrhea and is reputed to
clean the kidneys and urinary tract of stones and gravel. Simmer two teaspoons
for the root per cup of water for twenty minutes, and take a quarter cup four
times a day. The buds and leaves are used fresh in poultices for wounds, burns,
mouth sores, and sore throats. Chew the leaves or make a poultice. The berries
are slightly binding (as is blackberry wine) and are useful in diarrhea, as are
the leaves.
a) Parts Used: Root, leaf, bud, and berry
b) Magical Use: Sacred to Brighid, the leaves and berries are used to attract
wealth or healing. This is a Goddess herb, belonging to the planetary sphere of
Venus. Protection, health, prosperity, pie for Lughnasadh, to commemorate the
harvest.
19) BLACKTHORN: (Prunus spinosa) Also know as Sloe, Mother of the Wood, or
Wishing Thorn. This tree has small, serrated, oval leaves on dark, thorny
branches with purple blooms and black fruit. The leaves yield a mouthwash. The
astringent fruits make Sloe gin. Traditionally, the wood was used to make clubs.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, twig, fruit
b) Magical Use: Returns evil to sender. The thorns are used for sticking into
black figure candles or poppets of enemies that will not leave you alone. Hung
over doorways or carried, the sloe wards off evil and calamity, banishes demons
and negative vibrations.
20) BORAGE: (Borago officionalis) The flowers decorate salads and cakes and are
frozen in ice cubes. The cooling, mineral-rich leaves flavor drinks, dips, and
salt-free diets. A leaf and flower infusion is an adrenaline tonic taken for
stress, depression, or cortisone and steroid treatment. It reduces fevers, dry
coughs, and dry skin rashes. Pressed seed oil can be used like Evening Primrose
for menstrual and irritable bowel problems, eczema, blood pressure, arthritis
and hangovers.
a) Parts Used: Flower, leaf, stem and seeds
b) Magical Use: Tea aids psychic power. Carry the leaves for protection. Carry
the fresh blossoms to strengthen your courage. Use in money and business spells.
21) BRIAR ROSE: (Rosa rubiginosa) Also known as Wild Rose, Sweet Briar, Hop
Fruit, or Briar. Regular scented roses may be substituted. See also ROSE.
a) Parts Used: Flower and fruit
b) Magical Use: For clairvoyant dreams, steep two teaspoons fresh or dried rose
petals in one cup of boiling water. Cover and let stand five minutes. Drink at
bedtime. Burn the petals with love incense to strengthen love spells. Rose
essential oil is used in formulas designed to attract love, confer peace,
stimulate sexual desires and enhance beauty. Healing, Creativity, Love Luck,
Prophetic Dreams, Protection, Psychic Awareness, Divination, Clairvoyance,
Anointing, Balance.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Anxiety, Depression, Circulatory Problems, menopausal
Problems, as an Antiseptic and Tonic, Menstrual Disorders, Stress, Tension, as a
Sedative.
22) BROOM: (Genista scoparius syn. Cytisus scoparius and Sarothamnus scoparious)
Also known as Scotch Broom, and Irish broom. A Druid Sacred Tree, it is a
many-branched erect shrub with simple or trifoliate leaves, and golden
"sweet-pea" flowers. A flowering sprig of Broom was a heraldic battle device of
Henry II of England who is said to have taken the family name Plantagenet from
this medieval "planta genista". Flowering broom tips are gathered in spring
(before Midsummer) and are later used fresh or dry. The seeds are as useful as
the tops. Both are soluble in water and alcohol. The infusion is used to tread
cardiac edema. Simmer one teaspoon of the herb or seeds per cup of water for
twenty minutes. The dose is one-half cup a day in one-fourth cup doses. Broom is
combined with dandelion root, uva ursi, and juniper berries to treat bladder and
kidney ailments. Take one part broom, one half part uva ursi, and one half part
dandelion root. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to half the original
quantity. Add one-half part juniper berry and cool. A pinch of cayenne is
sprinkled into each one-eighth cup dose. Caution: Acute kidney problems
contraindicate this herb. Broom is a heart tonic. Use one teaspoon of the herb
per cup of water, and do not exceed more than one-half cup per day. One to ten
drops of tincture may be given as a dose.
a) Parts Used: Flowering twig and seed.
b) Magical Use: Broom flowers bound with colored ribbons are carried at
weddings. Couples may choose to "jump the broom" as they make their transition
to a new station of life. Broom can be substituted for furze (gorse)) at Spring
Equinox. The Irish called it the "Physician's Power" because of its diuretic
shoots. Sweep your outside ritual areas with it to purify and protect. Burning
the blooms and shoots calms the wind. Hang indoors for protection and
purification. Toss in the air or bury it to raise or calm winds.
23) CAMPHOR: (Cinnamomum camphora) This white, intensely scented, crystalline
substance is distilled from a tree native to China and Japan. The essential oil
is steam-distilled from wood, root stumps, and branches. For many years true
camphor wasn't sold in the U.S. All "camphor blocks" and mothballs were made of
synthetic camphor which is extremely poisonous. Both the leaf and crystallized
extract are used for wet lung conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Camphor
is useful in depression, exhaustion, and stomach cramps and to improve
circulation. Use about two teaspoons of leaf per cup of water and steep for
twenty minutes. Take one-fourth cup four times a day. Alternatively, use one
teaspoon of the crystallized extract per two cups of water. Take it in
one-teaspoon doses four times a day. The tincture is also available and is used
in doses of five to ten drops four times a day. Camphor is incorporated into
salves for external use to kill parasites and treat ringworm, scabies, and itch.
The oil open the lungs, making breathing easier, and helps with muscular and
joint pain, arthritis, and bruises (not for open wounds). The salve functions as
a "smelling salt," and the herb has been used internally to revive those in coma
or delirium. Camphor can be burned to purify the air or inhaled to open lung
passages. Caution: Do not use this herb if you are pregnant or if you are very
weak and debilitated. Only natural plant extracts should be used, as chemical
camphor is contaminated with industrial poisons.
a) Parts Used: Crystallized extract and leaf
b) Magical Use: (Solid Form) Camphor is added in small amounts to Lunar and
chastity type mixtures, (Eucalyptus or Lavender oil may be substituted).
Divination, Prophetic Dreams, Psychic Awareness. Burn in the home to purify the
air and to dispel disease.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Coughs, Colds, Fevers, Rheumatism, Arthritis.
24) CARAWAY: (Carum carvi) Caraway is a hardy biennial with finely cut feathery
leaves, umbels of small flower heads in midsummer and capsules containing two
curved narrow seeds. The seeds are a popular spice, especially in Central
Europe. They enhance port, goulash, sauerkraut, cheese, and pickles and are
added to cooking cabbage to reduce the smell. They flavor brads and cakes and
are eaten raw or sugar- coated as Caraway comfits after a spicy meal. They
sweeten the breath, aid digestion, and relieve flatulence. Chopped leaves are
added to soups and salads, and the root is cooked as a vegetable. Essential oil,
distilled from the seeds, flavors gin, candy, the liqueur Kümel, and
mouthwashes, and scents soaps, and aftershaves. The seeds are antiseptic and a
vermifuge. Caraway seeds have been used in cooking since the Stone Age. The
powdered seeds are taken in doses of one-fourth to one teaspoon to promote
digestion and relieve gas. Caraway tea also relieves menstrual cramps, as it
helps to bring on the menstruation. Caraway increases breast mile. To make the
tea, steam three teaspoons of the ground seeds in one-half cup of water for
twenty minutes (use a kitchen blender to lightly crush the seed). Take up to one
and a half cups a day in one-fourth cup doses, or simply chew the seeds. One to
four drops of the essential oil may be taken as a digestive aid. For colicky
babies, soak one ounce of the ground seed in a pint of cold water for about six
hours. The dose is from one to three teaspoons of the infusion, or boil three
teaspoons of seed in one-half cup of milk for a few minutes, then steep for ten
minutes. The powdered seeds are moistened to make a poultice for bruises and
earaches.
a) Parts Used: Seed, leaf, root and essential oil
b) Magical Use: Caraway is often added to love potions to keep lovers from being
unfaithful. The seeds are placed in poppets and used in spells to find one's
mate. They are said to inspire lust when baked into cakes or breads. Put some in
your wedding cake, or use it instead of rice to throw at the bride and groom.
Pigeons are very fond of it too!
25) CARDAMOM: (Elettario cardamomum) This perennial bears violet-striped white
flowers and aromatic green fruits on erect or trailing racemes. The seed pods
are an expensive spice, sold as whole green, bleached, or sun-dried cardamom.
The seeds are digestive, stimulant, and antispasmodic, and rhizome is given for
fatigue and fever. The essential oil from almost-ripe fruits is used in liqueurs
and perfumes. Cardamom seeds are a symbol of hospitality.
a) Parts Used: Seed
b) Magical Use: Deliciously spicy, cardamom essential oil brings a nice jolt of
energy to live and sexually oriented formulas. Burn for love spells or use in
love sachets. The ground seeds are added to warmed wine for a quick lust potion.
They are also baked into apple pies for a wonderful amatory pastry.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Nausea, Coughs, Headaches, Aches, as a Digestive and Tonic,
Dyspepsia, Mental Fatigue, Nervous Strain, Halitosis, Anorexia, Colic. Key
Qualities: Cephalic, Aphrodisiac, Warming, Comforting, Refreshing, Uplifting,
Penetrating, Soothing.
26) CARNATION: (Dianthus caryophyllus) Also called Pink , Clove Pink or Gilly
Flower. This short lived perennial has blue-green grass like foliage and spicy,
fragrant long-lasting flowers in the summer. This "Flower of Divinity" and
symbol of betrothal, woven into garlands is the parent of cultivated carnations,
although is seldom available in its true for. Fortunately, the petals of any
clove-scented Pink, with the bitter white heel removed, can be added to fruit
dishes, sandwiches, soups, and sauces, or used to make floral syrup, vinegar,
liqueur, or wine. This was Chaucer's "sops in wine" and is still enjoyed as a
nerve tonic today. The strong-sweet spicy scent is used in soaps and perfumes.
Worn during Elizabethan times to prevent coming to an untimely death on the
scaffold.
a) Parts Used: Flower petals
b) Magical Use: Altar offering for the Goddess, Anointing, Protection, Strength,
Health and Healing, Energy, Power, Magical Power, Blessing, Consecration. Can be
used in all purpose protective spells.
27) CATNIP: (Nepeta Catoria) A Druid sacred herb. The root and leaf scent, mint
with cat pheromone overtones, intoxicates cats and repels rats and flea beetles.
The tender leaves are added to salads and flavor meat. They can also be brewed
as tea and were used before China tea was imported. The leaves and flowering
tops treat colds, calm upset stomachs, reduce fevers, and soothe headaches and
scalp irritations. When smoked, leaves give mild euphoria with no harmful
effects.
a) Parts Used: Leaf
b) Magical Use: Chewed by warriors for fierceness in battle. Large dried leaves
are powerful markers for magic books. Give it to your cat to create a psychic
bond. Used in spells to promote beauty, happiness, love. Use in all Cat Magic
Spells.
28) CASSIA: (Cinnamomum aromaticum var. cassia) This is the highest grade of
Cinnamon. See Cinnamon.
a) Magical Use: Purification
b) Aromatherapy Use: See cinnamon
29) CEDARWOOD: (Cedrus libani or Cedrus spp.) A Druid sacred herb. Also known as
Cedar, Tree of Life, Arbor Vitae (Thuja occidentalis) or Yellow Cedar (T.
occidentalis). Ancient Celts on the mainland used cedar oil to preserve the
heads of enemies taken in battle. The wood of the Atlas Cedar subspecies is
distilled to produce the essential oil. Yellow cedar is used by herbalists to
treat bloody cough and heart weakness. Simmer two teaspoons per cup for twenty
minutes and take it cold in one-tablespoon doses, three to six times a day. It
is used internally and externally as an anti-fungal (the dry powder is excellent
for Athlete's foot).
a) Parts Used: Twig and leaf
b) Magical Use: Cedar smoke purifies the home. Use it in smudge sticks, incense
and sweat lodges. The scent is said to enhance psychic powers. I use it in a
simmering pot which smells much better than the burning herb, it makes the whole
house smell clean and sweet. Use for: Purification, Health and Healing, Luck,
Good Fortune, Happiness, Banishing, Releasing, Exorcism, Money and Riches,
Justice, Protection, Harmony, Peace.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Bronchitis, Catarrh, Acne, Arthritis, as a Diuretic,
Sedative, Antiseborrhoeic.
30) CHAMOMILE: (Chamaemelum nobile or Anthemis nobilis) Also called Roman
chamomile, English chamomile, Perennial Chamomile, Wild Chamomile, and Ground
Apple. A Druid Sacred Herb, this aromatic evergreen has feathery, apple-scented
leaves and white flowers with conical golden centers. The flowers make a
digestive, soothing and sedative tea, which is used for soothing restless
children, helps prevent nightmares and insomnia, and suppresses nausea. The
flower compounds have shown anti-tumor activity in laboratory tests. In the
garden it is a "physician plant" reviving nearby ailing plants. The essential
oil is a beautiful blue color turning yellow as it ages. This herb has an
affinity for the solar plexus area of the human body. Colic, upset stomachs, and
fevers are benefited by the tea of the fresh or dried flower. Use two
tablespoons per cup, steep for twenty minutes, and take a quarter cup four times
a day. Women with menstrual cramps can try adding a few thin slices of fresh
ginger root to the tea. Chamomile is an antibacterial. Sores, wounds, itches,
and rashes respond to external applications. Use the tea as a wash or add the
herb to salves and poultices. The oil is rubbed into swollen joints. Chamomile
calms the nerves and brings on sleep. Use it in baths and gargles. Add the tea
to a vaporizer to help asthmatic children. The classic tea for cranky, teething
babies, it is given in the bottle or through a mother's breast milk.
a) Parts Used: Flower
b) Magical Use: Yellow chamomile brings the power of the sun to love potions,
money spells and rites of purification. Use in incense for the God. When
sprinkled around the house it removes hexes, curses and spells. It can be burned
or added to prosperity bags to increase money. Use for: Love, Luck, Fortune,
Justice, Prosperity, Purification, Meditation, Rest.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Nerves, Migraine, Acne, Inflammation, Insomnia, Menstrual
Problems, Dermatitis, Analgesic, Tension Headache, Stress.
31) CHERRY: (Prunus serotina) A Druid sacred tree, chips of the wood or bark
were burned at Celtic festivals especially Sabbaths. Also known as Black Cherry,
Wild Cherry or Chokecherry (P. virginiana). Chokecherry bark tea is used to
clear the throats of singers and public speakers, the powdered berries were once
used to improve the appetite. If you've never tried chokecherry jelly, you've
missed a real treat. CAUTION: The stone is poisonous.
a) Parts Used: Fruit, bark and wood
b) Magical Use: (Wood and Fruit Juice) Creativity, Healing, Long been used to
attract Love, Cherry juice is used as a substitute for blood in old recipes.
32) CINNAMON: (Cinnamomum verum or zeylanicum) A tropical evergreen tree up to
50 feet tall. Cinnamon sticks are quills from the inner bark and the essential
oil is distilled by water or steam from the leaves and twigs.
a) Parts Used: Bark
b) Magical Use: (Herb and Oil) Meditation, Defense, Creative Work, Divination,
Energy, Power, Protection, Success, Astral Projection, Health and Healing, Love
Lust, Money and Riches, Purification.
c) Aromatherapy Use: (Oil) Lice, Scabies, Wasp Stings, Poor Circulation,
Childbirth (stimulates contractions), Anorexia, Colitis, Diarrhea, Dyspepsia,
Intestinal Infection, Sluggish Digestion, Spasm, Flu, Rheumatism, Warts, Coughs,
Colds, Viral Infections, Frigidity, Infectious Disease, Stress Related
Conditions, Tooth and Gum Care, Nervous Exhaustion. Key Qualities: Warming,
Reviving, Tonic, Strengthening, Aphrodisiac, Restorative, Uplifting.
33) CINQUEFOIL: (Pontentilla reptans) Also called Five Fingered Grass, Creeping
cinquefoil, and Five Leaved Grass. The rootstock was cooked as a vegetable by
the Celts and Native Americans. Applied to sore areas, the fresh plant relieves
pain. A root decoction is used in anti-wrinkle creams. A wash reduces skin
redness, freckles, and sunburn. The powdered root and leaf are used to stop
internal hemorrhaging. The powder also makes an astringent for mouth sores and
treats diarrhea. Taken with honey, it relieves sore throats, coughs, and fever.
Take one-quarter to one-half teaspoon at a time, or twenty to forty drops of the
tincture. The leaves can be steeped using two teaspoons per cup of water for
twenty minutes, or one ounce of the root can be simmered in one and a half cups
of water for twenty minutes. The dose is a quarter cup four times a day.
a) Parts Used: Root and leaf
b) Magical Uses Use the infusion in ritual baths and for purification rites.
Cinquefoil bestows eloquence and protection to the wearer, bring it to court.
Love, power wisdom, health, and abundance are symbolized by its five petals.
Prick a hole in an egg, drain it and fill it with cinquefoil. Tape the egg shut,
and your home and property are protected. Bathe in the infusion every seven days
to ward off evil influences. Prosperity, Protection, Defense, Purification,
Anointing, Divination Dreams, Energy, Strength, Luck, Fortune, Justice, Healing,
Inspiration, Wisdom, Love,. Hang at the door for protection. Add to pacificator
bath sachets.
34) CLOVE: (Syzgium aromaticum) Cloves are the sun-dried unopened flower buds of
a dense evergreen tree, they have a strong spiciness that flavors foods and
prevents nausea. The flowers are used to soothe aching eyes. Clove oil, from the
distillation of leaves and flower buds, is an antiseptic numbing agent for
toothache and indigestion. It is added to cosmetics, perfumes, and cigarettes.
There are now Clove-based anesthetics.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and flower bud
b) Magical Use: Use for: Divination, Love, Lust, Banishing, Releasing,
Inspiration, Wisdom. Burn for Wealth, Purification, to ward negative thoughts,
or to stop others from gossiping about you.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Nausea, Flatulence, Asthma, Bronchitis, Arthritis,
Rheumatism, Toothache, Diarrhea, Infections, as an Analgesic and Antiseptic,
Insect Repellent (Mosquitoes). Key Qualities: Tonic, Stimulating, Revitalizing,
Aphrodisiac, Warming, Comforting, Purifying, Active.
35) CLUB MOSS: (Lycopodium selago or clavatum) Also called Selago, Foxtail,
Lycopod, Vegetable Sulpher, Wolf Claw or Stag's Horn Moss. This toxic,
evergreen, moss like herb has trailing stems, upright branches and developing
cones encasing the ripe spores. The spores were once used for gastric and
urinary disorders, as an antispasmodic sedative and to coat pills. Blackfoot
Indians knew of the spores' blood-stanching, wound-healing and
moisture-absorbing properties and inhaled them for nosebleeds and dusted them on
cuts. They are still used on wounds and eczema. The spores are explosive when
set alight, and used to create theatrical lightening and added to fireworks.
Magicians once used them to create "lightening flashes" and other pyrotechnics
as needed. These effects were originally intended as a form of sympathetic magic
-of evocation by emulation - not simply (or deceptively) as stage effects. The
club mosses are found in North America, northern Europe, Asia, and the southern
hemisphere. The plants are several inches in height and resemble moss. They
creep by means of prostrate stems, which branch upward at intervals, with
crowded, linear, simple leaves. Large two valve spore cases product the
medicinally active spores. While the whole plant was used by the ancients as a
cathartic, the spores were used as a diuretic in edema, a drastic (a forceful
agent of cure) in diarrhea and dysentery, a nervine for rabies and spasms, a
mild laxative in cases of gout and scurvy, and a corroborant (strengthening
agent) for rheumatism. The dose is ten to sixty grains of the spores. The spores
also make a dusting powder for skin diseases and diaper rash. CAUTION: Selago
can be an active narcotic poison when overused. For this reason it is probably
better to use only the spores, which are non-toxic. The whole plant can be used
externally, however, as a counterirritant - made into a poultice, it will keep
blisters open and kill lice.
a) Parts Used: Above-ground portions of the herb, and spores.
b) Magical Use: Druids respected the plant to such a degree that it was gathered
only under strict ritual guidelines. One of the Ovates would dress in white,
bathe both feet in free-running water and offer a sacrifice of bread and
spirits, and then with white robe wrapped around the right hand, using a brass
hook, would dig up the plant by the roots. When properly gathered, the herb
becomes a charm of power and protection. Wear it, add it to incense, and use it
to commune with the Gods and Goddesses.
36) COMFREY: (Symphytum officonale) Also known as Slippery Root, Knit bone or
Black wort. Teas, tinctures and compresses of comfrey roots or leaves speed
healing of cuts, rashes, and broken bones.
a) Parts Used: Root and leaf
b) Magical Uses Root or leaves for healing. Carry for safe travel. To ensure the
safety of your luggage while traveling, tuck a piece of the root into each of
your bags.
37) COPAL: (Bursera odorata) Copal is a white, pale yellow or yellowish-orange
gum resin. When smoldered on charcoal it produces a rich, delicious,
piney-lemony fragrance. Copal is North America's equivalent of Frankincense.
While it lacks some of frankincense's bittersweet odor, it is a fine substitute.
When frankincense if left smoldering on charcoal for some time it eventually
emits a very bitter scent. Copal, however, never varies as it burns. It is
native to Mexico and Central America, and has been used as incense in religious
and magical ceremonies for untold hundreds of years, beginning, perhaps, with
the Mayans or even prior to the days of that fables people. The finest copal is
a pale to dark yellow color with an intense resinous-citrus odor. It is usually
sold in chunks and may contain leaf fragments.
a) Parts Used: Resin
b) Magical Use: Burn for protection, cleansing, purification, to promote
spirituality, and to purify quartz crystals and other stones before use in
magic. May be substituted for Frankincense. A piece of copal may be used as the
heart in poppets.
38) CORIANDER: (Coriandrum sativum) The whole of this annual is pungently
aromatic. The seed is a mild sedative, aids digestion, reduces flatulence, and
eases migraines. The spicy essential oil, distilled from the seeds, is used in
perfumes and incense, flavors medicines and toothpaste, and is added to massage
oil for facial neuralgia and cramps. The seeds are strengthening to the urinary
system. The leaf and seed are infused to treat bladder infections. The tea helps
with stomach problems such as gas and indigestion. Steep two teaspoons of the
dried seed per cup of boiled water fro twenty minutes, and take up to one cup a
day. The powdered seed and the oil are used to flavor other herbal preparations
and to ease griping in laxative formulas. Use one-fourth to one-half teaspoon at
a time. Coriander is a common ingredient of Indial curries.
a) Parts Used: Seed and leaf
b) Magical Use: Coriander oil works well in love and healing mixtures. The seeds
are used for healing, especially easing headaches and are worn for this purpose.
Add the powdered seeds to warm wine to make an effective lust potion. Put some
in the chalice for a hand fasting ritual.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Eating Disorders, Colic, Diarrhea, Dyspepsia, Measles,
Migraine, Neuralgia, General Infections, Indigestion, Influenza, Fatigue,
Rheumatism, Flatulence, Nervousness, as an Analgesic, Stimulant, Aphrodisiac.
Key Qualities: Aphrodisiac, Stimulating, Soporific (In excess), Refreshing,
Warming, Comforting, Revitalizing, Strengthening, Purifying, Soothing, Active.
39) CYPRESS: (Cupressus sempervirens) This tall evergreen tree has gray-brown
bark, and tiny, dark green leaves. It bears yellowish male cones and green
female cones, which ripen to brown. Cypress Oil, distilled from the leaves,
branches, and cones, has a refreshing, camphor-resinous scent.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, twigs, fruit, bark, wood, resin and essential oil.
b) Magical Use: Burn for Happiness, Harmony, Peace, Inspiration, Binding,
Wisdom, Releasing, Defense, Longevity. Cypress Oil is used for Blessing,
Consecration, and protection. The unique scent stimulates healing and eases the
pain of losses of all kind.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Skin Care, Perspiration, Wounds, bruises, Hemorrhoids,
Varicose Veins, Cellulites, Muscular Cramps, Edema, Poor Circulation,
Rheumatism, Asthma, Bronchitis, Spasmodic Coughing, Dysmenorrhea,, Menopausal
Problems, Nervous Tension, Stress-related Conditions, Treats inflamed/bleeding
gums, Insect Repellent. Key Qualities: Refreshing, Purifying, Relaxing, Warming,
Reviving, Restorative, Comforting, Protective, Soothing.
40) DILL: (Anethum graveolens) Uniquely flavored, Dill offers culinary "seeds"
and leaves, but the choicest flavor is in the fresh immature green seed heads.
They give character to dill pickles, vinegar and potato salad. Distilled seed
oil is colorless to pale yellow, with a light, fresh, warm-spicy scent and
flavors drinks, food and infant gripe water for colic. The seeds aid digestion,
and their infusion reduces flatulence, hiccups, stomach pains, and insomnia. A
seed decoction gives a nail-strengthening bath.
a) Parts Used: Flower, leaf, stem, fruit, seeds, and essential oil.
b) Magical Use: Seeds draw money, Leaves for protection, Flowers for love and
defense. Protective when hung at the door, no one ill-disposed or envious of you
can enter your house. Smell Dill to cure hiccups.
c) Aromatherapy Use: (Oil) Colic, Constipation, Dyspepsia, Flatulence,
Headaches, Indigestion, Nervousness, Amenorrhea.
41) DRAGONS BLOOD: (Draceana draco spp.) Dragon's blood is the resin of the
Draceana draco species. The common name of this plant is "dragon tree" hence the
name.
a) Parts Used: Resin
b) Magical Use: Burn for love, protection, exorcism, and sexual potency. Use for
Courage, Magical Power, Energy, Strength, Purification, Changes, Determination,
Cleansing. A pinch of Dragon's blood added to other incenses increases their
potency and power.
42) ELDER (Sambucus canadensis or nigra) Also known as Ellhorn, Elderberry, Lady
Elder, and Black Berried Elder. A Druid Sacred Tree. Sacred to the White Lady
and Midsummer Solstice. The Druids used it to both bless and curse. In Chinese
medicine, the leaves, stems, and roots are used to treat fractures and muscle
spasms. The flowers treat colds, sore throats, hay fever, and arthritis, and act
as a mild laxative. Named the "country medicine chest" for its many health uses,
the Elderberry is also rich in European folklore. The black elder (S. nigra) can
be used as an insecticide in the garden or to repel insects from the face and
body. A simple infusion of the fresh leaf is made for this purpose. It can also
be poured down mouse and mole holes. The berries are used for jam, wine, pies,
and syrups. Medicinally, they help coughs, colic, diarrhea, sore throats,
asthma, and flu. A pinch of cinnamon makes the tea more warming. The leaves are
added to salves for skin conditions. The flowers are infused for fevers,
eruptive skin conditions such as measles, and severe bronchial and lung
problems. A classic flu remedy is a mixture of elder flower, yarrow and
peppermint teas. Keep the patient well covered, as the flowers promote sweating.
Use two teaspoons of the herbs per cup of water, steep for twenty minutes, and
take up to three cups a day.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, flower, and berry
b) Magical Use: Elder wands can be used to drive out evil spirits or thought
forms. Music on panpipes or flutes made of elder have the same power of the
wands. A Dryad "Elder Mother" is said to live in the tree, she will haunt anyone
who cuts down her wood. Stand or sleep under an elder on Midsummer Eve to see
the King of the Faeries and his retinue pass by. The flowers are used in
wish-fulfillment spells. The leaves , flowers, and berries are strewn on a
person, place or thing to bless it. Wood is NOT to be burned as it is sacred to
Hecate. Flowers are used for altar offerings. Hung over doorways and windows, it
keeps evil from the house. Carry Elder to preserve against the temptation to
commit adultery. Use for: Money, Riches, Love, Blessings, Banishing, Releasing,
Consecration, Cursing, Purification, Cleansing.
43) EUCALYPTUS: (Eucalyptus spp.) Perhaps the ultimate healing oil. The
Eucalyptus genus comprises over 500 species of aromatic trees and shrubs with
deciduous bark. The most common species, Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
has a blue-gray trunk, blue-green juvenile leaves, green adult leaves, and white
flower stamens. Eucalyptus leaves, scented of balsamic camphor, are used by
aboriginals to bind wounds, the flower nectar gives honey, and the oil,
distilled from the leaves and twigs, is used in medicines, aromatherapy, and
perfumes. Eucalyptus oil is antiseptic, expectorant, and anti-viral, treats
pulmonary tuberculosis, lowers blood sugar levels, and is useful for burns,
catarrh and flu. The roots of Eucalyptus trees secrete a poisonous chemical,
inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, twigs, wood, sap and essential oil
b) Magical Use: Add to all healing blends. Apply (undiluted) to the body to
relieve colds. Also used in purification mixtures. For protection, carry the
leaves.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Blue Gum: Burns, Blisters, Cuts, Herpes, Insect Bites,
Lice, Skin Infections, Wounds, Muscular Aches and Pains, Poor Circulation,
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sprains, Asthma, Bronchitis, Catarrh, Cough, Sinusitis,
Throat Infections, Chicken Pox, Colds, Epidemics, Flu, Measles, Cystitis,
Leucorrhoea, Nervous Debility, Headaches, Neuralgia, Insect Repellent. Key
Qualities: Stimulating, Refreshing, Clearing, Purifying, Balsamic, Regulating.
Lemon Eucalyptus: (E. citriodora) Athlete's Foot and other Fungal Infections
(such as Candida), Cuts, Dandruff, Herpes, Infectious Skin Conditions (such as
Chicken Pox), Asthma, Laryngitis, Sore Throat, Colds, Fevers, Infectious
Diseases, Insect Repellent. Key Qualities: Invigorating, Active, Stimulating.
44) EYEBRIGHT: (Euphrasia officionalis) A Druid sacred herb. This semi parasitic
annual extracts its nutrients from the roots of certain grasses found in poor
meadowland. It has tiny oval leaves and small, scallop-edged, white flowers with
yellow spots and red veins, resembling a bloodshot eye. The slightly bitter
leaves have been used in salads. A whole plant infusion or strained juice from
crushed, fresh stems is a general eye tonic treating strain and infections, and
is a popular cosmetic wash, giving sparkle to eyes. Its antiseptic, mildly
astringent, inflammation-and phlegm-reducing properties ease the irritated eyes
and runny nose of hay-fever and sinusitis.
a) Parts Used: Flower, leaf, and twigs
b) Magical Use: In a tightly covered pot gently brew a handful of the herb in a
pint of boiling water. Allow to stand overnight. Strain out the herb, squeezing
as dry as possible. Store the liquid in a tightly sealed container away from
sunlight and heat but not in the refrigerator. Drink a half teaspoon in a half
cup of spring water or psychic herb tea to promote clairvoyance, clear the mind
and improve memory. Burn as incense for clairvoyance and divination. Carry when
you need to see the truth in a matter.
45) FENNEL: (Foeniculum vulgare) Sacred to the God. This biennial or perennial
herb has finely cut feathery foliage, umbels of midsummer flowers, curved,
ribbed seeds and a thick root, all with a fresh anise seed flavor. The seeds are
chewed to allay hunger and ease indigestion. They are brewed for constipation,
to increase breast milk and regulate menstruation, with root extract, they are
detoxifying and diuretic. Research indicates Fennel helps repair the liver after
alcohol damage. Seed and leaf steam aids deep skin cleansing, and the essential
oil is used in a muscle-toning massage. Fennel oil should not be used by
epileptics or young children. To help with indigestion and gas, pour boiling
water over crushed fennel seeds (one teaspoon seed to a pint of water). The
seeds are simmered in syrups for coughs, shortness of breath and wheezing.
Powdered fennel seeds repel fleas from pets' sleeping quarters. Place fennel
inside a fish when you cook it to make it more digestible. The seeds and root
help clean the liver, spleen, gall bladder, and blood. The leaves and seeds when
boiled with barley increase breast milk. The tea and broth of this herb are said
to help in weight loss programs. Fennel is eaten in salads, soups, and breads.
Fennel oil mixed with honey can be taken for coughs, and the tea is used as a
gargle. The oil is eaten with honey to allay gas and it is applied externally to
rheumatic swellings. The seeds are boiled to make an eye wash: use one half
teaspoon of seed per cup of water, three times a day, and be sure to strain
carefully before use.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, root and seeds
b) Magical Use: Hang over doors with St. John's Wort at Litha to repel evil
spirits. Carry fennel to influence others to trust your words. Use for:
Protection, Healing, Health, Purification.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Bruises, Dull, Oily, Mature Complexions, Cellulites,
Obesity, Edema, Rheumatism, Asthma, Bronchitis, Anorexia, Colic, Constipation,
Dyspepsia, Flatulence, Hiccoughs, Nausea, Menopausal Problems, Insufficient Milk
in Nursing Mothers. Key Qualities: Stimulating, Balancing, Restorative,
Revitalizing, Purifying, Cleansing.
46) FERNS: Especially Male Fern (Dryopteris filixmas), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum
pedatum), Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), Lady Fern, Polypody, or Oak Fern (Polypodium
vulgare). The Druids classified ferns as sacred trees. Uncurled fronds of Male
fern were gathered at Midsummer, dried and carried for good luck. The mysterious
regeneration of ferns led to the ancient belief that their seed could confer
invisibility. The root was added to love potions and the fronds eaten by those
embarking on love quests. Male Fern: The fall gathered root is a remedy for
tapeworm. A few hours after it has been ingested, a purgative is given. Begin
the vermifuge process by eating fresh garlic. Take one to four teaspoons of the
liquid extract of the root, or of the powdered root, on an empty stomach and
follow several hours later with castor oil. Caution: do not ingest alcohol while
taking this herb. Overdose can result in blindness and death. The roots are
added to healing salves for wounds and rubbed into the limbs of children with
rickets.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and root
b) Magical Use: Fern "seeds" are said to render on invisible if gathered on
Midsummer's Eve. Ferns are also said to be an herb of immortality. Moonwort (Botrychium
lunaria) is especially effective if gathered by moonlight. This fern aids in
opening locks and breaking charms, is used in love spells and has the alchemical
reputation of being an herb to convert quicksilver into silver. Use it to
conjure money. Burned indoors, dried male fern fronds produce a very strong wall
of protection. Burned outdoors they produce rain. Use for: Luck, Love,
Banishing, Releasing, Exorcism, Defense.
47) FEVERFEW: (Tanacetum parthenum) Also known as Feather foil or Flirt wort.
Semi evergreen Feverfew has pungent, divided, medium to yellow-green leaves and
white daisy flowers appearing in summer. The leaves add a bitter tang to food
and are found in digestive aperitifs. They relax blood vessels, reduce
inflammation and are mildly sedative. Feverfew's importance lies in its success
in reducing some migraines. Chewed daily its accumulative effect is to reduce
headache pains and inhibit the secretion of a compound implicated in migraine
and arthritis, infused flowering tops are applied to ease headaches and
arthritic swellings. A tea is taken for tinnitus and irregular periods. Warning:
Fresh leaves can irritate the mouth.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, flower, essential oil
b) Magical Use: Travelers carries it as a ward against sickness or accidents
during their journeys. Protection, Purification, Defense, Cleansing.
48) FIR, SILVER: (Abies alba) Also known as Birth Tree. A Druid sacred tree. The
Silver Fir grows to a height of 180 feet. This was the original Christmas tree
from central Europe, chosen for its long lasting, aromatic needles. The bark
resin is distilled to make Strasburg turpentine. The buds and leaves are
distilled to make the expectorant and antiseptic Silver Pine needle oil, which
is used in cough drops and asthma inhalations, and to give pine scent to
toiletries.
a) Parts Used: Leaf tips, bark, wood, seeds, and sap
b) Magical Use: The needles are burned at childbirth to bless and protect the
mother and baby. Burn for Happiness, Harmony, Peace, Inspiration, and Wisdom.
49) FLAX: (Linum usitatissimum) Also called Linseed. Annual Flax has slender
stems with linear green leaves, beautiful, flat blue flowers, and oily brown
seeds. A teaspoon of the seed is placed in a quart of water and gently simmered
down to one-half quart. The resulting liquid is given for constipation, for
ulcerated sore throat, and as an expectorant for bronchitis in one-fourth cup
doses throughout the day. To pass a gallstone, take one and a half to two
tablespoons of linseed oil and lie on your left side for a half hour. The whole
seeds (about two tablespoons) can be taken with plenty of water to relieve
constipation. Follow with stewed prunes or prune juice. The cooked seeds are
added to fresh grated carrots, and the mix is warmed to make a poultice to
rheumatism and swellings.
a) Parts Used: Seed
b) Magical Use: the child who runs or dances in a flax field at the age of seven
is assured of growing up to be attractive. Newborn babies are placed in a flax
field to sleep for similar reasons. The blue flowers are worn as a preservative
against sorcery. Sprinkle the altar with flax seeds while performing healing
rituals or include it in healing mixtures. Use for: Protection, Psychic
Awareness, Money.
50) FOXGLOVE: (Digitalis purpurea) Also known as Fairy Gloves, Fairy Fingers, or
Dead Men's Bells. A Druid sacred herb associated with the "little people".
Caution: This plant is poisonous and should be used by qualified personnel only.
a) Magical Use: Grow in a garden for protection of house and yard.
51) FRANKINCENSE: (Boswellia carteri) A small tree or shrub, with pinnate
leaves, and white or pale pink flowers. It yields a natural oleo-resin gum,
which is used to make a healing incense, which induces a meditative state.
Frankincense essential oil is also useful in promoting spirituality and
meditative states. Dilute before applying to the skin as it may be irritating.
Pliny claimed that Frankincense was an antidote to hemlock poisoning. Avicenna
advocated its use for tumors, fevers, vomiting, and dysentary. Chinese
herbalists use it in powder form and in teas for rheumatism and menstrual pain,
and externally as a wash for sores and bruises. The dose is three to six grains
in a glass of wine, or twenty drops of the tincture. Frankincense is highly
antiseptic and the scent is said to calm and clear the mind. Caution: Prolonged
use of resins can damage the kidneys.
a) Parts Used: Resin
b) Magical Use: Sacred to the Sun God Ra, frankincense is burned in rites of
exorcism, purification, and protection. It is said to accelerate spiritual
growth. Rosemary may be used as a substitute. (Oil) Anoint tools, sachets or the
body. Use for spirituality, exorcism, purification, luck and protection rites.
(Resin) burn for protection, exorcism, spirituality, love, consecration,
blessing, energy, strength, visions, healing, meditation, power and courage..
c) Aromatherapy Use: (Oil) Blemishes, Dry and Mature Complexions, Scars, Wounds,
Wrinkles, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds, Coughs, Flu, Laryngitis, Cystitis, Anxiety,
Nervous Tension, Stress-related Conditions. Frankincense has the ability to slow
down, and deepen the breath - very conducive to prayer and meditation.
52) GALANGAL: (Alpinia officionalis or A. galanga) Also known as Low John the
Conqueror or Siamese Ginger. Galangal has dark green, sword-shaped leaves, white
flowers with pink veins, round red seed capsules, and a rhizomous rootstalk that
smells of ginger and camphor. The rhizome has a spicy, ginger like flavor used
in Southeast Asia soups and curries. The young shoots and flowers are eaten raw
and the flowers can be boiled or pickled. The rhizome yields an essential oil,
essence d'Amali, used in perfumes.
a) Magical Use: Use tincture for luck, money, protection, exorcism and psychic
development. Ginger can be substituted.
53) GARDENIA: (Gardenia jasmenoides) This evergreen shrub or small tree has
exquisitely scented white double flowers and o range-red fruits, with glossy,
dark green leaves.
a) Parts Used: Flower
b) Magical Use: Health, Healing, Love, Peace, Psychic Awareness, Spirituality.
Place fresh blossoms in sick rooms or on healing altars to aid the process. Add
dried petals to healing mixtures. Dried gardenia is scattered around a room to
induce peaceful vibrations. Add to Moon incenses. Gardenias are used in love
spells, and to attract good spirits during rituals. They have very high
spiritual vibrations.
54) GARLIC: (Allium sativum) Garlic has a clustered bulb made up of several
bulblets (cloves) enclosed in a papery tunic. It has a single stem with long,
thin leaves and an umbel of edible, rose-tinted white summer flowers and a bulb
whose flavor increases the more it is sliced or crushed. Cooking with fresh
ginger prevents the slight nausea some experience with Garlic. Garlic repels
insects and can be applied to their bites and stings. The cloves add flavor to
savory dishes, especially in hot countries where the plants develop the best
flavor. Garlic purifies the blood, helps control acne, and reduces blood
pressure, cholesterol, and clotting. Tests confirm antibiotic activity against
samples of candida, cholera, staphylococcus, salmonella, dysentery, and typhus:
and a mild anti-fungal action. Garlic clears phlegm, thus providing treatment
for colds, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and whooping cough. New tests
suggest it has a role in treating lead poisoning, some carcinomas and diabetes.
It's said that growing garlic around potatoes reduces potato blight. The garlic
bulb is one of the great herbal "polycrests" - herbs of many uses. Fresh garlic
is a preventative and a cure for intestinal worms. It is generally taken in
one-teaspoon doses, three to six times a day, with some grated fresh ginger
root. Garlic is a natural antibiotic for internal and external use. Mash it and
use as a wound dressing. For a sore throat, lightly roast unpeeled cloves in a
dry frying pan, peel them when they grow soft, and eat them. For pinworms, a
slightly smashed fresh clove can be inserted into the rectum with olive oil. For
vaginal infections, smash a few cloves and wrap them in cheese cloth. Insert
directly into the vagina. Fresh raw garlic is more effective than the powdered
and extracted forms available for sale. Garlic has been shown to be more
effective than tetracycline as an antibiotic. CAUTION: Pregnant women and
persons with "hot and fiery" temperaments should avoid overuse of garlic.
a) Parts Used: Bulb
b) Magical Use: In the home, braids of garlic guard against evil, repel thieves,
and turn away the envious. And of course, garlic protects against vampires. It
is a very effective blessing for a new home. Garlic was eaten on festival days
to Hecate and was left at a crossroads as a sacrifice in Her name. Garlic was
once worn to guard against the plague. It is still used to absorb diseases.
Simply rub fresh, peeled cloves of garlic onto the afflicted part of the body
then throw into running water. An old spell utilized garlic in protecting
against hepatitis. To do this, simply wear thirteen cloves of garlic at the end
of a cord around the neck for thirteen days. On the last day, in the middle of
the night, walk to a corner of an intersection of two streets, remove the
necklace, throw it behind you and run home without looking back Garlic is also
extremely protective. Sailors carry some while on board ship to protect against
its wrecking. Soldiers wore garlic as a defense in the middle ages, while Roman
soldiers ate it to give them courage. Worn, garlic guards against foul weather
(mountaineers wear it) as well as monsters, and it also shields you from the
blows of your enemies. When evil spirits are about, bite into garlic to send
them away, or sprinkle powdered garlic on the floor (if you don't mind smelling
it for some time.) Garlic is placed beneath children's pillows to protect them
while asleep, and brides once carried a clove of garlic in the pocket for good
luck and to keep evil far from her on her big day. Rubbed onto pots and pans
before cooking, it removes negative vibrations which might otherwise contaminate
the food. When eaten, garlic acts as a lust-inducer, and when a magnet or
lodestone is rubbed with garlic it loses its magical powers.
55) GINGER: (Zingiber officionale) Ginger has an aromatic rhizome, erect stems
of two ranks, lance-shaped leaves, and spikes of white flowers. The rhizome is
used fresh, dried, pickled and preserved. Essential to Asian dishes.
Crystallized or infused Ginger suppresses nausea. Ginger tea eases indigestion
and flatulence, and reduces fever. the root is warming to the body, is slightly
antiseptic, and promotes internal secretions. Chop about two inches of the fresh
root, cover with one cup of water, and simmer for about twenty minute, or
one-half teaspoon of the powdered root can be simmered in one cup of water. Add
lemon juice, honey, and a slight pinch of cayenne. A few teaspoons of brandy
will make and even more effective remedy for colds. This preparation treats
fevers, chest colds, and flu. A bath or a foot-soak in hot ginger tea is also
beneficial. The tea without additives helps indigestion, colic, diarrhea, and
alcoholic gastritis. Dried ginger in capsules or in juice is taken to avoid
carsickness and seasickness. Use about one half teaspoon of the powder. It works
well for pets and children!
a) Parts Used: Root
b) Magical Use: Powerfully spicy, Ginger essential oil is useful in sexuality,
love, courage, and money attracting blends. Eating Ginger before performing
spells will lend them power, since you have been "heated up" by the Ginger, this
is especially true of love spells. Ginger is also used in Success spells, or to
ensure the success of a magical operation. In the Pacific the Dobu islanders
make much use of ginger in their magic. They chew it and spit it at the "seat"
of an illness to cure it, and also spit chewed ginger at an oncoming storm,
while at sea, to halt it.
c) Aromatherapy Uses Arthritis, Fatigue, Muscular Aches and Pains, Poor
Circulation, Rheumatism, Sprains, Strains, Catarrh, Congestion, Coughs,
Sinusitis, Sore Throat, Diarrhea, Colic, Cramp, Flatulence, Indigestion, Loss of
Appetite, Nausea, Travel Sickness, Chills, Colds, Flu, Fever, Infectious
Disease, Debility, Nervous Exhaustion. Key Qualities: Tonic, Aphrodisiac,
Stimulating, Warming, Cephalic, Comforting
56) GINSENG: Oriental (Panax ginseng) or North American Ginseng (Panax
quinquefolium) roots older than two years are a famous yang stimulant (North
American less so than Oriental). Rather than treating specific problems, Ginseng
strengthens the body by increasing the efficiency of the endocrine, metabolic,
circulatory, and digestive systems. It reduces physical, mental, and emotional
stress by increasing oxygen-carrying red blood cells and immune strengthening
white blood cells and eliminating toxins. Warning-Ginseng should not be taken
continuously.
a) Parts Used: Root
b) Magical Use: Lust, Creative Work, Love, Wishes, Beauty, Protection, Can be
substituted for Mandrake. The root is carries to attract love, as well as to
guard one's health, to draw money, and to ensure sexual potency. Ginseng will
also bring beauty to all who carry it.
57) HAWTHORN: (Cratageus spp.) Also known as May Tree, May Blossom, or White
Thorn. A Druid sacred tree, this deciduous, thorny shrub has serrated, lobed
leaves, dense white flower clusters in late spring, and red false fruits (haws).
The flowers consist of five white petals, sacred to the Goddess. During World
War I, young Hawthorn leaves were used as substitutes for tea and tobacco, and
the seeds were ground in place of coffee. The berry is a superior heart tonic,
useful for almost any heart condition. Cholesterol problems and valvular
diseases are benefited. The berries also strengthen the appetite and digestion.
Extended use lowers blood pressure. Hawthorn berry is a good remedy for the
nerves and for insomnia. The berries are simmered or tinctured. Simmer two
teaspoons of berries per cup of water for twenty minutes. The dose is a quarter
cup four times a day. Take ten to twenty drops of tincture four times a day. The
flowers are taken as a tea to benefit the heart. Steep two teaspoons of flowers
per cup of water for twenty minutes, the dose is a quarter cup four times a day.
a) Parts Used: Berry and flower
b) Magical Use: Hawthorn is the classic flower to decorate a maypole. An herb of
fertility, it finds its place in weddings, May Day celebrations, and ritual
groves. Beltaine was once reckoned as the day the hawthorn first bloomed. Wands
made of hawthorn have great power. The blossoms are highly erotic. Use for
Fertility magic, Protection, Defense, and Chastity. Hawthorn is sacred to the
fairies, and is part of the tree fairy triad of Britain "Oak, Ash and Thorn" and
where all three trees grow together it is said that one may see fairies.
58) HAZEL: (Corylus avellana) Also called European Filbert. A Druid sacred tree,
Hazel is a deciduous, suckering shrub with pendulous male catkins in spring and
clusters of nuts in autumn. The leaves have served as a tobacco substitute.
Hazel nuts are rich in phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and copper. Culpeper
says that hazel nuts with mead or honey will cure a chronic cough. These are
made into an "electuary". Grind the nuts in an electric blender, then add mead
or honey or form a past, which is eaten several times a day in tablespoon doses.
Add pepper to discharge phlegm.
a) Parts Used: Nut
b) Magical Use: Hazel is an ancient Celtic tree of wisdom, inspiration, and
poetry. Hazel nuts are eaten before divination. Diancecht, the god of healing,
invented a porridge that would cure colds, sore throats, and worms. According to
legend, it consisted of hazel buds, dandelions, chickweed, sorrel, and oatmeal.
It was to be taken in the mornings and evenings. Wands of Hazel symbolize white
magic and healing. Forked sticks are used to find water or buried treasure. If
outside and in need of magical protection quickly, draw a circle around yourself
with a hazel branch. To enlist the aid of plant fairies, string hazelnuts on a
cord and hang up in your house or ritual room. Healing, Protection, Luck,
Clairvoyance, Divination, Inspiration, Wisdom, Defense, Fertility, Wishes.
59) HEATHER: (Calluna vulgaris) A Druid Sacred Herb, there are more than a
thousand cultivars from this low-growing, evergreen species, which has scale
like leaves and crowded racemes of flowers. Heather provides a support system
for rural farmers, who use it for fuel, thatch, fodder, tea, and as a dye.
Growing the plants increases the soils fertility. The flowering shoots of
heather are used for insomnia, stomach pains, coughs, and skin problems.
Heather, used fresh or dry, strengthens the heart and slightly raises the blood
pressure. Heather is slightly diuretic. Fresh or dried heather shoots are
simmered, four teaspoons to a cup of water, the dose is one-half cup a day.
a) Parts Used: Flowering shoot
b) Magical Use: Heather is a Goddess herb associated with the planet Venus and
sacred to Isis. It is carried as a guard against rape and other violent crimes,
or just to bring good luck. White heather is the best for this purpose. Heather
when burned with fern outside attracts rain, or dip heather and fern in water
and sprinkle around to conjure rain. Heather has also long been used to conjure
ghosts. Red Heather is used for passion, to start or end an affair. Purple for
spiritual development. White for cooling passions of unwanted suitors.
60) HOLLY: (Ilex aquifolium) The American variety is Ilex opaca. A Druid sacred
tree. Sacred to the Winter Solstice, when it is used for decorating. The leaf is
dried and used as tea for fevers, bronchitis, bladder problems, and gout. Steep
a half ounce of the chopped leaf in boiled water for twenty minutes, take up to
one cup a day. The juice of the fresh leaf is helpful in jaundice, take one
tablespoon per day. CAUTION: the berries are poisonous!
a) Parts Used: Leaf
b) Magical Use: Holly, with it's warrior-like bristles, is known as an herb of
protection. Cast it about to repel unwanted animals and spirits. Sprinkle
newborn babies with "holly water" (water in which holly has been soaked,
especially if left under a full moon overnight) to keep them happy and safe.
Holly is one of the evergreens brought into the home by Druids. It symbolizes a
willingness to allow the nature spirits to share one's abode during the harsh,
cold season. Planted near a house, holly repels negative spells sent against
you. A bag of leaves and berries carried by a man increases his ability to
attract women. Carry to promote good luck. Energy, Power, Strength, Protection.
After midnight on a Friday, without making a sound, gather nine holly leaves,
preferably from a non-spiny plant. Wrap these up in a white cloth using nine
knots the tie the ends together. Place this beneath your pillow, and your dreams
will come true. The traditional crowns for the bride and groom are made of holly
(a male plant) and ivy (a female plant), wreaths and altar decoration are made
of these as well.
61) HONEYSUCKLE: (Lonicera japonica) This evergreen or semi-evergreen vine has
hairy leaves and fragrant spring to summer flowers that open white and turn
yellow, followed by poisonous black berries. Properties cited are for the common
flower that grows wild, rather that the ornamental varieties. The flowers have a
broad spectrum anti-microbial effect against salmonella, staphylococcus, and
streptococcus. Chinese herbalists have long recognized honeysuckle as an
antibiotic herb for colds, flu's, and fevers. Sore throats, conjunctivitis, and
inflammations of the bowel, urinary tract, and reproductive organs have been
treated with it. It is said to be useful in treating cancer. Combine it with
seeds of Forsythia suspensii, the well-known yellow flowering shrub, or
Echinacea augustifolia or E. purpurea for maximum antiviral and antibacterial
effect. Steep two teaspoons per cup for twenty minutes. The dose is a quarter
cup, four times a day.
a) Parts Used: Flower
b) Magical Use: Health-Healing, Love, Luck, Creativity, Prophetic Dreams,
Protection, Psychic Awareness, Divination, Clairvoyance, Anointing, Balance.
Lightly crush the fresh flowers and then rub on the forehead to heighten psychic
powers. Ring green candles with honeysuckle flowers to attract money.
62) HOPS: (Humulus lupulus) Also known as Beer Flavor. A Druid sacred herb, this
herbaceous twining herb has large toothed leaves and flowers with a distinctive
scent of beer. The young shoots are eaten as a vegetable and the leaves blanched
for soups, but Hops are cultivated mainly for the brewing industry. The ripe,
female flowers, called "strobiles," are added to beer to flavor, clarify, and
preserve it. A pillow stuffed with dried hops aids sleep and healing.
a) Parts Used: Flower
b) Magical Use: Use in exorcism incenses and mixtures, as well as healing
sachets.
63) HOREHOUND: (Marrubium vulgare) Horehound is a woolly herb with a faint scent
of wormwood, crinkled hairy leaves, and flowering stems with whorls of small
white blossoms. Navajo mothers were given a root decoction before and after
childbirth. Horehound's woolly leaves were once used to clean milk pails, and
the dried flower remains were floated on oil as candle wicks. The leaves are
used in tonics, liqueurs, and ales, and are made into expectorant and antiseptic
cough drops. An infusion relaxes muscles, and helps expel mucus, treating
bronchitis, croup, and asthma. It destroys intestinal worms, and acts as a
digestive and liver tonic and a laxative. The tea is used internally and
externally to treat eczema and shingles.
a) Parts Used: Leaf
b) Magical Use: Use in protective sachets and carry to guard against sorcery and
fascination. Also scattered as an exorcism herb. Drink an infusion of the herb
and it will clear your mind and promote quick thinking as well as strengthen the
mental powers. Horehound, when mixed with ash leaves and placed in a bowl of
water, releases healing vibrations, and should be placed in a sickroom.
64) HYSSOP: Hysopus officinalis Hyssop is a semi evergreen shrub or sub shrub
with aromatic leaves and spikes of blue, two-lipped, late-summer flowers. The
leaf is added to liqueurs, adds bit to sweet and savory dished, and aids in the
digestion of fatty meat. Once used for purifying temples and cleansing lepers,
the leaves contain an antiseptic, antiviral oil. A mold that produces penicillin
grows on the leaves. An infusion id taken as a sedative expectorant for flu,
bronchitis, and phlegm. A leaf poultice treats bruises and wounds. The
antiseptic, antiviral, but hazardous essential oil is used in perfumes and to
treat cold sores, disperse bruises, and heal scars. Hyssop is added to potpourri
and laundry rinses. Hyssop is used in companion to distract cabbage butterflies
and planted near vines to increase yield. It should be avoided when pregnant and
by those with hypertension and epilepsy. The herb is used (often in combination
with sage, which has similar properties, or horehound) for respiratory tract
infections. Flu, sore throats, lung complaints, asthma, chronic bronchitis, gas,
and bloating are treated by it. Externally, it is used as a wound herb for
bruises, injuries, and rheumatism. The green tops of the herb can be added to
soups to benefit asthmatics. Hyssop baths are useful for rheumatic complaints.
Make a standard infusion of the herb using two teaspoons per cup of water and
steeping for twenty minutes. The dose is one-fourth cup four times a day.
a) Parts Used: The above ground portions of the herb
b) Magical Use: Hyssop was a holy herb of the ancient Greeks, used to cleanse
sacred spaces. It is the most widely used purification herb in magic. Hyssop can
be burned in incense, worn, used in decorations, and added to the chalice. Use a
bunch to ritually "sweep" the altar as a preparation for a ceremonial rite. It
is added to baths in sachets, infused and sprinkled on objects or persons to
cleanse them, and hung up in the home to purge it of evil negativity.
c) Aromatherapy Uses Bruises, Cuts, Dermatitis, Eczema, Inflammation, Wounds,
Low or High Blood Pressure, Rheumatism, Asthma, Bronchitis, Catarrh, Cough, Flu,
Sore Throat, Tonsillitis, Whooping Cough, Colic, Indigestion, Amenorrhea,
Leucorrhoea, Anxiety, Fatigue, Nervous Tension, Stress related Conditions. Key
Qualities: Tonic, Cephalic, Nervine, Warming, Calming, Purifying, Cleansing,
Aphrodisiac, Mental Stimulant, balancing.
65) IVY: (Hedera helix) A Druid Sacred Herb. An ancient plant, believed by the
Greeks to treat intoxication, its toxic leaves are used as a poultice to soothe
neuralgia, rheumatism, and sciatica, and in a tincture for toothache and
whooping cough. They reduce fevers, expel worms and in a compress, reduce
cellulite. They contain saponins and in solution, darken hair, blacken silk and
taffeta. Ivy leaves kill some amoebas, fungi and mollusks. Tender ivy twigs are
simmered in salves to heal sunburn, follow the standard instruction for salves.
The leaves are used as a douche for vaginal infections. Externally, ivy is used
in poultices to heal nerves, sinews, ulcers, enlarged glands, boils and
abscesses.
a) Parts Used: Twig and leaf
b) Magical Use: Connected with the Winter Solstice when it is used for
decorating. Ivy provides protection when growing on or near a house. Ivy is
equated with fidelity and is woven into marriage wreaths. Use in charms to bind
luck, love, and fidelity to your person. It is paired with holly, magically. Ivy
is carried by women for good luck in general, and is worn by brides for the same
reason. Traditional crowns for the bride and groom are made of holly (a male
plant) and ivy (a female plant). Wreaths and altar decorations are made from
these as well.
66) JASMINE: (Jasminum officionale) Common Jasmine is a deciduous shrub with
strongly scented, white summer flowers. The flowers make a tea that calms the
nerves and increases erotic feelings. Steep two teaspoons of flowers per cup of
water for twenty minutes. The dose is a quarter cup,, four times a day. The oil
of the leaf is rubbed on the head to heal the eyes. A syrup of jasmine flowers
and honey will help with coughs and lung complaints. The essential oil of
jasmine is said to help menstrual pain and lung problems. CAUTION: The berries
are poisonous.
a) Parts Used: Flower
b) Magical Use: Symbolic of the moon and of the mysteries of the night. Jasmine
essential oil is useful for sexuality, DON'T use synthetics! Dried Jasmine
flowers are added to sachets and other love mixtures. They will attract a
spiritual (as opposed to a physical)love. The flowers will also draw wealth and
money if carried, burned or worn. Jasmine will also cause prophetic dreams if
burned in the bedroom, and the flowers are smelled to induce sleep. Use for:
Anointing, Balance, Luck, Fortune, Justice, Happiness, Harmony, Peace, Prophetic
dreams, Meditation, Money, Riches, Astral Projection.
c) Aromatherapy Uses Aphrodisiac, Dry, greasy, irritated skin, Muscular spasms,
sprains, Coughs, Hoarseness, Laryngitis, Frigidity, Labor Pains, Uterine
Disorders, Depression, Nervous Exhaustion, Stress Related Conditions. Key
Qualities: Intoxicating, Uplifting, Anti-depressant, Euphoric, Balancing,
Warming, Tonic.
67) JUNIPER: (Juniperus communis) A Druid sacred tree, Juniper is an evergreen
tree or shrub with needle-like leaves in threes and berrylike cones that ripen
to blue-black in their second or third year. Primarily a diuretic, the berries
help digestive problems, gastrointestinal inflammations, and rheumatism. The
berries are taken as a tea (simmer two teaspoons per cup of water for ten
minutes, take up to one cup four times a day), or taken as jam or syrup in
water, mild, or herb tea. The dry berries can be chewed, three a day is
sufficient. CAUTION: Pregnant women and people with weak kidneys should not use
juniper berry.
a) Parts Used: Berry and young twig
b) Magical Use: Probably one of the earliest incenses used by Mediterranean
Witches. Its berries were used with thyme in Druid and grove incenses for
visions. Juniper grown by the door discourages thieves. The mature berries can
be strung in the house to attract love. Men use the berries to increase potency.
Burn Juniper as incense for: Exorcism, Protection, Healing, Love. The Essential
oil is useful in protection, purification and healing blends.
c) Aromatherapy Uses Acne, Dermatitis, Eczema, Hair Loss, Hemorrhoids, Wounds,
Tonic for Oily Complexions, Accumulation of Toxins, Arteriosclerosis, Cellulite,
Gout, Obesity, Rheumatism, Colds, Flu, Infections, Anxiety, Nervous Tension,
Stress Related Conditions. Key Qualities: Aphrodisiac, Purifying, Clearing,
Depurative, Nerve Tonic, Reviving, Protective, Restorative.
68) LAVENDER: (Lavandula species) Also called Elf Leaf, Nard, Nardus, Spike.
There are 28 species of these aromatic, evergreen, shrubby, perennials, all with
small, linear leaves and spikes of fragrant, usually purple or blue, two-lipped
flowers. The best-quality essential oil is from L. stoechas and L. angustifolia.
Aromatic oil glands cover all aerial parts of the plants but are most
concentrated in the flowers. The flowers flavor jams, vinegar, sweets, cream,
and Provençal stews, and are crystallized for decoration. Dried flowers add
long-lasting fragrance to sachets and potpourri. Flower water is a skin toner
useful for speeding cell renewal and is an antiseptic for acne. Flower tea
treats anxiety, headaches, flatulence, nausea, dizziness, and halitosis. The
essential oil is a highly valued perfume and healer. It is antiseptic, mildly
sedative, and painkilling. It is applied to insect bites, and treats burns, sore
throats and headaches. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have consumed up to 10 cups
of lavender water a day to relieve migraines. The oil is used for intestinal
gas, migraine, and dizziness. Being antiseptic, lavender is added to healing
salves. A tea of the leaf allays nausea and vomiting. Use two teaspoons per cup
of water and steep for twenty minutes. The dose is one-fourth cup four times a
day. Steep lavender blossoms in white wine and strain to make a natural
antidepressant beverage. Lavender and rose petal vinegar is applied to the
temples and brow to ease headache. Lavender oil is added to footbaths, eases
toothaches and sprains, and is used as a rub for hysteria and palsy.
a) Parts Used: Flower and leaf
b) Magical Use: Lavender is strewn into bonfires at Midsummer as an offering to
the Gods and Goddesses. An ingredient of love spells, its scent is said to
attract men. Lavender in the home brings peace, joy and healing. The essential
oil is included in health, love, peace, and conscious mind-oriented formulas.
Use to attract love, to produce sleep by anointing your forehead and pillow, to
purify by adding to baths and to promote chastity and peace. Attracts elves,
burn for purification, peace. Burn at Litha as an offering. Love, Psychic
Awareness, Happiness, Creative Work, Money and Business, Anointing, Exorcism,
Harmony, Peace, Healing. The odor of lavender is conducive to long life and so
should be smelled as often as possible.
c) Aromatherapy Uses Abscess, Acne, Allergies, Athlete's Foot, Boils, Bruises,
Burns, Dermatitis, Eczema, Inflammation, Insect Bites and Stings, Lice,
Psoriasis, Ringworm, Scabies, Spots, Sunburn, Wounds, Lumbago, Rheumatism,
Sprains, Asthma, Bronchitis, Catarrh, Flu, Halitosis, Throat Infections,
Whooping Cough, Colic, Dyspepsia, Flatulence, Nausea, Cystitis, Dysmenorrhea,
Leucorrhoea, Depression, Headache, Hypertension, Insomnia, migraine, Nervous
tension, Stress. Key Qualities: Soothing, Sedative, Antidepressant, Calming,
Relaxing, Balancing, Restorative, Cephalic, Appeasing, Cleansing, Purifying.
69) LEMON: Citrus lemon The fruit, juice, and peel of citrus fruits flavor food
and drink and provide vitamin C. Essential oils from the peel scent food,
cosmetics and perfume. The seed oils are used in soaps.
a) Magical Use: Use in Lunar oils. Wear diluted lemon oil during the Full Moon
to attune with its energies. Use in purification and healing oils. Purification,
Love. A Lemon may serve as a poppet.
b) Aromatherapy Uses Acne, Anemia, Brittle Nails, Boils, Chilblains, Corns,
Cuts, Greasy Skin, Herpes, Insect bites, Mouth Ulcers, Spots, Throat Infections,
Warts, Arthritis, Cellulites, High Blood Pressure, Nosebleeds, Obesity, Poor
Circulation, Varicose Veins, Rheumatism, Asthma, Bronchitis, Catarrh, Dyspepsia,
Colds, Flu, Fever, Infections. Key Qualities: Refreshing, Mental Stimulant,
Cephalic, Purifying, Reviving, Strengthening, Soothing.
70) LEMON BALM: Melissa officionalis This bushy herb has square stems,
lemon-scented foliage, and late-summer flowers that mature from white or yellow
to pale blue. Fresh leaves add a delicate flavor to many dishes, oils, vinegars,
and liqueurs, provide a relaxing bath, soothe insect bites, and make a sedative
and tonic tea.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and Flower
b) Magical Use: Soak in wine for 3 hours, remove and serve wine to friends and
loved ones. Used in spells to ensure success.
71) LEMONGRASS: (Cymbopogon citratus) This aromatic grass has clumped, bulbous
stems becoming leaf blades and a branched panicle of flowers. The stem and leaf,
used widely in Thai cuisine, have a distinct lemon flavor. Leaf tea treats
diarrhea, stomachache, headaches, fevers, and flu, and is antiseptic. The
essential oil is used in cosmetics, food and aromatherapy.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, stem and oil
b) Magical Use: The essential oil strengthens psychic awareness and is also
useful in purification mixtures.
c) Aromatherapy Uses Acne, Athlete's Foot, Excessive Perspiration, Open Pores,
Pediculosis, Scabies, Tissue Toner, Muscular Pain, Poor Circulation and Muscle
Tone, Slack Tissue, Colitis, Indigestion, Gastroenteritis, Fevers, Infectious
Diseases, Headaches, Nervous Exhaustion, Stress-Related Conditions, Insect
Repellent (fleas, lice and ticks). Key Qualities: Refreshing, Active,
Stimulating, Soothing.
72) LEMON VERBENA: (Aloysia triphylla syn. Lippia citriodora) Lemon Verbena has
strongly lemon-scented whorls of three or four leaves along its stems and
panicles of tiny, pale summer flowers. The leaves are used to flavor drinks and
fruit and sweet dishes, and to make herb tea. The tea is refreshing and mildly
sedative. The leaves also yield a green coloring and essential oil. The leaves
and flowering tops are used to lower fevers and to relieve gas and indigestion.
Lemon Verbena is calming, a sedative for the nerves. Steep two teaspoons per cup
of water for twenty minutes and take one-fourth cup four times a day.
Stimulating to the skin, lemon verbena makes a good facial scrub for pimples and
blemishes. To make the scrub, grind the dry herb or use the powder and mix in a
little natural clay and ground oatmeal, add water to make a paste.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and flowering top
b) Magical Use: Often sold simply as "Verbena" This full lemon-scented essential
oil is wonderful in love blends. Added to other mixtures to increase their
strength, and is also used to purify an area or is added to bathwater for
protection and purification purposes. Lemon Verbena is worn to make oneself
attractive to the opposite sex, and is used in love spells and mixtures.
73) LILAC: (Syringia vulgaris) Lilac is a deciduous, twiggy shrub or small tree
with a mass of heart-shaped leaves and showy panicles of small, waxy, spring
flowers. The perfume is extracted from the flowers and used commercially. The
flowers were once used to treat fever. In the language of flowers, Lilac
symbolizes the first emotions of love. If inhaled too deeply, however, the
strong flower fragrance can cause nausea.
a) Parts Used: Flower
b) Magical Use: Lilac drives away evil where it is planted or strewn. It was
originally planted in New England to keep evil from the property. The fresh
flowers can be placed in a haunted house to clear it. Peace, Clairvoyance,
Divination, Creativity, Happiness, Harmony, Exorcism, Protection: Psychic
Awareness, Reincarnation.
74) LIME: (Citrus limata) A small evergreen tree, up to 15 feet, with stiff,
sharp spines, smooth ovate leaves, and small white flowers. The bitter fruit is
a pale green color, about half the size of a lemon. The essential oil is
extracted from the fruit peel.
a) Parts Used: Fruit
b) Magical Use: (Peel) Useful in purification and protection spells. The peel is
used in love mixtures and incenses.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Anti-rheumatic, antiscorbutic, antiseptic, antiviral,
aperitif, bactericidal, febrifuge, restorative, tonic. Use for Acne, anemia,
brittle nails, boils, chilblains, corns, cuts, greasy skin, herpes, insect
bites, mouth ulcers, spots, warts, arthritis, cellulitis, high blood pressure,
nosebleeds, obesity, poor circulation, rheumatism, asthma, bronchitis, catarrh,
dyspepsia, colds, flu, fever, throat infections, and other infections. Key
Qualities: Refreshing, Uplifting, Active.
75) LINDEN: (Tilia spp.) Linden have small highly fragrant flowers, and can be
hard to identify, since they hybridize freely. The flowers are brewed to make a
tea, the classic digestive end to a continental meal, and a treatment for
insomnia, nervous tension, and overwrought children. The world's most valued
honey is made from Linden blossoms and is used in liqueurs and medicines. The
inner bark treats kidney stones, gout and coronary disease.
a) Parts Used: Flower, leaf, twigs, bark and wood
b) Magical Use: Bark used for protection, leaves and flowers or immortality.
Good Fortune, Sleep and Love. Hang branches over the door for protection or grow
in the garden.
76) LOOSESTRIFE: (Lythrum salicaria) Purple Loosestrife has a creeping
rootstock, angled stems with lance-shaped leaves, and spikes of purple-red
flowers. The leaves are eaten as an emergency vegetable and fermented into a
mild alcohol. The flowering plant is an intestinal disinfectant, treating
diarrhea and food poisoning. It acts as a typhus antibiotic, a sore throat
gargle, and is given for fever and liver problems.
a) Parts Used: Flower, leaf and stem
b) Magical Use: Placed in the corners of each room, this herb restores harmony
and brings peace. Give as a gift to bring about an accord.
77) LOTUS: (Nelumbo nucifera or Nymphaea lotus) This aquatic herb's waxy leaves
rise high above the water its long-stalked fragrant flowers open at dawn and
close at sunset. Lotus stalks, leaves, petals, seeds and rhizome are all eaten.
The flowers are a religious offering in many cultures and are planted for
devotional reasons. The leaf of Nelumbo nucifera is used for fever, sweating,
irritability, dysentery, diarrhea, and scanty urine. It is a styptic (stops
bleeding) and has been used to antidote alcohol and mushroom poisoning. It
affects the liver, heart, and spleen energies. The nodes of the root are used to
stop bleeding and to break down blood clots. All types of internal bleeding are
affected. The plumule (bud) affects the heart, kidney, and spleen. It is used to
calm mental agitation and worry, relieve insomnia, and lower fevers. The seed
affects the kidney, heart, and spleen. It is used for agitation, insomnia,
palpitations, dry mouth, dark urine, and chronic diarrhea. It strengthens the
heart and kidneys. The leaf is steeped, and the bud, root, and seed are
simmered, using two teaspoons of herb per cup of water, for twenty minutes. The
dose is one-fourth cup, four times a day.
a) Parts Used: Leaf, node of the root, buds, and seeds
b) Magical Use: Lotus is an all-purpose spiritual elixir. Burned as incense, it
encourages the dead to seek their highest possible reincarnation. It reminds the
living of their inner sanctity and divinity. Lotus plants thrive in murky
waters. They float serenely on the stagnant surface and never a drop sticks to
them. Anyone who breathes the scent of the lotus will receive its protection.
It's said that if you place the root of a lotus under the tongue and say the
words "SIGN, ARGIS" toward a locked door. It will open miraculously. Lotus sees
and pods are used as antidotes to love spells and any part of the lotus carried
or worn ensures blessing by the Gods and Good Luck. There are no true Lotus
oils. Perfumers simply haven't found a way to capture the scent of the flower.
Use this mix to approximate the odor: Rose, White Musk, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang,
Mix until the scent is heavy, floral and warm. Use in spirituality, healing and
meditation formulas.
78) MACE: (Myristica fragrans) This bushy evergreen has scented leaves and tiny
yellow flowers. The fruits hold the seed -nutmeg- and its aril, a red, lacy
shell coating -mace. Nutmeg and Mace are culinary spices used in sweet and
savory dishes in a variety of cuisines. Nutmeg increases the intoxicating and
soporific effect of alcoholic drinks and is claimed to be an aphrodisiac. It is
prescribed for flatulence and nausea. The essential oil is added to perfumes,
soaps, hair oils, tobacco, and fumigants. The nuts yield an oil, nutmeg butter,
used in skin creams. Large doses of nutmeg are toxic, because of the presence of
the hallucinogen myristicin.
a) Magical Use: Burn to increase psychic power, or for creative work. Carry to
improve the intellect.
b) Aromatherapy Use: Indigestion, General Weakness, Bacterial Infections, Gout,
Rheumatism, Arthritis, As an aid to Circulation.
79) MARIGOLD: (Calendula officinalis) Also known as Calendula, Holigold, Pot
Marigold and Bride of the Sun. A Druid sacred herb, this cheerful annual or
perennial has hairy leaves and golden-orange daisy flowers. The leaves are added
to salads and garnishes of flowers color rice and fish dishes. Calendula is
antiseptic and anti-fungal and contains hormone and vitamin A precursors.
Essential oil is extracted from the petals but is extremely expensive. This is
the "pot marigold" not the African variety so common in American gardens. The
flowers are a healing agent. Added to fomentations, poultices and salves, they
speed healing of wounds and of nerve damage. The infusion is given for
intestinal problems and to clean lymph and blood. Useful in fevers, the herb can
be used fresh, dry, or in tincture. For tea, steep two teaspoons of flowers per
cup of water for twenty minutes, take one teaspoon per hour. Using tincture,
take five to twenty drops four times a day.
a) Parts Used: Flower and leaf
b) Magical Use: Known as "summer's bride", the yellow calendula embodies the
Sun's fire and life sustaining virtue. Calendula is carried into court for a
favorable verdict. In the mattress it encourages prophetic dreams. Pick in full
sun. Added to bathwater it helps with he respect and admiration of everyone you
meet. Garlands of marigolds strung on the doorposts stop evil from entering the
house. Use for: Marriage spells, Love, Divination, Protection, Enhanced Psychic
Powers.
80) MARJORAM: (Origanum majorana) Also known as Sweet Marjoram, Winter sweet,
and Pot Marjoram (O. onites). Sweet Marjoram leaves have a sweeter, spicier
taste than the leaves of Oregano and Pot marjoram. It is a popular culinary herb
used in salads, sauces, cheese, and in liqueurs and as part of herbes de
Provence. As an aromatic tea, Sweet Marjoram aids digestion, relieves
flatulence, colds and headaches, soothes nerves and encourages menstruation.
Marjoram essential oil is distilled from the leaves and flowering tops. It is
antioxidant, reduces skin aging, antiviral, eases spasms, and stimulates local
circulation.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and flower
b) Magical Use: An infusion of marjoram, mint and rosemary can be sprinkled
around the house for protection. This also works for protecting specific
objects. Brings happiness to a depressed person. Violets and Marjoram, mixed
together, are worn during the winter months as an amulet against colds. Grown in
the garden it offers shielding powers against evil. Love, Protection, Defense,
Wealth, Happiness, Purification, Cleansing.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Chilblains, Bruises, Tics, Arthritis, Lumbago, Muscular
Aches and Stiffness, Sprains, Strains, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds, Coughs, Colic,
Constipation, Dyspepsia, Flatulence, Amenorrhea, PMS, Headache, Hypertension,
Insomnia, Migraine, Nervous Tension, Stress Related Conditions. Key Qualities:
An aphrodisiac, stupefying on large doses, Cephalic, Sedative, Nervine,
Restorative, Warming, Comforting.
81) MASTIC: (Pistachia lentiscus) Also known as Gum Mastic. This aromatic,
evergreen shrubby tree has scented pale green spring flowers in clusters and red
to black berries. The bark is tapped for mastic, its resin, which chewed in the
eastern Mediterranean as a breath freshener and employed as a flavoring for
bread, pastries, and the liqueur Mastiche. This resin can be difficult to find,
if unavailable try substituting a combination, equal parts of gum arabic and
frankincense.
a) Parts Used:
b) Magical Use: Love, Magical Power, Psychic Awareness, Adds potency and power
to any incense.
82) MEADOWSWEET: (Filipendula ulnaria) Also known as Queen of the Meadow, Gravel
Root, and Meadow wort. One of the three most sacred Druid herbs, (with Mint and
Vervain), this herb has upright stems of wintergreen-scented, divided leaves,
topped by frothy umbels of almond-scented cream flowers. The stems grow up to
four feet tall and are sometimes purple. The leaves smell like almonds and the
flowers give an almond flavor to mead, herb wines, jam and stewed fruit. Dried
flowers scent linen and yield an astringent skin tonic. Flower buds contain
salicylic aced, a chemical from which aspirin was synthesized (not from
Filipendula but from Spirea, a related herb), but the herb as a whole is gentler
on the stomach. Herbalists use flower tea for stomach ulcers and headaches, as
an antiseptic diuretic, and for feverish colds, diarrhea, and heartburn.
Meadowsweet was a favorite strewing herb of Elizabeth I. Traditional herbalists
simmered the flowers in wine to treat fevers and to cure depression. The fresh
flower tops, taken in tea, promote sweating. Steep two teaspoons of the herb in
one cup boiled water for twenty minutes. Take one-quarter cup four times a day.
A distilled water of the flowers makes an eyewash to treat burning and itching.
Meadowsweet is a classic for diarrhea, especially valued for children. The leaf
is added to wine to bring a "merry heart", that is, to treat depression.
Meadowsweet contains methyl salicylate, making it a good herb for rheumatic
complaints and flu's. It is astringent and helps with indigestion. It has
diuretic properties, which make it helpful in edema. The tea has been used for
respiratory tract infections, gout, and arthritis. It can help bladder and
kidney problems, epilepsy, and rabies. The whole plant is used - roots, flowers,
and leaves - with the root being more useful for fevers. To prepare the root,
simmer two tablespoons of the dried root in one cup of water for twenty minutes.
Take one cup a day. The leaf is placed in claret wine to enhance the tast, and
it was at one time added to mead.
a) Parts Used: Root, leaf and flower
b) Magical Use: According to Grieve, meadowsweet, water mint, and vervain were
the three most sacred herbs of the Druids. Meadowsweet is an herb of Jupiter and
is useful in love spells. Use fresh flowers to decorate the altar during love
spells, use the dried petals in love mixtures. Strew about the house to keep
peace. Fresh flowers should be included in the bridal bouquet. Use for: Love,
Happiness, Divination, Peace.
83) MINT: (Mentha spicata, sativa, aquatica, and others) A Druid sacred herb,
most mints are creeping plants that hybridize easily, producing infinite
variations. The have erect, square branching stems, aromatic foliage and flowers
in leaf axils. Mints are stimulant, aid digestion, and reduce flatulence. They
flavor candy, drinks, cigarettes, toothpastes, and medicines. The infusion of
the herb has been used for diarrhea and as an emmenagogue (it brings down the
menses). It is a classic for colds and influenza, especially when mixed with
elder flower-but be careful, as this remedy will make you sweat, and you must
take care to keep well covered with blankets and woolens. Stomach flu is helped
by a mint, elderflower, and yarrow combination in a standard infusion of two
teaspoons per cup steeped for twenty minutes and taken in quarter-cup doses.
Mint is helpful in stomach complaints, but a strong infusion will be emetic (it
makes one throw up). Mint tea eases colic and eases depression. It relieves
earaches when the fresh juice of a few drops of the essential oil are placed in
the ear. A few drops of the oil in water, applied with a cloth, help burning and
itching, heat prostration, and sunburn. Apply it directly to an itchy skin
condition or sunburn. For heat prostration place the cool fomentation on the
forehead and wrists. Mint tea with honey soothes a sore throat. A classic cold
remedy that will unblock the sinuses is two drops of mint essential oil, two
drop eucalyptus essential oil and the juice of half a lemon in a cup of hot
water. The mix is first inhaled and then drunk when warm. CAUTION: No more than
two drops of the essential oils should be taken at any time, and no more that
two cups a day of the above mixture. Larger doses can be toxic to the kidneys.
a) Parts Used: The above ground portions of the herb.
b) Magical Use: Mint is placed in the home as a protective herb. It belongs to
the sphere of Venus and has long been used in healing potions and mixtures. The
fresh leaves rubbed against the head are said to relieve headaches. Mint worn at
the wrist assures that you will not be ill. Its bright green leaves and crisp
scent led to its use in money and prosperity spells. Fresh mint laid on the
altar will call good spirits to be present and aid you in magic, especially
healing spells. Added to incenses it cleanses the house or ritual area. Use for:
Protection, Healing, Prosperity, Good Luck, Fortune, Justice, Travel, Exorcism.
c) Aromatherapy Use: (Peppermint) Acne, Dermatitis, Ringworm, Scabies,
Toothache, Neuralgia, Muscular Pain, Palpitations, Asthma, Bronchitis,
Sinusitis, Spasmodic Cough, Colic, Cramps, Dyspepsia, Flatulence, Nausea, Colds,
Flu, Fevers, Fainting, Headache, Mental Fatigue, Migraine, Nervous Stress,
Vertigo, Halitosis, Insect Repellent. Key Qualities: Refreshing, Restorative,
Nerve Tonic, Cephalic, Aphrodisiac, Mental Stimulant.
84) MISTLETOE: (Viscum album) Also known as Birdlime, All-Heal, Druid's Herb,
and Golden Bough. It is the most sacred "tree" of the Druids and rules over
Winter Solstice. The berries are poisonous. Mistletoe is thought to be most
powerful if growing on an oak tree. The leafy twigs, toxic in volume, are a
heart tonic, reduce blood pressure, slow heart rate, strengthen capillary walls,
stimulate the immune system and inhibit tumors. Mistletoe grows from northern
Europe to northwest Africa and east to Asia and Japan. Different varieties are
found on hard-wood and softwood trees, which include apple (the most common),
elm, oak, spruce, pine, and poplar. Druids considered that the mistletoe found
on oak was the most potent and sacred.V The berries ripen in midwinter and have
a further peculiarity in that the ripe berries, open flowers, green berries, and
immature leaves can all be found on the same plant. Mistletoe does not adhere to
the linear logic of most plants, wit their budding, flowering, and seed
production sequence. It also seems to ignore heliotropism and geotropism, it
will grow upside down, sideways, or in any direction it "chooses". Another
unique feature is that it germinates only in the light, unlike most plants,
which require darkness to germinate. The flower buds form in May but do not open
until February. The berries ripen the following winter. The entire process, from
flower to fruit, can take almost two years! Even its name mistl (different) tan
tan (twig) (from the Anglo-Saxon) reminds us of its peculiarities. Mistletoe is
a semi-parasitic plant, generally spread by bird droppings. It forms a globular
mass that can reach up to three feet in diameter. There are male plants and
female plants, and both derive their water and minerals from the host tree and
produce their own carbohydrates via photosynthesis. Mistletoe seems to hold
itself aloof form the rhythms and laws of the earthly seasoned, and in this way
parallels the illogical and uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells in the body.
As early as 1961, laboratory studies demonstrated that mistletoe, along with
other immune stimulant plants (such as eupatorium, astragalus, echinacea,
acathopanax, chamomilla, and sabal), inhibited tumors in mice. Fermented
mistletoe taken from oak trees was shown to stimulate the activity of killer
cells and showed an especially strong effect on rat hepatomas (liver cancers).
Unfermented mistletoe showed a strong effect on human leukemia (Molt 4) cells.
Korean mistletoe (Viscum coloratum) was found to be more active in inhibiting
the growth of leukemia L1210, especially when used fresh. Mistletoe extracts
have been shown to possess significant anti-tumor activity, not only against
murine tumore but also in cases of Lewis' lung carcinome, a colon adenocarcinoma
38 and C3H adenocarcinomas of the breast. The extracts are not toxic and may be
administered in high doses. Twenty drops four times a day is the average dose.
Many nervous conditions such as convulsions, delirium, hysteria, neuralgia,
urinary disorders, and heart conditions have benefited from the activity of
mistletoe. It has also been used to temper the spasms of epilepsy. Mistletoe
strengthens the heart and has been used as a heart tonic in cases of typhoid
fever. It strengthens the glandular system and has helped with inflammation of
the pancreas. It promotes hormonal balance when taken daily for six months.
Mistletoe is recommended for use after a stroke or when hardening of the
arteries is suspected. It will stop pulmonary and intestinal bleeding caused by
dysentary and typhoid. It helps to lower high blood pressure and raise low blood
pressure, and it has been used to ease heavy menstrual flow, heart palpitations,
hot flashes, and the anxiety associated with menopause. The fresh juice has been
said to increase fertility in barren women. The green plant can be simmered
using a standard concoction of two teaspoons of the herb per cup of water and
taken in tablespoon doses several times a day. CAUTION: Large doses have been
known to induce convulsions in children. The berries should not be used for
internal consumption. They are used in salves and washes for wounds.
a) Parts Used: Twig and leaf
b) Magical Use: Not quite herb, not quite tree, beyond the limitations of
classification, freed from the restrictions of convention, and resembling a
constellation of stars suspended in midair from the bough of a sacred tree -
such is the "spirit" of this plant. It belongs to the in-between times of dusk
and dawn, or the exact interval between two seasons. It is a gateway to
something "other". In Italy, there is an old tale of a radiantly beautiful fairy
who appeared to a certain knight with the image of the crescent moon and the
Holy Grail at her feet. In her hands she held a sprig of mistletoe. She told the
knight that the mistletoe was what kept her eternally young and beautiful.
Mistletoe should be cut on Midsummer's Day, or else when the moon is six days
old. Druids would use a golden sickle to cut it and it wasn't allowed to touch
the ground. It is traditionally hung in the home at Yule, and those who walk
under it exchange a kiss of peace. Bunches of mistletoe can be hung as an
all-purpose protective talisman. Long used for protection against lightening,
disease, misfortune of every kind fires and so on. Laid near the bedroom door,
mistletoe gives restful sleep and beautiful dreams, as it does when placed
beneath the pillow or hung at the headboard. Kiss your love beneath mistletoe
and you'll stay in love. Burned, Mistletoe banishes evil. Its wood is a good
choice for wands and ritual implements. Mistletoe is an excellent all-purpose
herb.
c) Use in spells for: Protection, Love, Hunting, Fertility, Health, and
Exorcism.
85) MUGWORT: (Artemisia vulgaris) Also known as Sailor's Tobacco, Witch Herb,
and Old Man. A Druid sacred herb, this aromatic perennial its wood is a good
choice for wands and ritual implements. The plant has medium green leaves with
silver, downy undersides and red-brown florets. The classic herb for
premenstrual symptoms, used in tea and the bath. Use a standard infusion of two
teaspoons per cup of water steeped for twenty minutes, take one-fourth cup four
times a day. It makes a good footbath for tired feet and legs. Cleansing to the
liver, it promotes digestion. Mugwort in an emmenagogue, especially when
combined with pennyroyal, blue cohosh, or angelica root. It is helpful in
epilepsy, palsy, and hysteria and is useful for fevers. When laid among
clothing, mugwort repels moths.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and stem
b) Magical Uses Mugwort is burned with sandalwood or wormwood during scrying
rituals, and a mugwort infusion is drunk (sweetened with honey) before
divination. The infusion is also used to wash crystal balls and magic mirrors,
and mugwort leaves are placed around the base of the ball (or beneath it) to aid
in psychic workings. In China it is hung over doors to keep evil spirits for
buildings. Mugwort is also carried to increase lust and fertility, to prevent
backache, and to cure disease and madness. Placed next to the bed it aids in
achieving astral projection. It is said to protect travelers from fatigue,
sunstroke, wild animals, and evil spirits.
86) MULLEIN: (Verbascum thapsus) Also known as Hag's Taper, Candlewick Plant,
Aaron's Rod, Velvet Plant, and Shepherd's Club. This biennial has a rosette of
woolly leaves and a tall, thick, downy, resinous stem of bright yellow flowers,
followed by many-seeded capsules. The honey-scented flowers flavor liqueurs and
yield skin-softening mucilage. The expectorant, soothing, and spasm-sedating
properties of the leaf and flowers are used to treat raspy coughs and are added
to herbal tobacco. Woolly leaf wraps preserve figs and are used as tinder and
emergency bandages. The powdered leaves are sometimes called "Graveyard Dust",
and can be substituted for such. The leaf is a classic remedy for bronchitis (as
well as other coughs) and burning urination. Simmer two teaspoons per cup and
take a quarter cup four times a day. A tea of the flowers take before bed brings
on sleep. A poultice of the leaves helps wounds and sores. The leaves steeped in
vinegar and water will soothe inflammations, painful skin conditions, and
hemorrhoids when used externally as a poultice. They may be used in tincture
form, fifteen to forty drops every two to four hours.
a) Parts Used: Leaf and flower
b) Magical Uses In India, mullein is regarded as the most potent safeguard
against evil spirits and magic, and is hung over doors, in windows and carried
in sachets. It is also used to banish demons and negativity. At one time Witches
and magicians used oil lamps to illuminate their spells and rites and the downy
leaves and stems of the mullein often provided the wicks. Protection,
Divination, Health, Courage, Determination, Exorcism, Defense.
87) MYRRH: (Comniphora myrrha) Ancient and sacred incenses, the antiseptic,
anti-inflammatory oil of Myrrh was used for embalming. It is now found in
toothpaste and perfume. Myrrh was burned to Ra at noon in Ancient Egypt and was
also fumed in the temples of Isis. Especially valued as a disinfectant, myrrh is
used as a wash for wounds. Use as a wound wash only after the wound has been
well cleaned. It has the tendency to seal wounds once it is placed on them. Use
the alcohol tincture in water or the tea as a wound wash. Myrrh promotes
circulation and increases heart rate and power. Said to move stagnant blood
through the uterus, it has been used for menopause, menstrual irregularities,
and uterine tumors. Myrrh benefits diabetes and obesity, the dose is one to
fifteen grains. Combined with Echinacea and mullein to one quarter part myrrh,
steep two teaspoons per cup of water for twenty minutes, take a quarter cup
every four hours. Myrrh, goldenseal, arnica, and cayenne can be soaked in
rubbing alcohol for a few weeks to make a liniment for bruises and sprains.
CAUTION: Prolonged internal use of myrrh (longer than a few weeks) can lead to
kidney damage.
a) Parts Used: Resin
b) Magical Use: Myrrh is a Goddess plant of the Moon's sphere, sacred to Isis.
Burned as incense, myrrh purifies the area, lifts the vibrations aids
contemplation and meditation and creates peace. However, it is seldom burned
alone, usually in conjunction with frankincense or other resins. Myrrh increases
the power of any incense to which it is added. Myrrh is also included in healing
incenses and sachets, and its smoke is used to consecrate, purify and bless
objects such as amulets, talismans, charms, and magical tools. It also aids
meditation and contemplation. The essential oil can be added to blends designed
to enhance spirituality and meditation. It is also used in healing mixtures.
c) Aromatherapy Use: Athlete's Foot, Chapped and Cracked Skin, Eczema, Ringworm,
Wounds, Wrinkles, Mature Complexions, Arthritis, Asthma, Bronchitis, Catarrh,
Colds, Coughs, Sore Throats, Voice Loss, Diarrhea, Dyspepsia, Flatulence,
Hemorrhoids, Loss of Appetite, Thrush, Purities, Treats Gum Infections and Mouth
Ulcers. Key Qualities: Purifying, Uplifting, Revitalizing, Sedative,
Restorative, Soothing.
88) MYRTLE: (Myrtus communis) This dense, evergreen shrub has aromatic leaves
and flower buds, creamy white flowers, and blue-black berries. The flowers are
made into toilet water called eau d'ange, added with the leaves to acne
ointment, and dried for potpourri. Leaf essential oil is the source of myrtle,
given for gingivitis.
a) Magical Use: Love, Money and Riches, Creative Work, Youth. If grown on each
side of a house love and peace will reside within and it is a lucky plant to
grow in window boxes if a woman plants it.
b) Aromatherapy Use: Acne, Hemorrhoids, Oily Skin, Open Pores, Asthma,
bronchitis, Catarrhal conditions, chronic Coughs, Tuberculosis, Colds, Flu,
Infectious Disease. Key Qualities: Mildly stimulating, Nerve Tonic, Antiseptic,
Clarifying, Cleansing, Uplifting, Aphrodisiac, Refreshing.
89) NUTMEG: (Myristica fragrans) See Mace.
a) Magical Uses Nutmegs have long been carried as good luck charms, and are
strung with star anise and Tonka beans for a potent herbal necklace. Burn for
prosperity. luck, psychic awareness, fortune, clairvoyance, divination, justice,
and meditation.
b) Aromatherapy Use: Arthritis, Gout, Muscular Aches and Pains, Poor
circulation, Rheumatism, Flatulence, Indigestion, Nausea, Sluggish Digestion,
Bacterial Infection, Frigidity in Women, Impotence in Men, Neuralgia, Nervous
Fatigue. Key Qualities: Aphrodisiac, Analgesic, Narcotic, Tonic (nerve and
heart), Comforting, Soothing, Calming, Elevating, Cephalic, Euphoric.
90) OAK: (Quercus alba or spp.) Also known as Tanner's Bark, White Oak, and
Common Oak. A Druid Holy tree, the oak was the King of trees in a grove. Oak
bark and galls are astringent and antiseptic. Oak bark provides tannin and as
leather tanners seemed immune to tuberculosis, the bark was used for treatment
of the disease. The white oak (Q. alba) is the best for internal use. Infuse the
inner bark or young leaf (before Midsummer) for douches and enemas. Internal
rectal problems, hemorrhoids, leucorrhoea, menstrual irregularities, and bloody
urine are also benefited. Take internally as a tea and apply externally in
fomentation, to shrink varicose veins. The tea brings down fevers, treats
diarrhea, and makes a wash for sores. Up to three cups a day may be safely
taken. As a gargle, it treats mouth sores and sore throats. Being an astringent,
it stops internal bleeding. Black oak (Q. tinctoria) and red oak (Q. rubra) can
be used externally. English oak (Q. robur) can be used both externally and
internally. Oak leaves are prepared in infusion for douches to treat vaginal
infections, gather them before Midsummer. To prepare, steep one tablespoon per
quart of water for thirty minutes. A tea of the buds is a valuable tonic for the
liver, steep two teaspoons per cup of water for twenty minutes. Simmer the bark
in salves to make a remedy for hemorrhoids.
a) Parts Used: Inner bark (cambium) and young leaf, for the leaf, use two
teaspoons per cup and steep for twenty minutes, for the bark, use one tablespoon
per cup and simmer for twenty minutes.
b) Magical Use: The Oak is a tree of the sun, and sacred to Brighid and the
Dagda. Druids do not celebrate unless in the presence of an oak, yew, ash, or
other sacred tree. Oak symbolized abundance, fertility, longevity, protection,
and the ability to withstand the lightening blasts of spiritual awarene