KEREENASGRIMOIRE.COM
This is a collection of herbal information I've gathered over the years. As I mention it in the blog I'll add it here for future reference. If you have questions about the use of herbs beyond what's listed here, please feel free to contact me at: kereena@kereenasgrimoire.com.
Below, I've listed each herb alphabetically by common name. In the left column of this page I've created a list of botanical names in case that's all you have to go by. Clicking the botanical name it will take you directly to the proper herb.
Also on the left, you will also find notes on How to Dry Herbs, as well as a few Tips.
The dried herbs, seeds and essential oils sold on this page are intended for magickal use. They are available in 5-gram units, 100-seed packs, and 10ml amber bottles with drip inserts and tamper-evident caps and are guaranteed organically grown. All transactions are done through PayPal, but don't worry, you don't need to have a PayPal account to buy. For more information about ordering see:
| A | B | C | D | E |
| F | G | H | I | J |
| K | L | M | N | O |
| P | Q | R | S | T |
| U | V | W | X | Y |
| Z |
A
Agrimony (Stickwort, Church Steeples)
Agrimonia Eupatoria
Magickal Uses: Used in spells of protection and to induce sleep.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Can be used as a diuretic and astringent. It is useful in the treatment of blemishes and other skin problems. If used in a bath can help heal dermal sores as well as bruises and other pains. It is suppose to also be useful in the extraction of splinters, though I've not personally tried this.
Finding and Harvesting: Found wild throughout the UK and parts of North America. It has long narrow spikes of yellow flowers, which are in bloom from June to early September. This perennial has a long black root and can grow over 2 feet high. Overall the plant is a vibrant green with a coat of short little "hairs" and smells quite sweet. The leaves retain their sweetness even after being dried, making this a lovely tea. This plant is also the source of a natural yellow dye.
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Allheal (Self-Heal, Heal-All)
Prunella vulgaris
Magickal Uses: Health, healing
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Allheal is an antioxidant, immune stimulant, viral replication inhibitor, an anti-inflammatory agent, and an antibacterial that is said to be particularly good in treating cases of food poisoning. Its juice is used on boils and other skin ailments. The whole plant can be used to treat cuts and inflammation. It can be used as an ointment or as a tea to treat minor disorders. Use honey to turn an infusion into a syrup for sore throats. The leaves are mildly bitter and are good as salad greens.
Finding and Harvesting: A very common wildflower found almost world-wide. It's a short-growing plant that thrives in moist soil and grass in meadows and pastures. Below its flowering stalks are a pair of stalk-less leaves that look like a collar. The rest of the leaves are oblong, about an 1" long and 1/2" broad, and grow on short stalks in pairs down the stem. The tops of the leaves are rough with little hairs. The flowers themselves grow in tiers on top of the stalk and are dark purple and small. Allheal has a particularly long flowering season and its creeping stems can throw out roots at any point to form new plants. It will spread rapidly to cover the ground. The whole herb is used, and best collected in mid-summer.
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Allspice (Pimento, Jamaica Pepper)
Pimento officinalis
Magickal Uses: Attracting love and luck, increasing lust.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of Caribbean cuisine, and used as a spice or condiment on foods. It's also indispensable in Middle Eastern cuisine. Fresh leaves are similar in texture to bay leaves and are similarly used during cooking by infusion, and then removed before serving. The leaves and wood are often used for smoking meats where allspice is a local crop. It has also been used as a deodorant in soldier's boots. Mad into a tea can provide relief for digestive problems.
Finding and Harvesting: A small shrubby tree, quite similar to the bay laurel in size and form. Extensively grown in Jamaica and also cultivated in Central America. The unripe fruit, particularly the shell, is utilized. The flowers appear in June, July and August and are quickly succeeded by the berries (trees bear fruit in three to four years of growth). The berries are collected as soon as they have reached full size (July and August), but while still unripe / green. They are dried by exposing the berries to the sun and air for several days (approx. 12 days) being careful to bring them in at night and keep protected from all dampness. When dry the colour will have turned from green to red-brown.
Spell: Health Powder
Spell: Banished Be
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Almond
Amygdalus communis var. dulcis (Sweet Almond)
Magickal Uses: Used in spells for prosperity and to keep the anger of others at bay.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: When ground into a powder it can be used as diabetic flour. When crushed, the oil can be used to ease coughs and bronchial diseases. The milk of the sweet almonds can be used as a dairy substitute. Recent studies have shown that eating one or two handfuls of almonds every day can lower LDL cholesterol by 4.4% to 9.4% without weight gain.
Finding and Harvesting: Originating in Asia and North Africa, almonds have been cultivated world-wide. You can tell whether the almond is bitter or sweet by the colour of the flowers. Sweet almond trees have a pink flower where bitter almond trees have larger flowers that are dark pink near the base and white towards the petal tips.
Recipe: Almond-Poppy Seed Bread
Recipe: Almond Tea
Recipe: Crescent Cakes
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Aloe Vera
Aloe ferox, A. barbadensis
Magickal Uses: Primarily used for protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Internally, a concentrate of Aloe Vera resin is used as a strong laxative. Externally, the clear gel from its leaves is used to treat burns, abrasions and skin injuries. It can be dried to a powder and used as a tincture.
Finding and Harvesting: Indigenous to East and South Africa, but has been introduced into the West Indies. Aloes require two or three years before they yield their juice.
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Angelica
Angelica archangelica
Magickal Uses: For protection, health and healing. The angel Gabriel told of its use as medicine. Others say Michael the Archangel brought it forth, and because of this it's considered a preservative against evil spirits and witchcraft. All parts of the plant were believed to protect against spells and enchantment. It was held in such esteem that it was called 'The Root of the Holy Ghost.' A flute-like instrument with a clarinet-like sound can be made of its hollow stem for use in rituals.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: From the earliest days angelica has been cultivated as a vegetable and medicinal plant. It is used as a spice to flavour liqueurs, eggs, fish, and in jams. The long bright green stems are also candied and used as decoration. Chewing on it or drinking tea brewed from it will provide a local anaesthesia, and heighten one's immune system. It has been shown to be effective against various bacteria, fungal infections and even viral infections. Angelica seeds and angelica roots are sometimes used in making absinthe, a distilled, highly alcoholic drink initially used for its so-called "medicinal properties". The yellow juice yielded by the stem and root when dry becomes a medicine for chronic rheumatism and gout.
Finding and Harvesting: A biennial plant that grows wild in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland and is cultivated in France. Today it is widely distributed around the world. The plant only has a lifespan of a few years and doesn't bloom before its second year at the earliest. The roots are long and spindle-shaped, thick and fleshy. It has long bright green stems that are fluted and hollow and can grow 4 to 6 feet high. The leaves are on long, hollow stalks, often 3 feet in length, and reddish purple at the bases. The flowers are small and numerous, yellowish or greenish in colour, and are grouped into large, globular umbels. They blossom in July and are followed by pale yellow, oblong fruits, 1/6" to 1/4" in length when ripe, with membranous edges, flattened on one side and convex on the other, which bears three prominent ribs. Both the odour and taste of the fruits are pleasantly aromatic. It likes to grow in deep, moist loam, in a shady position - best near running water - yet it can withstand adverse environments wonderfully well, and can even endure severe winter frost without harm. Insects and garden pests are not a big problem with this plant. The seeds, roots and leaves are used for medicinal purposes, and the stems and seeds are used for flavouring. The root should be dug up in the autumn of the first year when it is least likely to be mouldy and worm-eaten. The stem should be cut in June or early July. The whole herb, if for medicinal use, should be collected in June and cut just above the root. The seeds should be gathered when ripe and dried.
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Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Magickal Uses: For luck, to bring prophetic dreams, for protection. Averts the Evil Eye.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Anise leaves are used to treat digestive problems, to relieve toothaches, and its essential oil is used to treat lice and scabies. In aromatherapy, aniseed essential oil is used to treat colds and flu. It's being researched for the treatment of bird flu as well. Anise smells similar to liquorice and is being used on fishing lures to attract fish. It's also the main flavour of Absinthe (a distilled, highly alcoholic drink initially used for its so-called "medicinal properties"), as well as being used as flavouring for ouzo, sambuca, raki, and other liqueurs. Aniseed is used to make the Mexican drink called champurrado (similar to hot chocolate). Anise oil os used to make Italian cookies called pizzelles and the frosting of cake-like cookies called "Anise Drops" among other confections. It's used as flavouring for soups. The liqueur Anisette added to cold water on a hot day makes a refreshing drink.
Finding and Harvesting: A native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. It's an annual plant that can grow up to 18" high. The leaves at the base of the plant are simple, 2cm to 5cm long and shallowly lobed, while leaves higher on the stems are feathery pinnate, divided into numerous leaflets. The flowers are white, 3mm in diameter, and are produced in dense umbels. The fruit is oblong, about 3mm to 5mm long. The seeds are sown in dry, light soil, on warm days along sunny borders in early April, but can be sown indoors in pots then moved outdoors in early May. The plant flowers in July, and if the season has been warm, will ripen in autumn when it's time to cut the plants down and thresh out the seeds - the most common part used.
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Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng, Winter Cherry)
Withania somnifera
Magickal Uses: Health and healing, libedo, used to slow progress. Legend says that Apollo found ashwagandha and gave it to the healer Aesculapius.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It's used to treat nervous disorders, intestinal infections and leprosy. In Ayurveda, the fresh roots are sometimes boiled in milk, prior to drying, in order to leach out undesirable constituents. The berries are used as a substitute for rennet, to coagulate milk in cheese making. It was considered a sedative, but has been also used for sexual vitality. A combination of ashwagandha with almond oil and rose water is used as a facial toner. It has been shown that an extract of ashwagandha acts to inhibit tumour growth.
Finding and Harvesting: A native to drier parts of India, this shrub is a perennial herb that reaches about 6ft (2m) in height. It usually flowers in the autumn with orange fruits in papery calyxes following the small greenish-yellow flowers. All plant parts are used including the roots, bark, leaves, fruit and seeds.
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Astragalus (Milk-Vetch Root)
Astragalus membranaceus
Magickal Uses: Helath and healing, calming the body.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The root tea is used in traditional Chinese medicine to promote urination, lower blood pressure, and increase endurance. Also used for general digestive disorders such as diarrhea, gas, bloating, and chronic phlegm production. It has immune enhancing properties, especially for the prevention and treatment of colds and hepatitis. It reduces fever, night sweats, stomach ulcers, and chronic fatigue. It has been shown to work for patients whose immune systems have been compromised by chemotherapy or radiation; also used to treat fatigue and lack of appetite associated with chemotherapy. Has also been shown to be beneficial for people with severe forms of heart disease by relieving symptoms and improving heart function.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to parts of China and Mongolia this perennial can grow up to 16" high. It has hairy stems with leaves made up of 12 to 18 pairs of leaflets. The root is the most common part used and it's usually harvested from 4-year-old plants.
Recipe: Astragalus Root Tea
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B
Basil (Sweet Basil)
Ocymum basilium
Magickal Uses: Used for success in business and bringing prosperity; it is also used in spells for protection and love.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Though generally used in cooking as flavouring, Basil has been used to help cure fever and colds, and relieve pain (has been used as snuff to cure headaches, but I wouldn't recommend trying this). As a tea it can stop vomiting and nausea. The seeds, either eaten or placed on a wound, are said to work against poisonous snake bites. Basil essential oil is used for calming, relieve fatigue, and stimulates lactation. It also improves mental clarity and memory, helps reduce cellulite deposits, and works well as an insect repellent.
Finding and Harvesting: Basil can be found dried or fresh in any grocery store. If you wish to grow your own, start the seeds indoors in the spring. Use a pot of warmed soil. Once they are ready to transplant outdoors, try to place the plants in a warm area again about 10 to 12 inches apart. It will grow best in dark, rich soil. The whole herb is usually gathered in July or August.
Spell: Witches' Love Bottle
Spell: Business Incense
Spell: Riches Ointment
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Bay Leaf (Bay, Bay Laurel)
Laurus nobilis
Magickal Uses: Use in spells for employment, to increase mental powers, prosperity, for protection, strength, insure victory, and to help wishes come true.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Whole dried leaves are used in soups and stews. For a stronger flavour the leaves can be crushed. Bay leaves and berries are used for their astringent, digestive, diuretic, and emetic properties. Bay Oil is used in liniments to heal bruises and sprains. It relaxes tight muscles, calms, improves mental clarity and memory, repels insects, and is widely used in men's skin products.
Finding and Harvesting: Originally grown in Asia Minor, it was cultivated in the Mediterranean and other warm climate areas. Bay is a hardy evergreen shrub that can grow to over 18 meters high. Clusters of white flowers bloom in May and it's fruits are small red-blue berries that eventually turn black. The leaves can be harvested at any time during the growing season. Dried leaves should be whole and olive-green if fresh, not brown.
Spell: Anti-Hex Herbal Bath
Spell: Curse Breaking
Spell: Witches' Wish Bottle
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Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade)
Atropa Belladonna
Important: POISON! Any amounts used for medicinal purposes should be minute. Any use in magickal potions or powders should not be consumed or applied to sensitive or broken skin - wear gloves when handling. If you begin to feel giddy, dry mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, swallowing, or walking, call for emergency medical treatment. Immediately vomit as much out as possible if it has be swallowed. At all times keep away from children and pets!
Magickal Uses: Use in love and lust spells and to dull your enemy’s perceptions while you accomplish your goals uninterrupted. One of the most important herbs used in hexing. Used in "flying ointment" which is rubbed onto the body to give erotic sensations and hallucinations.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used as a narcotic or sedative, it can also be used as a diuretic or antispasmodic. Atropine (one of Belladonna's most important constituents) is used for eye exams to dilate the pupil as well as an antidote to opium. When Belladonna is used on the skin it can relieve pain. Small doses can be used to reduce inflammation and congestion.
Finding and Harvesting: Grown in Southern Europe but can also be found in the UK and several parts of North America. Belladonna is a perennial (which is treated like a biennial or triennial for harvesting sake) grows best in shade in a chalky, almost gravelly soil. The seeds need considerable amounts of water, germinate slowly (4 to 8 weeks), and are prone to attack by pests. Begin the plants indoors in March and plant the seedlings outdoors in May. Harvesting of leaves and tops is not usually done until the second or third year and the roots aren't harvested until the third or fourth. The flowers appear in June and July; the berries appear in September (the berries contain seeds). The leaves may be gathered up until the point when their colour begins to fade. The most poisonous parts are the roots, then stems, leaves, flowers and finally the berries.
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Bergamot (Bee Balm)
Monarda didyma
Magickal Uses: Spells for gaining employment, prosperity, for warding off sexual harassment.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Use young leaves sparingly in salads, fruit salads and fruit drinks. Five or six large fresh leaves or 1 teaspoon dried leaves in 8 ounces boiling water make a refreshing and relaxing tea. The essential oil reduces anxiety, nervous tension and stress, relieves fatigue, and works as a disinfectant.
Finding and Harvesting: Grows in many areas of the United States and Europe. It grows well in a moist, light soil, and in a place where the plants are only exposed to the morning sun.
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Black Cohosh (Bugwort, Rattleweed)
Cimicifuga racemosa
Important: High doses can cause dizziness, headaches, joint pain and diarrhoea, as well as nausea and vomiting, tremors, weight gain, vertigo and visual problems.
Magickal Uses: Manages symptoms of PMS; induces peaceful sleep; drives away negativity and if laid around a room it will ward bugs away.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used to relieve muscle spasms and cramps. As a tea it can cleanse the urinary tract. Can be used as an emetic. Promotes menstruation and reduces irritability. Also used as a narcotic to relieve pain and induce sleep.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Canada and the United States. Prefers higher elevations, hillsides and open areas. The most common parts of the plant used are the roots.
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Boneset, Common (Thoroughwort, Feverwort, Agueweed, Indian sage)
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Important: WARNING! Is poisonous if consumed fresh. It contains a toxic chemical (tremerol), which causes nausea, vomiting, weakness, muscle tremors, increased respiration, and at high doses, possibly even coma and death. Drying the herb eliminates the tremerol and the possibility of poisoning. Wear gloves when harvesting and handling the fresh herb.
Magickal Uses: Used for protection, health and healing, maturity.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: A favourite medicine of the North American Indians to induce sweating. Primarily made into a tea and served hot or cold, and sometimes added to wine. It's used as a treatment against gout. Also used in the treatment of dengue fever, arthritis, infectious diseases, migraines, worms, tapeworm, malaria, and diarrhoea. Boneset infusions are also considered an excellent remedy for influenza. It also works well for indigestion in the elderly.
Finding and Harvesting: A common perennial native to the eastern United States and Canada. It can be found in swampy areas and along stream-banks; preferring low meadows and damp ground it can grow from 1 to 5 feet high. It has a cylindrical hairy stem that branches at the top. The leaves are large and opposite-united at the base making them lance-shaped. They are 4" to 8" long (the lower ones being the largest) tapering to a sharp point. The edges of the leaves are finely toothed with prominent veins. The tops of the leaves are rough above, and downy, resinous, and dotted beneath. The flower-heads are large and slightly convex, with ten to twenty white florets. It flowers from July to October. The plant is slightly aromatic and tastes bitter. The leaves and tops are the most common parts gathered after flowering has begun. Wear gloves when harvesting and handling the fresh herb.
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Borage (Bee's Bread)
Borago officinalis
Magickal Uses: Gives courage; to manage anxiety; relieves sadness; to revitalize; use in spells for new beginnings.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Borage increases sweat production, and has a diuretic effect. Drink Borage tea to clear skin problems, for arthritis and rheumatism, and to heal infections. It is a decongestant and expectorant which helps with colds, flu and other respiratory conditions. The leaves and seeds increase milk supply in nursing mothers. Use it in a poultice to bring down swelling. It has a relaxing effect and can calm palpitations. It helps relieve grief and sadness. The flowers are edible and can be candied for use in desserts.
Finding and Harvesting: Can be found across Europe (specifically the Mediterranean), the UK and parts of North America. Look for it among wildflowers and along roadsides. Borage usually grows to about 1 ½ feet high and up to 3 feet wide with 3" long leaves that are oval in shape with a point. It has beautiful blue, star-shaped flowers which bees just love, and the stems are covered in white prickly hairs. Look for it to bloom in May or June - this is the time the leaves and flowers should be harvested. It has a dark brown nutlike fruit that grows in fours. Grow it with other plants to help keep insects away from them. Fresh borage smells and tastes a bit like cucumber.
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Burdock (Beggar's Buttons)
Arctium lappa
Magickal Uses: Used for protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: For food it's cooked green as a vegetable, in salad, and even candied. Useful externally as a poultice for bruises and skin problems like acne, canker sores, eczema, psoriasis. The fresh, bruised leaves are sometimes used as a remedy for poison ivy. The roots and leaves can be used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, kidney stones. Burdock is also used to treat cancer, haemorrhoids, HIV, lower back pain, impotence, to purify the blood, and for ulcers. It's a mild diuretic, sweat inducer, laxative, and anti-microbial.
Finding and Harvesting: A biennial plant found in the Eastern and Northern U.S., Canada, and in Europe, along fences, walls, and roadsides, in waste places, and around populated areas. It can grow to be 4 to 9 feet high. The root is long, fleshy, grey-brown outside, and whitish inside. During the first year burdock has only basal leaves. In its second year, the plant grows a furrowed, reddish, pithy stem with woolly branches. The purple flowers appear in loose clusters from July to September. The burs are large (up to 1-1/2") on a long stalk in flat-topped clusters. The stalks of lower leaves are solid with a groove on upper surface. Leaves & leafstalks are harvested in the spring, roots between spring and autumn but not until the second year, and flower stalks in the summer. The parts most commonly used are the roots, leaves, and seeds.
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C
Calamus (Common Sweet Flag, Bee Wort, Myrtle Grass)
Acorus calamus
Magickal Uses: Used for protection, love, lust, affection, seduction, bravery, peace, unity, uniting.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Calamus is particularly known for its beneficial effects on the stomach. It stimulates the salivary glands and production of stomach juices, helping to counter acidity and ease heartburn, acute and chronic dyspepsia, gastritis, and hyperacidity. It also eased flatulence and relaxes the bowel. It also stimulates the appetite and has been used as a psychotropic drug. Calamus is good for gastritis resulting from heavy drinking if taken as an infusion twice a day. The calamus has long been a symbol of male love. In the Orient and Egypt, the rhizome was thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac and was often added to wine. The Native American peace pipe was often made from a hollow reed.
Finding and Harvesting: A perennial plant that grows abundantly throughout the northern hemisphere inhabiting pond edges, marshes, swamps, and the banks of rivers and streams. The rootstock creeps horizontally and may grow to be 5 feet long. It produces sword-shaped leaves from 2 to 6 feet high and also a ridged flower stalk which bears a cylindrical greenish-yellow flowers that are shrivelled in appearance. It flowers from May to August. The roots and rhizome are the most common parts used.
Calendula (Garden Marigold, Pot Marigold, Butterwort)
Calendula officinalis
Important: WARNING. Calendula is also known to affect the menstrual cycle and should not be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding. High doses are reported to cause drowsiness. Not all plants called "marigold" are members of the calendula family.
Magickal Uses: To manage stress, relaxation, inner peace
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The compounds in calendula petals help reduce inflammation and control bleeding. Infusions, extracts, and ointments prepared with calendula petals are used to induce menstruation, induce sweat during fevers, cure jaundice, treat stomach ulcers, liver problems, pink eye, and wounds. (Calendula tea helps soothe ulcers. Gargle with cool tea for inflamed tonsils or canker sores.) Use a calendula wash or ointment to speed the healing of burns by stimulating the re-growth of skin and diminishing scar formation. Also to heal bruises, and cuts, as well as minor infections. A spray made from calendula is good for sunburns, vaginitis and pinworms. Along with St. John's Wort, mullein flower, and garlic it reduces pain caused by ear infections in children. Studies suggest that extracts of dried calendula petals inhibit the activity of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in test tubes. The leaves and petals are edible. The petals are added to dishes as a garnish and in lieu of saffron. The leaves can be sweet but are more commonly bitter, and may be used as or as part of salads.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Mediterranean countries but is now grown as an ornamental plant throughout the world. Its branching stems grow to a height of 30 to 60 cm. The flower head is situated on a well-defined green stem and consists of orange-yellow petals, which are most often used. Flowers harvested between June and September are most potent.
Caraway
Carum Carvi
Magickal Uses: Used in spells for preventing theft, increasing lust, mental powers, and protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Seeds are the most commonly used part, used to improve flavour in soups, sauerkraut, and in breads. The oil from the seeds can be used to settle intestinal gas. When added to a poultice, it helps to heal bruises.
Finding and Harvesting: Grown throughout northern and central Europe and Asia, this biennial plant can grow to two feet or more, with small white flowers that bloom in June. It can also be found growing wild in parts of North America. The seeds, the most commonly used part of the plant, is not the only part that can be used. The leaves when picked in spring can be used just like the seeds. The root is also edible; its flavour best when the roots are young. The seeds taste best if harvested in the fall, though they can be collected as early as March (if harvested in the fall, the seeds will ripen by late summer the following year). Harvest the seeds by cutting the plant down and threshing. To dry the seeds, spread them out on a flat surface and leave them in the sun.
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Cardamom (Cardamon)
Elettaria cardamomum
Magickal Uses: Primarily used in love spells.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used mainly a cooking spice and a traditional flavouring in Turkish coffee. It's also a common ingredient in Indian cooking, and is often used in baking in Scandinavia. Medicinally it's used to treat infections in teeth and gums, to prevent and treat throat problems, congestion and pulmonary tuberculosis, inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders. It is also reportedly used as an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom. Also used to treat stomach-aches, constipation, and dysentery. It's also sometimes smoked. Arabs attributed aphrodisiac qualities to it and the ancient Indians regarded it as a cure for obesity. A medicinal cordial can be made by macerating the seeds in hot water.
Finding and Harvesting: A perennial bush of the ginger family, with sheathed stems reaching 6 to 16 feet high. It has a large tuberous rhizome and long, dark green leaves that grow 1 to 2 feet long and 2" to 6" wide. It grows in the tropics. Trailing leafy stalks grow from the plant base at ground level. These bear the seed pods. The flowers are green with a white purple-veined tip. The plants are gathered in October-December, before they ripen, to avoid the capsules splitting during drying. Cardamom is best stored in pod form, because once the seeds are exposed or ground, they quickly lose their flavour. One of the most expensive spices by weight.
Spell: Love Oil
Spell: Love Ointment
Cat's Claw
Uncaria spp. (two related species)
Important: Should not be used internally by pregnant, or lactating women, children, or organ transplant recipients as it can cause rejection.
Magickal Uses: Health and healing, renewed life.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It has been used as a contraceptive, and because of its anti-inflammatory action, as a treatment for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, researchers have been looking at this plant as possible option for cancer prevention and treatment, but more research is required. It is also being studied for its antimicrobial properties, especially in relation to certain types of viruses including HIV. It is also an antioxidant, immune stimulant and has been used as a treatment to reduce the negative side effects of chemotherapy.
Finding and Harvesting: Cat's Claw is a common name given to some shrubs and trees in Northern Mexico and the South-western United States, but Cat's Claw is actually a climbing vine that rows in the Amazon rain forests in Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil. The bark and roots are harvested from plants that are at least 6 years old.
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Catnip (Catmint)
Nepeta cataria
Magickal Uses: Managing anger and depression, beauty spells, love.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Use very sparingly in salads and use the flowers as a garnish. Catnip tea made from the leaves and flowers may be taken for coughs, colds, and at bedtime to calm. Tea is a valuable drink in every case of fever, because it induces sleep and perspiration without increasing the heat of the body.
Finding and Harvesting: Common in North America, Europe, and Asia. The flowering tops are the part utilized for medicinal purposes. Harvest when the plant is in full bloom (August).
Spell: Happiness Powder
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Chamomile
Matricaria recutita
Magickal Uses: To help manage anger and stress, successful gambling, bring a favourable result in legal matters, love spells, prevention of nightmares, to encourage prophetic dreams, bring prosperity, restful sleep.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Internally, chamomile flowers are antispasmodic and used to relieve digestive upset (relieves morning sickness during pregnancy). A popular remedy for indigestion, flatulence, gastrointestinal spasms, and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Often used as a bedtime beverage or tea because of its mild sedative effects. Externally, chamomile extracts are useful for healing skin ulcers, wounds, or burns. Roman chamomile (Chamaemilum nobile) foliage can be chopped and stirred into butter or sour cream that is used to top baked potatoes.
Finding and Harvesting: Common in North America and Europe. Cut the flowers from the stems with scissors and spread them out on muslin covered racks to dry.
Recipe: Chamomile Cleansing Milk
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Cinnamon
Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Magickal Uses: Spells of love and lust; for prosperity, success, protection; to increase psychic ability.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used as an astringent, a local stimulant, and antiseptic. It can stop vomiting, relieves flatulence, and when mixed with chalk and other astringents can relieve diarrhoea and haemorrhaging in the womb. Most commonly used as a spice in cooking, drinks, and desserts.
Finding and Harvesting: Cinnamon is cultivated in Brazil, India, Jamaica, etc. It grows best in very sandy soil with high humidity and a steady temperature. The trees grow up to 30 feet high with a thick bark. It has small white flowers, shoots and an oval berry-like fruit that becomes bluish with white spots when ripe. The part commonly used is the inner bark of the shoots. Buy it in your local market as a powder or stick.
Recipe: Pumpkin Date Bread
Recipe: Love Wine
Spell: Healing Ointment
Spell: Fidelity My Love
Spell: Love Wine
Spell: Love Charm
Spell: Business Incense
Spell: Riches Ointment
Spell: Witches' Money Bottle
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Cinquefoil (Five-Leaf Grass)
Potentilla reptans
Magickal Uses: Increases lust, promotes prophetic dreams and restful sleep, prosperity, protection. It was an ingredient in many spells in the Middle Ages, particularly as a magic herb in love divinations. It was one of the ingredients of special bait for fishing nets, which was said to ensure a heavy catch. This concoction consisted of corn boiled in thyme and marjoram water, mixed with nettles, Cinquefoil and the juice of houseleek. In a recipe called 'Witches' Ointment' the juice of Cinquefoil, smallage and wolfsbane is mixed with the fat of children dug up from their graves and added to a fine wheat flour. The ointment was said to cure any number of things from lesions to pains and fevers.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used to cure the intermittent fevers. The juice of the root, mixed with wheat bread and boiled, makes a good styptic. 1 OZ. of the herb in a pint of boiling water is used for diarrhoea and looseness of the bowels.
Finding and Harvesting: It grows well in Zones 2-9 (except in Florida and the Gulf Coast). The roots should to be dug up in April and the outer bark taken off and dried.
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Clover, Red
Trifolium pratense
Magickal Uses: Success, prosperity, and protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Due to its mildness, Red Clover is typically used to alleviate cold and cough symptoms in children. As a salve it can be used to treat skin problems like acne. Sometimes used in a mixture with many other herbs to treat cancer.
Finding and Harvesting: Clover can be found in just about any lawn in North America if not around the globe. It prefers lots of sun and regular watering, but once it is well rooted it can stand dryer soil conditions. If you have an area with poor soil conditions, plant some clover in the spring. By fall turn it under and use as a fertilizer. Part commonly used is the blossom.
Spell: Witches' Money Bottle
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Cloves
Syzygium aromaticum
Magickal Uses: Stop gossip, increase love and lust, bring prophetic dreams, and for protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Cloves are used in cooking, either whole or in a ground form, but because they are extremely strong they are used sparingly. The spice is used throughout Europe and Asia and is smoked in a type of cigarettes in Indonesia known as kretek. It's occasionally mixed with marijuana in joints. Cloves are also an important incense material in Chinese and Japanese culture. Clove essential oil is used in aromatherapy and oil of cloves is widely used to treat toothache in dental emergencies. Along with the recreational uses of cloves, they are also said to be a natural anthelmintic or vermifuge (drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) from the body).
Finding and Harvesting: Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of the clove tree, part of the Myrtle family. It's native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world. It is harvested primarily in Zanzibar, Indonesia and Madagascar, but it's also grown in India, and Sri Lanka. The clove tree is an evergreen which grows to a height ranging from 10-20 m, with large oval leaves and crimson flowers in numerous clusters. The flower buds are a pale color at first then gradually become green, and then a bright red which is when they are ready for collecting and drying.
Recipe: Pumpkin Date Bread
Spell: Fidelity My Love
Spell: Riches Ointment
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Comfrey (Knitbone)
Symphytum officinale
Important: WARNING. Internal usage of comfrey should be avoided. It contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can lead to liver failure. Extreme use has lead to death. Additionally it has been shown to induce cancer in rats. Avoid using it on dirty or deep wounds - the rapid healing properties may trap dirt leading to the formation of abscesses and the pyrrolizidine alkaloids can be absorbed through broken skin.
Magickal Uses: Virtue - Comfrey baths were popular to repair the hymen and restore virginity. Also used to manage stress and stressful situations.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It promotes the swift healing of damaged or injured tissues, as well as maintains cell growth and prevents diseases. It has been used to treat bronchial problems, broken bones, sprains, arthritis, gastric and varicose ulcers, severe burns, acne and other skin conditions. It's said to have bone and teeth building properties, and has value in treating many "female disorders". Its leaves contain 2-3 times more potassium than manure, making it an excellent organic fertilizer.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Europe, it's a perennial herb with a turnip-like root and large, hairy, broad leaves that bear small bell-shaped white, cream, purple or pink flowers. The hairs on the leaves can irritate skin, so gloves should be worn during harvesting. It likes to grow in damp, grassy places like riverbanks and ditches. It should not be harvested in its first year, but allowed to establish itself. Mature plants can be harvested up to four or five times a year. It's a fast growing plant that produces huge amounts of leaves during the growing season. It's ready for cutting when about 2 feet high (mid-Spring) and will be ready to cut again in about 5 weeks. The best time to cut it is just before flowering. It can grow well into Autumn, but harvesting should stop at the end of the Summer to allow the plant to prepare for Winter.
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D
Damiana
Tunera diffusa
Magickal Uses: Used in spells for love and lust.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Damiana is used as a general tonic for the nervous, hormonal, and reproductive systems. It has an ancient reputation as an aphrodisiac. The leaves have traditionally been made into a tea which was used by native people of Central and South America for its reputed aphrodisiac effects. Some claim damiana tea has a relaxing effect not-unlike low doses of cannabis (it's sometimes smoked for relaxation and for its very mild psychoactive properties). Often when damiana is smoked while drinking it in a tea form, the smoker feels relaxed and mildly mentally altered. It's sold in some brands of herbal cigarettes marketed as a tobacco-free smoking alternative. The herb lavender goes well with damiana when smoked. It's used to treat conditions ranging from coughs, to constipation, and depression. As a herbal supplement is reputed to help with energy, emphysema, low estrogen, frigidity, hot flashes, impotency, infertility, menopause, Parkinson's Disease, PMS, inflammation of prostate, Lou Gehrig's disease, and more dealing with reproductive organs in both males and females.
Finding and Harvesting: A shrub native to Central and South America that grows up to 2 meters tall, and has a woody, heavily branched stem. It has an odor somewhat like chamomile. Leaves are pale green with hairy ribs. It bears small yellow flowers and inconspicuous fruits in a rough, three-chambered shell. The leaves are the part most commonly used.
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Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Magickal Uses: Help with divination and successful result to wishes.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The young leaves are widely used as salad greens and in tea as a natural diuretic. The roots are a mild laxative and promote bile flow and liver function. The roots are generally dried whole. When dried the roots should be hard and brittle enough to snap, and the inside of them should be white, not grey. A broth of Dandelion roots, sliced and stewed in boiling water with some leaves of Sorrel and the yolk of an egg, taken daily for some months, has been known to cure seemingly intractable cases of chronic liver congestion.
Finding and Harvesting: It grows wild as a weed. If you can't find it on every other lawn, you can usually get it through a herbalist (dried), or order it online if necessary. Harvested for the roots, fresh and dried tops.
Recipe: Dandelion Tea
Spell: Witches' Wish Bottle
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Dill
Peucedanum graveolens
Magickal Uses: Used in love, lust, and protection spells.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used to flavour soups and sauces, but the leaves are also added to fish dishes and seeds are used when pickling cucumbers. Medicinally Dill acts as a stimulant and Dill water is used as a remedy for infants with flatulence.
Finding and Harvesting: Dill is a native plant of the Mediterranean region and Southern Russia. It grows from 2 to 2 1/2 feet high with feathery leaves. In midsummer it bears numerous yellow flowers with small petals that roll inward. It produces great quantities of seeds, which have a very pungent, bitter taste. Dill should be sown in March or April. The seeds ripen in the autumn.
Spell: Protection Powder
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Dragon's Blood
Daemonorops draco
Important: Should not be used internally without strict professional guidance.
Magickal Uses: Used for protection, to draw a lover near or to increase male potency. It also has uses in exorcisms and when added to other herbs will increase their power.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Most typically used as a colouring agent in varnishes, etc. though at one time its astringent properties were used to treat diarrhoea. The resin is usually removed by steaming, but it will dilute in alcohol. Used to cure bacterial illnesses such as syphilis. Used in a plaster to heal wounds.
Finding and Harvesting: Originating from Sumatra, this plant has been known by different botanical names through the years. The portion typically used is the red resin excreted from the berries when they are ripe.
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E
Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea
Magickal Uses: Primarily used for protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The leaf and root are mildly antibacterial, antiviral, and used for wound healing. Useful for strengthening the body's immune system as well as prevention and natural treatment of colds and flu. The juice of the plant can be made into capsules, extracts, tinctures and tea.
Finding and Harvesting: Echinacea does not grow wild anywhere else in the world, except the United States and some fields in southern part of Canada. Echinacea is harvested for its roots, flower heads, seeds, and the juice of the whole plant.
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Elecampane (Wild Sunflower)
Inula Helenium
Magickal Uses: Used in spells for love, protection and managing anger.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Use as a diuretic, expectorant for coughs, antiseptic, astringent and as a gentle stimulant. It gives relief to the respiratory difficulties such as asthma and bronchitis. The root can be candied or by mixing 1 part powdered root with 2 parts honey. Has been known to also help heal skin problems.
Finding and Harvesting: This perennial can be found growing wild throughout the northern hemisphere. Blooming from June to August the flowers are bright yellow and very large (up to 4 inches in diameter). The blooms top stems that can grow over 5 feet high. The roots (part typically used) are large, fleshy and aromatic.
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Evening Primrose (Fever Plant, Sun Drop)
Oenothera biennis
Magickal Uses: Manages depression, heart ache and PMS; used in love spells and for protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Alleviates depression and lowers blood pressure. Can ease menstrual cramping and PMS. Stimulates digestion and lowers cholesterol. Drink as tea to ease asthma and whooping cough. If used in a salve can heal rashes and other skin irritations.
Finding and Harvesting: Found throughout North America, east of the Rockies. The large yellow flowers usually open between 6pm and 7pm. The whole plant is generally used.
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Eyebright
Euphrasia officinalis
Magickal Uses: Increase psychic abilities, opening the third eye.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used as a warm compress or tea. It's an anti-inflammatory and astringent. Used to treat mucous membrane problems, inflamed, stinging, or light-sensitive eyes, and pink eye. Use eyebright as a poultice for redness, swelling, and eyestrain. The tea can be used to relieve the inflammation caused by colds, coughs, sinus infections, and sore throats.
Finding and Harvesting: Usually found in alpine or sub-alpine meadows where snow is common. It's a delicate annual growing 2" to 8" tall. It has square, downy, branching stems with round to pointed leaves. Tiny flowers are borne in spikes from the upper leaves. The common flower colours are purple, blue-white, and violet. Parts used include the leaf, the stem, and small pieces of the flowers.
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F
Fennel (Fenkel, Hinojo)
Foeniculum vulgare
Magickal Uses: Protection against dark magick, accidents and fire (hung over doors during Midsummer's Eve, and grown in the garden). Used for general health and healing during illness.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used for fighting bacterial infections and if used in a plaster can reduce inflammation. As a tea it can relieve cramps and muscle spasms, and can help with flatulence and gas pains. Also helps to cleanse the urinary tract and increases the liver's ability to break down fats; can break down gall stones. If taken during a cold it can help clear respiratory congestion. Nursing mothers can use it to increase the production of breast milk. In small children fennel tea can act as a sedative and fennel oil can help with colic in babies when rubbed on the chest. Young shoots and leaves are eaten in soups, baked in breads, or as a garnish.
Finding and Harvesting: Indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, but grows wild in temperate areas of Europe and India. It's widely cultivated in France, Iran and Russia. Parts most used are the seeds leaves and roots.
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Feverfew (Bachelor's Buttons)
Chrysanthemum parthenium & Tanacetum parthenium
Important: Do not take this herb during pregnancy.
Magickal Uses: Spells for managing the symptoms of PMS. Planted round the home is said to purify the atmosphere and ward off disease.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used for the relief of migraine, to help prevent blood clots, as an anti-inflammatory for relief of arthritis, to relieve some types of menstrual problems, and as a digestive aid in tablet and tincture form. A tincture applied locally immediately relieves the pain and swelling caused by bites of insects and vermin. Flowers may be dried face down on a flat surface. Grow feverfew in the rose garden to attract aphids away from the rose bushes. Leaves and flowers act as a good moth deterrent.
Finding and Harvesting: Grows abundantly throughout England and parts of North America. Harvest the leaves and flowers. Though this is an annual, if you leave some of the flowers they will drop seeds which may grow the following year.
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Flax (Linseed)
Linum usitatissimum
Magickal Uses: Used in spells for Beauty, health and healing, protection and to increase psychic abilities. In Teuton mythology the plant is believed to be under the protection of the goddess Hulda who first taught mortals the art of growing, spinning, and weaving Flax.
Medicinal Uses: Though its primary use is for linen, flax is used medicinally in poultices to heal deep inflammation, pain and other irritations. Flaxseed/linseed is used in cough medicine and if taken as a tea helps reduce urinary tract irritation. Flax oil mixed with lime infused water helps heal burns. The oil can also act as a laxative.
Finding and Harvesting: Found world-wide both cultivated and growing wild. Reaching 1 to 2 feet in height it has turquoise blossoms and a smooth stem with leaves approximately 1 inch long.
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Foxglove (Witches' Gloves, Dead Men's Bells, Bloody Fingers)
Digitalis purpurea
Important: POISON! Do not take internally. It can accumulate in the system causing irregular pulse, low-blood pressure and severe intestinal upset. If pulse is rapid an injection of Atropine is required.
Magickal Uses: Used in spells for lust and protection. It is said that mischievous fairies gave foxglove to the fox so that it could wear it on its paws to make its steps quieter when prowling through chicken coops.
Medicinal Uses: Primary use has been in cardiac patients. It causes the heart muscle and arteries to contract thereby raising blood pressure. It can slow the heart rate and make an irregular pulse become regular. It also acts as a diuretic and can be used to treat internal haemorrhaging caused by disease.
Finding and Harvesting: Most commonly found growing in forests and other wooded areas throughout North America, Great Brittan, and Europe. Though it likes loamy earth it will grow well in areas with little soil, like roadsides and rocky plains. The leaves are the only part used. They should be collected in the plant's second year of growth, after a third of the blooms have dropped away, but before the seeds have ripened. Look for leaves that are disease free and undamaged by insects. Pick in the evening when the leaves are absolutely dry and prepare them for use the same night. Never take all the leaves of the plant as it needs the nourishment to ripen the seeds.
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G
Garlic
Allium sativum
Magickal Uses: Health and healing, protection, and to ward off theft.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It's antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, lowers high blood pressure, and lowers cholesterol and fat in the bloodstream. Also generally regarded as a preventive measure for colds, flu and other infectious diseases. It may even offer some degree of protection against cancer. Garlic helps deter Japanese beetles, and it makes a great companion for roses and raspberries.
Finding and Harvesting: Can be bought in any supermarket. Garlic is also very easy to grow: traditionally garlic was planted simply by burying individual cloves two to three inches deep in the fall. The individual garlic cloves multiply to form whole cloves by next summer.
Spell: Lammas Kitchen Blessing
Spell: Mabon Vegetable Blessing
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Ginger
Zingiber officinale
Magickal Uses: Apathy, love, and to bring success.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used to treat nausea, motion sickness and vomiting and can be helpful to increase appetite. The essential oil is used as a warming, muscle relaxant, aphrodisiac, for energizing, to improve mental clarity and memory.
Finding and Harvesting: Can be purchased in almost every supermarket in one form or another (full root, dried, even candied!) China and India are world's leading producers of ginger. It is also cultivated in most of tropical and subtropical countries worldwide.
Recipe: Ginger & Spice (& Everything Nice) Cookies
Recipe: Gingerbread
Spell: Love Oil
Spell: Love Powder
Spell: Love Wine
Spell: Money Oil
Spell: Money Powder
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Ginkgo (Maidenhair Tree)
Ginkgo biloba
Important: CAUTION! It may have some undesirable effects, especially for individuals with blood circulation disorders and those taking anti-coagulants. Side effects include: possible increased risk of bleeding, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, dizziness, and restlessness. Also, seeds that still have their coating should be handled with care by those with sensitive skin (use gloves). Once the coating is removed the nuts are safe to handle.
Magickal Uses: Health, healing, lust, love, attraction
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Ginkgo nuts are often served at special occasions such as weddings and the Chinese New Year. In Chinese culture, they are believed to have health benefits; some also consider them to have aphrodisiac qualities. The extract of the Ginkgo leaves is mainly used as memory enhancer and anti-vertigo agent. It improves blood flow to most tissues and organs, protects against oxidative cell damage from free radicals, and blocks many of the effects of platelet aggregation, blood clotting that have been related to the development of a number of cardiovascular, renal, respiratory and central nervous system disorders. Ginkgo shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Finding and Harvesting: A deciduous tree (separate sexes), normally reaching a height of 66 to 115 feet tall, with some specimens in China being over 164 feet. The tree has an often angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted. Wild Ginkgo trees are considered endangered and is considered one of the best known examples of a living fossil having existed since the Permian Era (270 million years ago). A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos very long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old: A 3,000 year-old ginkgo has been reported in Shandong province in China. (Between 1000 and 1500 meters from the 1945 atom bomb explosion in Hiroshima, Japan four Ginkgo trees survive the blast while almost all other living things in the area were destroyed. The ginkgos were charred, but survived and are healthy and alive to this day.) The leaves are unique among seed plants, being fan-shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade, but do not form networks. The leaves are usually 2" to 4" long, but sometimes up to 6" long. Male trees produce small pollen cones. The Female develops seeds 1.5 to 2cm long with an outer layer that is light yellow-brown, soft, and fruit-like. It is plum-like and attractive, but the seed coat contains a chemical that smells like rancid butter when fallen on the ground.
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Goldenrod (Woundwort)
Solidago virgaurea
Magickal Uses: To increase clarity in divination. Managing stress, disappointment, and grief.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The tea made from goldenrod leaves is very calming, but it can also be used to help treat gastrointestinal problems, kidney and bladder stones, and various respiratory ailments. In a salve it can be used to treat eczema, insect bites, wounds and bruises.
Finding and Harvesting: Found growing in just about every temperate zone world-wide, in meadows, along rural roadsides, and any place wild flora is growing freely. The part generally used are the leaves, though the flowers (and leaves) can be used to produce a yellow dye.
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H
Hawthorn
Crataegus oxyacantha (leaves); Crataegus monogyna (berries)
Magickal Uses: Bring business success, and managing depression.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used for heart conditions, such as mild forms of angina. Hawthorne berries are used to treat childhood diabetes. Hawthorne flower tea is a safe diuretic.
Hawthorne berries, dried and crushed and made into a decoction, eases diarrhoea and dysentery, kidney inflammations and disorders. The young Hawthorne leaves can be used as a safe, and non-nicotine tobacco substitute for those who desire to quit smoking (Enhance the flavour and help heal the throat by adding yarrow, mint, coltsfoot or mullein). Chewing the Hawthorne leaf has been known for centuries as a safe way to give nourishment, revive energy, and a feeling of well-being. The Hawthorne leaf-buds are good cooked (10 to 20 minutes) and have a similar taste to lima beans (They make a great addition to chillies and soups). You can make jellies and fruit sauces from the berries, just make sure you strain the sauce. Hawthorne berries contain their own pectin so the sauce or jelly will thicken nicely. Hawthorne flowers are edible and make an attractive addition to salads and other dishes. Hawthorne seeds can be roasted and used in a manner similar to coffee.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to the Mediterranean region, north Africa and all of Europe and central Asia, also now grows in many areas of North America. The berries are collected when ripe and used raw or cooked, or dried whole for use in decoctions, liquid extracts, and tinctures. Harvest the leaf-buds in the early spring for cooking or as a substitute for smoking tobacco. Harvest the flowers in the spring and the berries after they ripen in the fall.
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Hollyhock
Alcea rosea
Magickal Uses: Protection against negative influences during rituals, spiritual strength, and to draw out good spirits during the ritual.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The flowers, leaves, stems and roots are all edible. Tea made from the dried flowers can help blood circulation, to relieve chest congestion and to treat constipation. Tea made from the roots was used to treat dysentery and loss of appetite. The root is an astringent that can be used in a poultice to treat skin problems.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in most areas of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Britain and Europe. This perennial can be found growing in woodlands and meadows in sunny areas. It does best in poor, well-drained alkaline soil. It flowers from July to September with the seeds ripening between August and October. Flowers should be picked whole and dried open.
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Horehound (Hoarhound)
Marrubium vulgare
Magickal Uses: Protection; health and healing; used in exorcisms and to increase mental powers.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: As a tea it can relieve cramps and muscle spasms; promotes perspiration, and aids in digestion; cleanses the urinary tract, and acts as a mild laxative (in large doses this affect is increased). Drink the tea hot when you have a cold to ease respiration and fever; drink it cold as a tonic to tone and strengthen organs. Tea can also help kill intestinal worms. Used in a salve it can help cure skin problems.
Finding and Harvesting: This perennial plant is found along roadsides near the coastal areas of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Britain and Europe.
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Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
Magickal Uses: Primarily used for spells of protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Flowers are commonly used to make tea which can act as an expectorant. Used in salads and vegetable broths as well. A poultice made from the leaves can be used for relief of rheumatism, bruises, and to heal cuts.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Southern Europe, but can be found in other parts of the world with a temperate climate. Can grow up to two feet high with linear leaves and whorls of flowers that bloom from June to October. If to be used medicinally, harvest flowers in August.
Recipe: Hyssop Tea
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I
Indian Paintbrush
Castilleja miniata
Magickal Uses: Primarily used in love spells.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Has been used in dye making. If boiled and drunk it can be used as a diuretic, to stop bleeding, and to remedy kidney problems.
Finding and Harvesting: Commonly found in the Western United States and Canada, growing in mountain meadows and along roadsides, streams and in wooded areas. Can grow up to 3 feet high with flowers that are 1 inch long. It begins blooming in April and can continue through September.
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Iris Pseudacorus (Yellow Flag, Jacob's Sword)
Iris Pseudacorus
Magickal Uses: Purification, virginity
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Infusions are used to end diarrhoea and vaginal discharges that are unusually heavy and white. It can also ease the pain of menstrual cramps. Sliced root rubbed or left on the gums of an aching tooth will eliminate toothaches. Root ground into a pulp can be used on bruises and blemishes to speed healing, however tender skin needs to be protected by placing the pulp in a muslin bag and not directly against it. Oil made from the roots and flowers then massaged into muscles will reduce cramping. Powdered root has been used as snuff. The flowers are used to produce a yellow dye and the roots produce black dye.
Finding and Harvesting: Found throughout the UK, Europe, North Africa and northern Russia. It prefers moist shady places and is commonly found on river-banks, ditches, and around lakes and ponds. The part most commonly used is the root which pushes along horizontally with many rootlets growing downward, but the flower petals are also used in some circumstances. It has sword-like leaves that grow from the base of the stalk - the lower leaves can grow over two feet tall. It blooms from May to July with deep yellow flowers with brown markings.
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Ivy, Common
Hedera Helix
Magickal Uses: Health and Healing, protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Flowers decocted in wine restrains dysentery, and that the yellow berries are good against jaundice. To remove sunburn it is recommended to smear the burnt area with tender Ivy twigs boiled in butter.
Finding and Harvesting: Europe and Northern and Central Asia. Harvest the leaves and berries.
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J
Jasmine
Jasminum officinale (one of many species)
Magickal Uses: For managing heartbreak and PMS symptoms, to induce prophetic dreams, love spells.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Arrests the secretion of milk and works as an application to ringworm. Oil can be obtained by boiling the leaves.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Northern India and Persia; was later introduced to Europe and North America. Leaves and Flowers are harvested.
Spell: Witches' Love Bottle
Spell: Thank You Friend
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Juniper Berries
Juniperus communis
Important: Those with kidney disease should not take juniper berry without consulting with their qualified health care professional-- overdosing on juniper berry can cause kidney irritation and damage. Juniper berry is not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers.
Magickal Uses: In magick use Juniper for good hunting, love spells, protection spells and to ward off theft
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Crushed they can be used in meat marinades and also in stews, sausages, etc. Used in the making of gin and luncheon meats of all things. Helps with urinary tract, bladder, kidney problems, prostate, poor digestion, weight problems, general pain and inflammation, rheumatism, arthritis, congestion, asthma, colds and flu. Juniper berries are useful in stimulating uterine muscles and are often used to help start menstruation. Use 1 teaspoon of juniper berries in 1 cup of boiling water steeped for 10 -20 minutes. Drink two cups a day for no more than six weeks.
Finding and Harvesting: Berries can be purchased in specialty spice stores.
Spell: Healing Oil
Spell: Love Charm
Spell: Anti-Hex Herbal Bath
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K
Kava Kava
Piper methysticum
Important: There has been some concern about kava kava being addictive. If too much is taken it can lead to paralysis of the respiratory system.
Magickal Uses: Primarily used for love spells and potions.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Valuable in the treatment of gonorrhoea, vaginitis, leucorrhoea, etc. Initially acts as a stimulant then as a depressant. Has an aphrodisiac effect. It's also a strong diuretic and is useful for gout, rheumatism, bronchial and other ailments, resulting from heart trouble. Easiest preparation is to purchase it in pill form.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Polynesia and the South Sea Islands. Can be purchased in pill form from health food stores.
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L
Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
Magickal Uses: Managing anger and stress, liberation, love, easing the symptoms of menopause, protection, restful sleep, travel.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Use lavender on insect bites. Dried flowers and seeds are used in herbal sleep pillows and baths for soothing and calming. Lavender oil applied at the temples will relieve a headache. Outwardly applied, it relieves toothache, neuralgia, sprains, and rheumatism. In cases of hysteria, palsy and similar disorders, Lavender will act as a powerful stimulant. Three flower heads in a cup of boiling water makes a soothing tea at bedtime. Bunches of lavender will ward off insects.
Finding and Harvesting: Found almost everywhere. It grows best on light soil in a dry, open and sunny spot. Harvest at the end of July or August when the weather is dry and there is no wind. The morning and evening are particularly favourable. If it begins raining, stop and wait for dry weather to return.
Recipe: Lavender Soap
Recipe: Grilled Cornish Hens with Lavender-Honey Sauce
Recipe: Honey Lavender Ice Cream
Recipe: Lavender Cookies
Recipe: Lavender-Lemon Tea Cakes
Spell: Blood Charm
Spell: Love Ointment
Spell: Love Powder
Spell: Witches' Love Bottle
Spell: Thank You Friend
Spell: Happiness Powder
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Lemon
Citrus × limon
Magickal Uses: For friendship, health and healing.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The fruit are used primarily for their juice, though the pulp and rind (zest) are also used, primarily in cooking. Because of its acidity lemon juice a cheap, readily available acid for use in educational chemistry experiments. The fruit described in Pliny's Natural History as the "medicinal fruit" seems to have been the first citrus fruit known in the Mediterranean world. Lemons were once used by the British Royal Navy to combat scurvy due to their large amount of Vitamin C. Lemons are regularly served as lemonade, or as a garnish for drinks such as iced tea or soft drinks. They are also used in the Italian liqueur Limoncello. A wedge of lemon is also often used to add flavour to water. The juice is typically squeezed onto fish dishes as it neutralizes the taste of amines in fish by converting them to non-volatile ammonium salts. The juice is also widely used as a tenderizer for meat. It's also sprinkled on cut fruit to prevent it from going brown. It can be used on its own or with oranges to make marmalade. Some sources state that lemons contain unique compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, which may be able to deter cell growth. Because of its high Vitamin C content, lemon has been touted in alternative medicine as a tonic for the digestive system, immune system, and skin. A cup of hot water with lemon juice in it tones and purifies the liver.
Finding and Harvesting: The lemon tree can grow up to 33 feet high, but they are usually smaller. The branches are thorny, and form an open crown. The leaves are green, shiny and elliptical. Flowers are white on the outside with a violet streaked interior and have a strong fragrance. Flowers and ripe fruits can be found at the same time. The fruit are ovoid with a pointed tip at the end. When ripe, they have a bright yellow skin, a layer of pith underneath and a paler yellow segmented interior. Small seeds commonly known as 'pips' are found within the fruit.
Recipe: Lemony Mushrooms
Recipe: Lemon Cookies
Spell: Thank You Friend
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Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
Important: WARNING! This herb should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women. It may interfere with sedatives and thyroid medications.
Magickal Uses: To manage anger, heartbreak, and depression, health and healing, love, success. Paracelsus believed it would completely revivify a man.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The crushed leaves, when rubbed on the skin, are used as a repellent for mosquitoes. It's also used medicinally as a herbal tea, or in extract form and has been used to relieve gas, reduce fever, and increase perspiration. It has antibacterial, antiviral properties, and is also used as a mild sedative or calming agent. It is used as a flavouring in ice cream, but its most common use is to make herbal teas. It makes a particularly refreshing iced tea, especially when mixed with other herbs such as spearmint. It's also often paired with fruit dishes or candies. Lemon balm essential oil is very popular in aromatherapy. The essential oil is commonly co-distilled with lemon oil, citronella oil, or other oils. It may be used topically to treat cold sores. Greek physician Dioscorides would apply Lemon Balm to scorpion or animal bites for its antibacterial properties, and then give the patient wine infused with Lemon Balm to calm their nerves.
Finding and Harvesting: A perennial herb in the mint family, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It grows to 70-150 cm tall and the leaves have a gentle lemon scent. For use as a fresh herb it can be harvested once or twice a week. If you intend to dry it, harvest at least twice a season just as the plant comes into bloom. At the end of the summer, little white flowers full of nectar appear. Be careful not to bruise the leaves during the harvest or drying quality will be reduced. This herb can be easy to cultivate in zones 4 to 9. In zone 4, it needs winter mulch and a well-drained sandy soil to survive. In zone 7, it can be harvested at least until the end of November. It's moderately shade-tolerant. In dry climates, it grows best in partial shade. It grows in clumps and spreads from cuttings as well as by seed. In mild temperate zones, the stems of the plant die off at the start of the winter, but shoot up again in spring. It can be easily grown from stem cuttings rooted in water, or from seeds. Under ideal conditions, it will seed itself prolifically and can become a nuisance in gardens.
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Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Important: WARNING! Do not consume large quantities when pregnant as it stimulates menstruation. Oil applied directly to the skin can cause irritation and be potentially damaging if not diluted in another oil first (vegetable based oil). The oil should not be used on babies or children.
Magickal Uses: To increase psychic abilities, to spread the affects of a spell over a large area.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Lemon grass is widely used as an herb in Asian and Caribbean cooking either dried and powdered, or fresh. The stalk itself is too hard to be eaten, except for the soft inner part, but it can be finely sliced and added to recipes, and may also be bruised and added whole to release the aromatic oils from the juice sacs within the stalk. It is commonly made into a tea and taken as a mild depressant when a person is stressed and as a diuretic. The tea can also help cure colic, ward off flu and colds, and correct problems with indigestion or to stimulate appetite. In a poultice, or in oil form massaged directly onto the skin, it can help relieve headache, muscle aches and pains (NOTE: The oil must be diluted in another oil if applied directly to the skin.). The oil can be used as an antiseptic and the scent inhaled to relieve fatigue. The tea can also stimulate menstruation and restore regular menstruation as it can tone, strengthen, and increase the blood supply to, the uterus. The diluted oil can be rubbed onto the breasts of nursing mothers to stimulate the flow of milk.
Finding and Harvesting: It's a tall perennial grass native to temperate and tropical regions that can grow up to 1.5 metres high. The stalk is primarily the portion used. It's fairly easy to grow, but is not winter hardy in zones lower than 10. It can be grown as summer annual or bought indoors for the winter. It needs full sun, and rich, well-drained soil, and warm conditions.
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Licorice
Glycyrrhiza glabra & Glycyrrhiza uralensis
Important: CAUTION! Long-term use or ingestion of excessive amounts can produce headache, lethargy, sodium and water retention, excessive loss of potassium, and high blood pressure.
Magickal Uses: Banishing.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It's soothing to inflamed mucous membranes and is often recommended in treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers and cough and asthma remedies.
Finding and Harvesting: Purchase from a herbalist.
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Lily-Of-The-Valley
Convallaria magalis
Important: WARNING! Poisonous to cats.
Magickal Uses: Used to manage depression, bring happiness and peace; to increase mental powers; brings inspiration and wisdom; protection and defence.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used to slow and regulate heart rate. Tea made from its flowers can remove urinary obstructions. The entire plant can be used in powdered form, or boiled to extract its constituents. Roots mixed with cocoa butter works better than aloe on burns. The roots can be boiled in wine or made into a liqueur to ease the pain of rheumatism.
Finding and Harvesting: Lily-Of-The-Valley prefers moist, rich, sandy soil with good drainage. They grow wild and/or are cultivated in many parts of the world. They seem to like shaded areas best (forests) but can be found anywhere the soil conditions are right. Planted or transplanted in late September will produce a nice patch in spring. The whole plant is used. Harvest it when it's in flower and dry for later use.
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Mandrake (Mandragora, Satan's Apple)
Atropa Mandragora
Important: CAUTION! In large doses can produce delirium.
Magickal Uses: Use in love and prosperity spells. In a charm it can avert misfortune and bring happiness. It was said that anyone digging up a Mandrake root would die upon hearing its screams.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The leaves are harmless and can be used in ointments and applied to the skin. The root can be used as a powerful emetic. Used in the past as an aesthetic during operations. It's used to induce sleep when one is in pain. Scrape the root into a pulp and mix it with alcohol.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Southern Europe or grown in greenhouses (will not survive harsh winters). They must be kept well watered and weed free in light deep soil. It has a large, brown root which can grow up to 4 feet in length. Above ground it sprouts several large, dark-green leaves from which several flowers grow. Flowers are eventually replaced by smooth apple-like fruit (they even smell like apples), which contrary to popular belief are not poisonous.
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Marjoram, Sweet
Origanum marjorana
Important: CAUTION! Can promote menstruation. Pregnant women should only use marjoram in small quantities in cooking only.
Magickal Uses: Use in spells to manage depression, for love, prosperity, and marriage.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Dried and fresh marjoram is used in seasonings for food, especially salad dressings and on vegetables. The seeds are used as flavouring in sweet drinks. The oil of this herb is applied externally for sprains, bruises, muscular pain, arthritis, etc., to speed healing. In powdered form it has been used in some sneezing powders. Tea made from fresh or dried marjoram is good at treating general digestive and respiratory maladies. The tea is also good to relax tension headaches, anxiety, and to treat insomnia. The oil is also used in aromatherapy.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Portugal, this herb cannot tolerate cold winters. The flowers, which bloom from June through September, grow into round 'knotted' groupings, with seeds that ripen in August through September. Look for it in light woodlands and areas with well-drained soils. The parts most commonly used are the flowers and leaves.
Spell: Happiness Powder
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Mistletoe (All-heal, Mistel, Herbe de la Croix)
Viscum album
Important: CAUTION! Large doses can damage the heart. The berries, if eaten in large doses, can cause convulsions in adults and can be poisonous - especially dangerous to children.
Magickal Uses: For spells to increase lust, and for protection. Druids believed the Mistletoe protected its possessor from all evil, and that the trees on which it was seen growing were to be respected. If Mistletoe fell to the ground, it was considered as an omen that some misfortune would befall their people. In the legend of Balder, the god of Peace, it was said the he was slain with an arrow made of Mistletoe. After he was restored to life the Mistletoe was given to the goddess of Love for safe keeping. It was ordained that everyone who passed under it should receive a kiss, to show that the branch had become an emblem of love, and not hate.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: As a tincture it's used to treat convulsive nervous disorders like epilepsy, urinary disorders and heart disease. Can also be boiled and administered in spoonful doses for the same purposes.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Europe, the Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on the branches of trees like Apple, Ash, Oak, and Hawthorn. The parts most commonly used are the leaves and twigs which are collected before the berries form.
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Mugwort (Motherwort)
Artemisia vulgaris
Important: DO NOT take Mugwort if pregnant or nursing! It is a uterine vasodilator and can also be passed through breast milk.
Magickal Uses: Help with divination, health and healing, to bring prophetic dreams, increase psychic abilities and physical strength, protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The leaves (dried and ground) can be used in teas for easing the symptoms of colds, bronchitis, fever and flu. Try it also with mint to lessen menstrual difficulties and cramps. When used in an ointment can soothe itching and heal strange fungal problems and so on. You can smoke it to cure insomnia and to relax. Remove the leaves and dry on paper-lined trays in a light, airy room, away from direct sunlight. Flower heads should be dried intact. The dried herb should then be stored in clearly-labelled, tightly-sealed, dark glass container.
Finding and Harvesting: It grows wild in North America. If you can't find it at the side of the road (summer and autumn), you can usually get it through a herbalist, or try a florist, or order it online if necessary. Mugwort should be harvested just as the plant comes into flower, but before the blossoms are fully open.
Recipe: Mugwort Tea
Recipe: Dream Tea
Spell: Protection Powder
Spell: Anti-Hex Herbal Bath
Spell: Protection Powder
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Mullein, Common (Great Mullein, Mullein Dock, Woolly Mullein, Blanket Mullein)
Verbascum thapsus
Magickal Uses: Common Mullein has been linked to witches since the time of Pliny the Elder. It's used to ward off curses and evil spirits, increase courage, prevent nightmares, and for protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Leaf decoctions or herbal teas were used for expectoration, consumption, dry cough, bronchitis, sore throat and hemorrhoids. Leaves were also smoked against pulmonary ailments. The plants were also used to make syrups against croup. If it is to be consumed it has to be finely filtered to eliminate the irritating hairs first. Oil from the flowers was used against catarrhs, colic, earaches, frostbite, eczema and other external conditions. Topical application was also recommended for the treatment of warts, boils, carbuncles, hemorrhoids, and chilblains. The flowers provide dyes of bright yellow or green, and have been used for hair colouring. The dried leaves and hair were made into candle wicks, or put into shoes to help with insulating them. The dried stems were also dipped into suet or wax to make torches.
Finding and Harvesting: It has a wide growth range including Europe, northern Africa and Asia, the Canary Islands, western China, the British Isles, Scandinavia and Siberia, North America, Australia, Chile, Argentina and more! It's a hairy, biennial plant that can grow up to 2 meters tall. It has small, yellow flowers, which are densely grouped on a stem that spikes upwards from a large rosette of leaves. The rosette of leaves is all it produces in its first year of growth. In the second year it produces the tall stem that can grow as high as 3 meters. It prefers barren areas where it doesn't have much competition from other plants. It favors dry, sandy or gravelly soils. Although it can grow in a variety of habitats like meadows, roadsides, forest clearings and pastures, growth of the rosettes on bare soil is 4 to 7 times faster. The seeds need to be exposed, or very close to the soil surface to germinate. It doesn't like the shade at all.
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Nettle (Common Nettle, Stinging Nettle)
Urtica urens, Urtica dioica
Important: Wear gloves! The entire plant is covered with stinging barbs which deliver the plant's "venom" (an ammonia-like fluid). If one of the barbs punctures your skin expect the area to become irritated and inflamed. The pain can be relieved with boiled Nettle juice, or the leaves from Dock, Rosemary, Mint, Comfrey, Plantain, Jewelweed, or Sage plants.
Magickal Uses: Used in spells to stop others from speaking about you or spreading unfavourable information. Also used for protection and to manage stressful situations. It was said that a fever could be dispelled by pulling the Nettle up by the roots and calling out the name of the sick and his/her parents.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Though the widest use of Nettles was in the making of twine and cloth/textiles, some still boil the young shoots and eat them as any other vegetable (or made into a pudding, beer, used in salads, etc.). It has also been a source for dye, to make a caulking which prevents water leakage, can drive away flies, oil from the seeds has been used in oil lamps, and so on. In many part of the world Nettles, once wilted or boiled, are used in animal feed to strengthen stock and increase production (milk from cows, eggs from chickens, etc.).
Medicinally, the juice from the leaves and roots can be mixed with honey and taken for bronchitis and asthma. The dried leaves can be burnt and inhaled for relief of the same problems. By infusing wine with Nettle seeds it can ease intermittent fever and chills. Powdered seeds are thought to help weight-loss. A tea made from Nettle roots is thought to be a remedy for edema. An old remedy for stimulating hair growth recommends you comb Nettle juice through your hair every day, or turn it into a tonic and rub it on your scalp every other night (boil Nettles in water for 2 hours, strain, cool and bottle it).
Finding and Harvesting: Can be found in almost any region. The Nettle flowers between June and September with stems that usually grow as tall as 2 or 3 feet. Young tops should be gathered in the spring when it's 6 to 8 inches high (by autumn the leaves are too gritty to be cooked). When used for medicinal purposes the plant should be harvested in May or June before it flowers, then dried using the hanging method as described above on the left side of the screen.
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Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans
Important: Larger doses can produce a narcotic affect.
Magickal Uses: Health and Healing, love, luck.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Can stimulate the gastro-intestinal tract. The oil can be used to disguise the taste of other drugs. Can prevent nausea from other drugs, and stop nausea and vomiting in general.
Finding and Harvesting: Trees are cultivated in Sumatra, French Guiana. It is the kernel of the seeds that are used.
Recipe: Pumpkin Date Bread
Spell: Blood Charm
Spell: Banished Be
Spell: Luck Soap
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Oak
Quercus Robur (one of many species)
Magickal Uses: Health and healing, improve success during hunting, increase luck and prosperity, protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Useful for chronic diarrhoea and dysentery and works as a strong astringent and antiseptic. The bark is boiled in water. The liquid when used to gargle with is helpful in soothing a chronic sore throat. The bark can also be ground into a fine powder and used as snuff. The powder of an acorn added to a glass of wine is considered a good diuretic. Crushed leaves can be used to heal wounds. A decoction of acorns and bark, with milk, can act as an antidote for poisonous herbs and other medicines.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in the Northern Hemisphere and South America. The bark is collected in the spring from young trees, and dried in the sun. Leaves and acorns also have medicinal uses.
Spell: Banished Be
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Onion
Allium cepa
Magickal Uses: Health and healing; protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Can be used as an antiseptic and a diuretic. Making the onion juice into a syrup is good for coughs and colds. Roasted onions are a yummy addition to meals such as roast or steak.
Finding and Harvesting: Found almost everywhere. Grow them in your own garden, or buy them at the market. The bulb is the part used.
Recipe: French Onion Soup
Spell: Lammas Kitchen Blessing
Spell: Mabon Vegetable Blessing
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Orange
Citrus sinensis
Magickal Uses: For friendship, luck, success.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Orange trees were planted along trade routes so traders could eat the fruit to prevent scurvy. The fruit is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded, but can be processed into animal feed by removing water using pressure and heat. It is also used in certain recipes as flavouring or a garnish. The outer-most layer of the rind is grated thinly with a zester to produce orange zest, popular in cooking because it has a flavour similar to the fleshy inner part of the orange. The white part of the rind, called the pericarp or albedo and includes the pith, is a source of pectin and has nearly the same amount of vitamin C as the flesh. Sweet orange oil, a by-product of the juice industry produced by pressing the peel, is used as a flavouring for food and drink and for its fragrance in perfume and aromatherapy. The oil contains d-Limonene, a solvent used in various household chemicals, like polish for wooden furniture, and along with other citrus oils in grease removal and as a hand-cleansing agent. It is an efficient cleaning agent which is environmentally friendly, and much less toxic than petroleum distillates. The petals of an orange blossom can be made into a delicately citrus-scented version of rosewater which is a common part of Middle Eastern cuisine. In Spain, fallen blossoms are dried and then used to make tea. Orange blossom honey is produced by putting beehives in the citrus groves during bloom. Orange peel is used by gardeners as a Slug repellent.
Finding and Harvesting: "Orange" refers to the citrus tree and its fruit. It is a small angiosperm tree growing to about 10m tall with evergreen leaves, which are arranged alternately, of ovate shape with crenulated margins and 4-10cm long. It originates in southeast Asia. On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus brought the seeds of oranges, lemons and citrons to Haiti and the Caribbean. They were introduced in Florida (along with lemons) in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, and were introduced to Hawaii in 1792. All citrus trees are of the single genus Citrus, which means there is only one super species, that includes lemons, limes and oranges. Fruits of all members of the genus Citrus are considered berries because they have many seeds, are fleshy, soft and derive from a single ovary. An orange seed is also sometimes referred to as a "pip".
Recipe: Madeleines
Recipe: Four Fruit Juice
Recipe: Orange Cookies
Spell: Thank You Friend
Spell: Luck Soap
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Passion Flower
Passiflora incarnata
Magickal Uses: To manage anger, stress, and anxiety.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It is known primarily as an anti-depressant. The leaves and roots have a long history of use among Native Americans. The fresh or dried leaves are made into a tea that is used to treat insomnia, hysteria, and epilepsy, and is also valued for its painkilling properties. It may also be effective for anxiety disorder. The leaves and the roots of some species have been used to enhance the effects of mind-altering drugs.
Finding and Harvesting: Various species of passion flowers are found almost world-wide. Passion flowers are supposedly named because of the resemblance of the 72 radial filaments (or corona) compared to the "Crown of Thorns" and of the other parts of the flower to the Passion of Christ on the cross. The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles. The top 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the lower 5 anthers represent the 5 wounds. It has a perennial root, and the herbaceous shoots bear three-lobed, finely serrated leaves and flesh-coloured or yellowish, sweet-scented flowers tinged with purple. The ripe, orange-coloured, oval-shaped berry is about the size of a small apple. When dried it's shrivelled and greenish-yellow. The yellow pulp inside is sweet and edible. The dried herb is collected after some of the berries have matured.
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Patchouli
Pogostemon patchouli
Magickal Uses: For dealing with one's enemies, to mask the true nature of something, to break free.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It has been used for centuries in perfumes and sachets are made of the coarsely-powdered leaves. It is also used as a scent in products like paper towels, laundry detergents, and air fresheners. Its use is said to sometimes cause loss of appetite and sleep and nervous attacks. Some believe it possesses prophylactic properties. It can be used as a hair conditioner for dreadlocks.
Finding and Harvesting: Patchouli is a tropical member of the mint family, grown in the East and West Indies and Paraguay. This is a fragrant herb with soft, egg-shaped leaves and square stems. It grows from 2 to 3 feet in height. It gives off the peculiar characteristic odour of patchouli when rubbed. Its whitish flowers are tinged with purple and grow in both auxiliary and terminal spikes. A crop is typically cut two or three times a year with the leaves being dried and packed in bales and exported for distillation of the oil. The seed-bearing flowers are very fragrant and bloom in late fall. The tiny seeds may be harvested for planting, but they are very delicate and easily crushed. Cuttings from the mother plant can also be rooted in water to produce further plants.
Spell: Money Oil
Spell: Money Powder
Spell: Riches Ointment
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Peppermint
Mentha piperita
Magickal Uses: Increase apathy and psychic ability, health and healing, love, ease the symptoms of menopause, and provide a restful sleep.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Internally, peppermint has an antispasmodic action, with a calming effect on the stomach and intestinal tract. As a tea, extract, or in a capsule, peppermint is useful for indigestion, cramp-like discomfort of the upper gastrointestinal and bile duct, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammation or irritation of the gums.
Finding and Harvesting: Can be purchased in almost any store in tea form. Contact a herbalist or visit a store which specializes in teas for loose leaf.
Spell: Blood Charm
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Pine
Pinus strobus
Magickal Uses: For gambling, hunting, health and healing, prosperity, protection, and when seeking new employment.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The resin of the pine is used ointments, etc. It's a valuable remedy in bladder and kidney disorders and respiratory irritations. Use it externally in the form of liniment, plasters and vapour inhalants. For the latter purpose, collect the sap and heat a small amount of it with boiling water. The essential oil can be used to lessen pain, uplift mood, energize, and break up congestion. It helps breathing, to purify the body, and as a disinfectant.
Finding and Harvesting: There are many different varieties of pine, but the White Pine of Eastern North America is best used for medicinal purposes. Sap should be collected in a separate and disposable dish which can withstand being heated by water (as with a double-boiler).
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Plantain (Ribwort Plantain, Jackstraw, Kemps)
Plantago lanceolata
Magickal Uses: Health and healing, protection, to increase strength
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: At one time it was considered as a possible fodder plant for sheep and to a lesser degree, cows and horses, but it never took hold. The coat of mucilage that covers the seeds was used at one time in France for stiffening muslin and other woven fabrics. The leaves contain a good fibre that might be adapted to some manufacturing purpose though at this time it hasn't. It's highly respected in folk medicine in Africa and Vietnam. Used as an astringent, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory. Topically, used on sores, scratches, insect bites, as a styptic, and for haemorrhoids. As a tea it can treat dry coughing, gastritis, diarrhoea, colitis, enteritis, to sooth peptic ulcers, and as a palliative for some urinary conditions. If inhaled through steam can help bronchial spasms, allergies and rhinitis. Gargle with it to ease laryngitis & hoarseness. Can be used as an eyewash for conjunctivitis. Use it as a poultice for boils
Finding and Harvesting: A very dark green, slender perennial native to western Norway and the British Isles. Its leaf-blades rarely reach an inch in width and are three to five ribbed. The flower stalks are often more than 2 feet long - longer than the leaves - terminating in dense spikes, 1/2" to 3" or 4" long and 1/3" to 1/2" thick. It prefers on dry soil and can be found on roadsides and in meadows.
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Poppy, Red (Corn Rose)
Papaver Rhoeas
Magickal Uses: For love and luck.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The petals are used to make a dark red syrup used in cooking, but the most commonly used part is the seeds. Poppy seeds are used in baking and salads and sometimes even pressed into oil. The poppy oil makes a perfect substitute for olive oil.
Finding and Harvesting: The Poppy grows in fields and roadsides throughout the temperate areas of North America, Europe, Asia, etc. The most common parts used are the petals and seeds.
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Q
Quassia (Bitter Ash, Bitter Wood)
Picraena excelsa
Magickal Uses: Health, healing and protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Folk remedy used in the West Indies in tea form to cure for fevers, malaria, snakebite, venereal diseases, rheumatism, alcoholism, intestinal worms and cancer.
Finding and Harvesting: A large tree grown in the West Indies. Grows to over 30 metres, with a thick upright trunk, oblong leaves, small yellow-green flower spikes, and shiny, black seed capsules about the size of a pea. There is a second, smaller variety that grows in Surinam, Brazil, Columbia and the West Indies which is said to have identical properties.
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Quince
Pyrus cydonia
Magickal Uses: Primarily used in protection.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: If prepared as syrup, can be added to drinks as a cure for diarrhoea.
Finding and Harvesting: Originated in Persia and Greece but is now more widespread. The fruit and seeds are harvested.
Recipe: Quince and Apple Marmalade
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R
Rose
Rosa spp. (there are many, many species)
Magickal Uses: To manage anger and emotions; beauty spells; love, luck, protection; to increase prophetic dreams and psychic ability. Hanging a Rose over the dinner-table was a sign that all confidences shared at that table are to be held sacred.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The biggest use of roses is in the perfume industry. Rose water, rose oil, creams infused with the scent of rose, etc. It is also used in dyes, made into wine, and was used to flavour medicines, and is a typical ingredient in potpourri.
Finding and Harvesting: Roses are found in temperate regions throughout the world. If you don't have a garden of your own to grow them, find them in florist shops and most markets. For medical purposes the bud of the rose, collected in dry weather only, is used.
Spell: Fidelity My Love
Spell: Herbal Love Bath
Spell: Love Powder
Spell: Witches' Love Bottle
Spell: Love Charm
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Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
Important: DO NOT take the oil internally. Even small doses can cause stomach, kidney and intestinal problems, and large amounts may be poisonous. When tea is used in large amounts it can cause irritation of the intestines and cramps.
Magickal Uses: For beauty spells, health and healing, love, lust, induce prophetic dreams, wards off theft.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Oil is used in hair-lotions, for its effect in stimulating the roots and preventing premature baldness. The oil has been shown to prevent the development of cancerous tumours and other forms of cancer in laboratory animals. The dried plant (leaves and flowers) combined with borax, makes one of the best shampoos known. Excellent for preventing dandruff. A Rosemary rinse can lighten blond hair. Rosemary Wine stimulates the kidneys and relieves heart palpitations as well as relieves headaches and nervousness. The leaves and flowers can be made into Rosemary Tea, which is a good remedy for headaches, colic, colds. Rosemary and Coltsfoot leaves ground together and smoked relieves asthma and other problems with the throat and lungs. Rosemary helps to relax muscles and can be used to soothe digestive upsets and relieve menstrual cramps. Used in sachets will scent clothes and linen and deter moths.
Wine: Chopped sprigs of green Rosemary combined with white wine, and allowed to stand for a few days.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in any supermarket. Flowering tops are distilled for their oil. The leaves can be harvested any time.
Recipe: Rosemary Herb Bread
Spell: Healing Oil
Spell: Fidelity My Love
Spell: Herbal Love Bath
Spell: Love Oil
Spell: Witches' Love Bottle
Spell: Anti-Hex Herbal Bath
Spell: Banished Be
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Rue (Herb of Grace)
Ruta graveolens
Important: In excessive doses, it's a narcotic poison, and should not be administered immediately after eating. When taking the oil only use 1 to 5 drops. Should never be used internally by pregnant women, small children or the elderly.
Magickal Uses: Protection, breaking curses and preventing magick to be worked against you successfully, justice, finding the truth, managing gossip, health and healing, inducing psychic visions, prophetic dreams, increasing mental powers, love.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It's useful for soothing coughs, croup, colic and flatulence. The oil can be given on a teaspoon of sugar, or in a glass of hot water. It is used, powdered, for making tea. Chewing a leaf or two will get rid of nervous headaches and giddiness.
Finding and Harvesting: Though native of Southern Europe, it is found all across Europe and parts of North America. The greenish-yellow flowers blossom from June to September. The whole plant is used. Can be bought online if your herbalist doesn't carry it.
Spell: Purification Bath
Spell: Love Charm
Spell: Thank You Friend
Spell: Banished Be
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Sage
Salvia officinalis
Magickal Uses: Used for protection, brings wisdom and wishes, helps increase success in hunting and to reduce the symptoms of menopause.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: In dried, oil, or fresh form, sage's most common use is in cooking. It has also been used as a stimulant, an astringent, and if used as a mouth wash it can help with gum problems. Sages can sooth sore throats and if used in an iced tea it makes it more refreshing and cooling. Sage tea can calm nerves and lower fevers. Useful for stomach problems, congestion, joint pain, headaches and general weakness. In lotion form it can sooth skin abrasions. Fresh leaves can even be rubbed on your teeth to brush them. The dries leaves can be smoked and in oil form can bring a mild intoxication if one smells it for a period of time.
Finding and Harvesting: Its natural home is the northern Mediterranean, but it is cultivated around the world. It grows best in warm, dry areas with diffused sunlight, but can be successfully grown in almost any soil type. Because the plant begins to lose its potency by the fourth year of growth, cuttings should be taken from three-year-old plants - in either the end of April or in the fall after the plant has flowered. For other uses, the leaves should be gathered between May and September. For cooking, the best time to harvest leaves is in the middle of summer.
Spell: Witches' Wish Bottle
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Skullcap (Mad Weed, Hoodwort, Quaker Bonnet)
Scutellaria laterifolia
Important: Overdose can cause confusion, stupor, or epileptic convulsions.
Magickal Uses: Used for peace, and relaxation; helps in managing stress.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Can be used to reduce fever and ease headache. Eases the pain of rheumatism and menstrual cramps. Can lessen the effects of epilepsy in small doses. Native Americans use this herb to induce menstruation and cure rabies.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to Canada and eastern US.
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St. John's Wort
Hypericum perforatum
Important: Can cause photosensitivity in some people.
Magickal Uses: Used for protection, increases strength, helps in managing stress.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Useful in treating mild depression. Heals wounds and promotes nerve repair. Internally, the oil can heal stomach ulcers and relieve rheumatism. The oil is also good to use topically for wounds, sunburn, burns, and post-operative scars. Treats nerve-related disorders such as shingles and bladder troubles and bed-wetting. Eases symptoms of menopause.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in Europe, Asia and parts of North America. Cut flowers when fully open and pick leaves as required. Always harvest before the heat of the day. Can be purchased in pill form from most stores that carry herbal supplements.
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Sumac
Rhus coriaria
Important: POISON! The plant contains toxic substances which can cause severe irritation to some people. Both the sap and the fruit are poisonous.
Magickal Uses: Used for protection spells and to gain wisdom.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The dried, crushed berries can be used as any other spice. Very tart flavour like lemons. If the berries are mashed in hot water to release their juice, the liquid can be used like lemon juice. Diluted the juice can be consumed to help stomach aches, bowel irritations and to reduce fever.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in the Mediterranean. The berries grow in clusters after the flowers have bloomed. Sumac is easy to grow, but the dried ground berries can be bought in specialty stores. Ground sumac keeps well if kept away from light and air.
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Sweet William
Dianthus barbatus
Magickal Uses: To bring courage, for protection - especially around the borders of your property, to encourage gallantry, to keep safe.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Though the most typical use for this plant is in landscaping, the flowers are edible and can be used in salads or sugared for decoration on cakes. It does have anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits, but is rarely used as such.
Finding and Harvesting: Native to the mountains of southern Europe from the Pyrenees east to the Carpathians and the Balkans, but was introduced to England in the sixteenth century and later, to North America. It is a short-lived perennial that grows to 40-70cm tall, with green or blue-green tapered leaves 4-10cm long and 1-2cm wide. The flowers grow in a cluster at the top of the stems and have a spicy, clove-like scent; each flower is about 2cm in diameter with five petals with serrated edges; in wild plants the petals are red with a white base. The flowers are the part typically used.
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Thyme
Thymus serpyllum
Important: CAUTION! Strong medicinal doses should be avoided during pregnancy. If you experience diarrhoea or bloating, cut back on the amount you're using or discontinue.
Magickal Uses: Increases courage and psychic abilities, health and healing, love, restful sleep.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used as a cough remedy (including bronchitis and emphysema), digestive aid and treatment for intestinal parasites. Ingesting or inhaling the oil helps to loosen phlegm. Thyme also can work as an antifungal against athlete's foot. A strong tea is useful as a mouthwash or rinse to treat sore gums.
Finding and Harvesting: Though native to the Mediterranean, Thyme grows widely and is available in supermarkets. Harvested leaves throughout the summer (flavour is best just before flowering). Cut when in full flower, in July and August. To dry, cut the stems just as the flowers start to open and hang in small bunches. Harvest sparingly the first year.
Spell: Blood Charm
Spell: Health Powder
Spell: Witches' Love Bottle
Spell: Thank You Friend
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Tonka Bean
Dipteryx odorata
Important: CAUTION! It is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys, and has been banned as a food additive in numerous countries since the mid-20th century. It contains coumarin, which is an anti-coagulant and can be lethal in large doses. As an oil, coumarin is toxic, but this is also true of the pure oils and extracts of many foods and edible plants like pure chilli oil or orange oil essence. (That doesn’t stop us from using raw chillies or orange rind in our cooking though.)
Magickal Uses: Fosters courage, friendship, love, prosperity, granting wishes
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: It has sometimes been used commercially as a substitute for vanilla. It is also sometimes used in perfume and is commonly used in pipe tobacco. Although only moderately dangerous to humans, coumarin is a potent rodenticide; in rats and other rodents it can cause internal haemorrhage and death. Tonka beans make for a surprising and unusual alternative to vanilla in home-made ice cream, custard and soufflé. Typically, a few beans suffice to flavour one kg of these desserts. There are only few spicy recipes that make use of tonka beans, but Italian-style tomato sauce with tonka beans is truly great. Used as a simple bean to flavour dishes, tonka beans are not harmful. They are reputed to prevent blood clotting.
Finding and Harvesting: The tonka bean is the seed of Dipteryx odorata, a legume tree. The seed is black and wrinkled in appearance, with a smooth brown interior. It is known mostly for its fragrance, which is reminiscent of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon, and cloves. Tonka beans are grown in the Caribbean and harvested after they have matured for about a year.
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Uva Ursi (Bearberry)
Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi
Important: CAUTION! Should not used by pregnant women - can reduce the supply of blood to the foetus.
Magickal Uses: Primarily to increase psychic abilities.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: As a tea works well as a diuretic. Helps relieve diseases of the bladder and kidneys, and it strengthens urinary passages.
Finding and Harvesting: Found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere at higher altitudes. The dried leaves are the only part of the plant used in medicine, collected in September and October. Gather leaves only in good weather, in the morning after the dew has dried; stained and insect-eaten leaves should be rejected.
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Valerian
Valeriana officinalis
Important: CAUTION! Large, too frequent doses, have a tendency to produce headaches, heaviness and stupor. Prolonged medicinal use of this plant can lead to addiction so treatment should not exceed 3 months.
Magickal Uses: Helps with the management of anxiety, increase prophetic dreams, protection, brings restful sleep.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Works as an effective and reliable sedative and sleep aid. It is effective in conditions of anxiety, insomnia and nervous irritability. Has shown as useful when treating epilepsy and heart palpitations.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in Europe and Northern Asia and is also grown in parts of North America. Cut the flower tops off as they appear (young plants won't flower their first year, but have lots of leaves). In September or early October, cut all the tops off and harvest.
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Vervain
Verbena officinalis
Magickal Uses: Use in spells for health and healing, love, prosperity, protection, to promote sleep, bring wishes and ward off sexual harassment. This herb has a history and lore spanning back to the crucifixion. It was widely used in magick rituals as it still is today.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Can be made into a tonic or used in tea as a mild sedative or expectorant. Added to a poultice, it can help with headaches or the pain of rheumatism, but this can dye the skin red. Can ease bowel pain and expels worms. Has value as an astringent, anti-diarrheic, analgesic, etc.
Finding and Harvesting: Can be found growing wild in sunny pastures throughout Europe, Asia, and parts of North America (Blue Vervain or Wild Hyssop - Verbena hastata). Sow seeds in early spring. Grows up to 2 or 3 feet in height. When in flower (June through September), it has several small light-purple blooms at the top. Pick before it flowers and dry by hanging. The flowers can also be used if the plant has already bloomed - pick once they begin to fade and dry. Seeds also found with the flower can be roasted - Native peoples have used the ground seeds as a flower.
Recipe: Vervain Tea
Spell: Love Charm
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Violet, Sweet
Viola odorata
Magickal Uses: Use in spells for health and healing, love, to bring luck and protection, and to help wishes come true. One legend holds that when Jupiter changed his beloved Io into a white heifer for fear of Juno's jealousy, he caused these modest flowers to spring forth from the earth to be fitting food for her, and he gave them her name.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: One of the primary uses of violets have always been in food. If sugared they can be used as decorations, and the Romans commonly used them to make wine. The flowers impart their odour easily and are wonderful for making violet scented sugar. This also has lead to its use in the preparation of perfumes. Consuming Violet flowers has a slight laxative affect can work as an expectorant. The leaves and flowers can be used in poultices to reduce swelling and ease pain - recently these properties have been used in the treatment of cancer. A small amount of powdered root can incite vomiting and the seeds act as a diuretic.
Finding and Harvesting: There are hundreds of species of Violet, most of which are native to temperate and tropical regions. Violets first bloom at the end of February, finishing by the end of April. Then it again blooms in the autumn when it produces its seeds. The flowers are usually deep purple, but lighter shades are also common. The autumn flowers are much smaller and easily hidden by the plant's foliage. When harvesting, check the stems for bulbous areas. These are usually where insects have laid their eggs.
Recipe: Sugared Violets
Spell: Banished Be
Spell: Witches' Wish Bottle
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Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Magickal Uses: For beauty spells, protection, and to ward off sexual harassment.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: The astringency of the leaves and bark makes witch hazel a popular ingredient for various skin conditions as well as for bruises and varicose veins. It's good for stopping internal and external bleeding, and makes a good pain-killer. Diluted with warm water, the extract is great for ridding yourself of puffy eyes.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in the Eastern United States and Canada. Leaves and bark are both harvested.
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Wormwood (Common Wormwood)
Artemisia absinthium
Important: CAUTION! This plant is poisonous if used in large quantities. Small quantities have been known to cause nervous disorders, convulsions, insomnia, headaches, etc. in some people.
Magickal Uses: Increase psychic ability, love, and protection. Ancients believed that Wormwood could counteract the effects of poisoning by hemlock, toadstools and the biting of the sea dragon.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Wormwood is often used as a digestive stimulant and it's helpful in treating indigestion, heartburn, stomach pain, gas, and bloating. Wormwood can be useful to persons recovering after a long illness as it improves the intake of nutrients. It can restore impaired cognitive functions - thinking, remembering, and perception. It may be taken as a tea, or a tincture in small doses for no longer than a few weeks at a time. Can be used instead of hops in beer brewing. Dry by hanging in a well ventilated area in partial shade (not full sunlight). The dried herb should be ground immediately and packed in an airtight container.
Finding and Harvesting: Though it is native to Europe and parts of Africa and Asia, it grows wild in the United States. Harvest it immediately before or during flowering (blooms from July to October). Collect only on a dry day, after the sun has dried off the dew. Cut off the upper green portion and reject the lower parts of the stems, together with any discoloured or insect-eaten leaves. The stem, leaves, and flowers all have medicinal uses.
Recipe: Wormwood Tea
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Y
Yarrow (Bloodwort, Knight's Milfoil)
Achillea millefolium
Important: DO NOT use for more than two weeks at a time. Safety for use by young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established, so should be avoided. Prolonged use can cause allergic skin rashes or lead to photosensitivity in some people. Otherwise yarrow is generally recognized as safe.
Magickal Uses: Increase courage and psychic ability, overcoming heartache, love. In China, its stalks have been used as a randomizer in divination since the second millennium B.C.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Take internally for Colds and Flu (as a tea) and externally useful for stopping bleeding from nosebleeds or other minor wounds (crushed leaves). Fluid can be extracted and used to heal piles. Fresh leaves can be chewed to sooth toothaches. The crushed plant is an excellent natural styptic. If used in place of hops when brewing beer makes a more intoxicating drink.
Finding and Harvesting: Yarrow is a wildflower which grows everywhere, in the grass, meadows, pastures, and by the side of the road (grows well in zones 3-8 and some to 10). It flowers from June to September, but it's best to collect it in August when in flower. The entire plant can be used.
Recipe: Yarrow Tea
Spell: Love Powder
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Zedoary (Wild Turmeric)
Curcuma zedoaria
Magickal Uses: Wards off theft and can induce prophetic dreams.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: As oil it's useful in relieving flatulent colic and debility of the digestive organs.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in the East Indies.
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Zizyphus (Sour Chinese Date)
Zizyphus jujuba var spinosa
Magickal Uses: Can induce prophetic dreams. Used to lull your enemies.
Medicinal Uses and Preparation: Used as a sedative and hypnotic. Can be used to lower blood pressure and suppresses perspiration. Also used as an anticonvulsant.
Finding and Harvesting: Found in the Middle East. The seeds are the part traditionally used.
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