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