Post by wren on Oct 12, 2006 14:23:02 GMT -5
Bachelor’s Buttons (Centaurea cyanus)
Part used: flower
Folk names: Devil’s flower, red campion, bluet, hurtlesickle, blue bottle
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities: Robin Goodfellow
Powers: Love
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Women wear this flower on their breast to attract the love of a man. Take a flower and put it in your pocket; it will lose or retain its freshness in accordance with bad or good success in amatory pursuits.
Balm, Lemon (Melissa officinalis) A bushy perennial which loves full sun and easily spreads with growth and seeds. Less than 1ft. Flowers in summer, though keeping it pinched will contain spread.
Parts used: leaves
Folk names: Lemon balsam, melissa, sweet balm, sweet melissa, tourengane, oghoul
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Love, success, healing
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Used like a mild form of valium in centuries past. Oil of lemon balm can inhibit bacteria and viruses. Lemon balm can be used to influence love. Soak the herb in wine for several hours, strain and share with a friend. Or carry the herb on you to find love. Pliny wrote that if it was attached to a sword that made a wound the blood would immediately be staunched. Use in spells to ensure success. Rub on hives to attract new bees and keep the old ones there.
Balm of Gilead (Commiphora opobalsamum, Abies balsamea, Populus balsamifera var, balsamifera, P. jackii)
Parts used: buds
Folk names: Balessan, balsam tree, balsumodendrom gileadensis, bechan, mecca balsam
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Love, Manifestations, Protection, Healing
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Carry the buds to mend a broken heart or to attract a new love. Also steep them in red wine for a simple love drink. Burn to see spirit manifestations or carry to protect and heal. Beware that many plants bear this name!
Banana (Musa sapientum)
Parts used: leaves, flowers and fruits
Folk names: Maia (Hawiian), bacove, sanging
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities: Kanaloa
Powers: Fertility, potency and prosperity
Ritual uses: A banana stalk is used as a substitute for a human body in sacrifices to the gods. Until 1819, certain kinds of bananas were forbidden to women upon pain of death. Also used in contempory voodoo rituals, in which they represent the gods, since both they and the bananas flowers are hermaphroditic.
Magic and healing: Remember, a banana should never be cut, only broken! Bananas are used to increase fertility. They also cure impotency. If a bride is married under a banana tree, she will be considered lucky. Leaves, flowers and fruits are used in money and prosperity spells, due to the tree’s fruitfulness. Bananas are high in potassium and are an excellent source for potassium loss after bouts of diarrhea and illness.
Banyan (Ficus Benhgalensis)
Folk names: Arched fig, indian fig tree, indian god tree, vada tree
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Deities: Maui
Powers: Luck
Ritual uses: Banyans are planted outside Hindu temples. They are also connected with the worship of Maui in Hawaiian and Polynesian religions
Magic and healing: Sit beneath or look upon a banyan tree for good luck. Being married beneath one ensures the couple’s happiness.
Barley (Hordeum spp. Vulgare) Do not take internally if pregnant
Parts used: grain
Folk names: Malt
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Deities:
Powers: Love, healing, protection
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Use the grain or barley water in love spells. For a toothache, wind a barley straw around a stone, visualizing your pain into the stone. Throw it into a river or any running water and see your pain washed away. Scatter barley on the ground to keep evil and negativity away.
Barberry (Berberidaceae) A perennial shrub which grows up to 8ft. Flowers in spring. Prefers temperate climate to zone 4.
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Magic and healing: In ancient Egypt, barberry syrup was mixed with fennel seed to prevent the plague. In Europe during the Middle Ages, medicines made from barberry were prescribed as antiseptics, purgatives and tonics. In North America, the native people often prepared decoctions from the root bark and drank them to restore the body from general debility and to improve the appetite. Make a gargle by crushing some berries and mixing in water for a sore throat. Barberry’s astringent properties also work on the bowels to help control diarrhea and the herb is said to be an effective purgative. Barberry can have stimulant effects on the heart on low doses and depressant effects in high doses. High doses were also shown to depress respiration, stimulate the smooth muscle of the intestine and decrease bronchial constriction. Berberine, one of the manin constituents of Barberry, also has sedative, anticonvulsant and uterine stimulant properties.
Basil (Lamiaceae) Not for use with infants and toddlers. An annual herb with many hybrid sizes, colors and flavors that loves the sun. Leaves are very tender. Grows 1-2ft., though frequent pinching off makes the plant bushier. Flowers in July and August. Some varieties will self-sow. Grows easily from seed and does well on a sunny window sill.
Parts used: leaves
Folk names: herbe royale, albahaca, american dittany, our herb, St. Joseph’s wort, sweet basil, witches’ herb, njilika, balanoi, feslien
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Deities: Vishnu, Krishna, Erzulie
Powers: Love, exorcism, wealth, flying, protection
Ritual uses: Springs were laid on the breasts of the dead to protect them from evil in the next world and to offer them entrance to paradise.
Magic and healing: Putting a pot of basil on your balcony, or at your front door, is a sign you are ready to receive love. When a man gives a woman a sprig of basil, she will fall in love with him and never leave him (though some pesto and a bottle of wine might not hurt). In India, basil is a sacred herb dedicated to the gods Vishnu and Krishna. The scent causes sympathy between two people and soothes the tempers of lovers. Add to love incense and sachets. Use in love divinations by placing two fresh leaves upon a live coal. If they lie where you put them and burn quickly, the match will be harmonious. If they crackle, the life of the pair will be disturbed by quarrels. If a person is promiscuous, a sprig of fresh basil on their palm with immediately wither. Carried in the pocket, Basil brings prosperity and kept in the cash register wealth and success to a business. Sprinkling basil powder over your body thoroughly while your lover sleeps, especially over the heart, insures fidelity will bless your relationship. Where basil is strewn on the floor, no evil can live. Place small amounts in each room to bring protection. Basil is also used to keep goats away from your property, to attract scorpions and to prevent inebriation. Witches were said to drink ½ cup of basil juice before flying. Basil given as a gift for a new home brings good luck. And, as a diet aid, the diner will not be able to eat from any dish if basil has been secretly placed beneath it.
Basil is recommended for digestive complaints. A cup of basil tea after a meal dispels gas and aids digestion. Also recommended for stomach cramps, vomiting and constipation. It is said to have a mildly sedative effect, making it a good remedy for nervous headaches and anxiety. An external poultice of the seeds is good for sores as they have an antibacterial effect. Basil brings luster to hair. Brunettes can add it to a rosemary rinse; blondes add it to chamomile. Its fragrance is invigorating and so it makes a good addition to stimulating bath salts, herbal bath mixes, shampoos and lotions as well.
Bay (Laurus nobilis) May cause dermatitis if used externally. Bay is an aromatic, evergreen tree of medium size with dark green fragrant leaves. Flowers in spring. Indigenous to the Mediterranean, Bay should be brought inside in colder, more temperate climes during the Winter.
Part used: leaves
Folk names: Baie, bay laurel, bay tree, daphne, grecian laurel, laurier d’apollo, laurier sauce, lorbeer, noble laurel, roman laurel, sweet bay
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Deities: Apollo, Aesculapius, Ceres Faunus, Eros
Powers: Protection, psychic powers, healing, purification, strength
Ritual uses: Ancient priestesses of Apollo chewed bay leaves to induce prophetic state and also inhaled their fumes. Bay leaves are used as decorations at Yule.
Magic and healing: Ever since Apollo declared the Bay to be sacred, since his love was turned into a bay laurel, it has been a plant of ‘renown.’ Bay is used in clairvoyance and wisdom brews, although its taste is strong. Bay leaves are placed beneath the pillow to induce prophetic dreams and are also burned to cause visions. It is a perfect herb for protection and purification and is worn as an amulet to ward off negativity and evil, burned or scattered during exorcism rituals, placed in windows to protect against lightning. It is hung to prevent poltergeists from working any mischief in the house. A sprig of bay is used to sprinkle water during purification ceremonies and the tree planted near the home protects its inhabitants against sickness. Bay leaves mixed with sandalwood can be burned to remove curses and evil spells.
To ensure a love will stay, the couple should break off a twig from the tree and then break this in two, each keeping half. Bay leaves give strength to those engaged in wrestling and athletic sports if worn at the time of competition. Wishes are written on bay leaves which are then burned to make them come true. A bay leaf held in the mouth wards off bad luck.
It is the sign in Greece of glory, honor and greatness. Wreaths crown poets and warriors alike. Scholars wore wreaths of bay when they achieved academic honors. Thus we earn our ‘laurels’. Bay protects from thunder and lightning, witches, the devil. Middle Age herbalists prescribed it to promote menstruation and induce abortions. Death of a bay laurel is considered an evil omen. An infusion of Bay soothes the stomach and reduces flatulence. Rub Bay oil on rheumatic joints, sprains, bruises and skin rashes. Bay is said to be an astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, narcotic, bactericidal and fungicide.
Bayberry (Myrica cerifera) Suspected carcinogen A fragrant perennial shrub growing to heights of up to 35 ft. Flowers in March and April. Likes full sun, moist peaty soil, to zone 4.
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Magic and healing: Used in herbal healing for its tonic, stimulant, and astringent properties. Bayberry tea has been recommended for sore throat, spongy gums, jaundice and uterine hemmorrhages. Poultices from the root bark are said to heal bruises, cuts, insect bites and ulcers.
Bedstraw, Fragrant (Galium verum, G. triflorum)
Folk names: Cleavers, madder’s cousin
Gender: feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Love
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Fragrant bedstraw is worn or carried to attract love.
Beebalm (Monarda didyma) A member of the mint family, this herb grows on square stems and many varieties have edible flowers. Height of 3-4 feet, grow in full sun. Susceptible to powdery mildew, though new varieties are more hardy. Flowers in July and August. Easily grown from seed or propagated from runners.
Folk names: golden melissa, indian nettle, bergamot
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Magic and healing: First discovered in Otsego, an area of New York named after the tribe which lived there. The Otsego brewed beebalm tea for pleasure and for medicinal purposes. During the period of the Boston Tea Party, it replaced black tea. In infusion of beebalm treats coughs, sore throats, nausea, flatulence, and mentrual cramps. A poultice can be used to treat fungal infections. Growing beebalm near carrots enhances their growth.
Beech (Fagus saylvatica) Large amounts of the nuts should not be consumed.
Folk names: Bok, boke, btuche, buk, buke, faggio, fagos, faya haya, hetre
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element:
Deities:
Powers: Wishes
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Take a stick of beech, scratch or carve your wishes onto it, bury it in the ground and leave it there. Your wish will come true if it is to be. Carry the wood or leaves to increase creative powers.
Beet (Beta vulgaris) Large amounts of the leaves should not be consumed.
Folk names: Mangel, mangold
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Deities:
Powers: Love
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: If a man and a woman eat of the same beet, they will fall in love. Beet juice is used as ink for love magic and is also a blood substitute.
Belladonna (Atropa belladonna) POISONOUS!
Folk names: Banewort, black cherry, deadly nightshade, death’s herb, devil’s cherries, divale, dwale, dwaleberry, dwayberry, fair lady, great morel, naughty man’s cherries, sorcerer’s berry, witch’s berry
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Water
Deities: Hecate, Bellona, Circe
Powers:
Ritual uses: The priests of Bellona, according to ancient legend, drank an infusion of belladonna prior to worshipping Her and invoking Her aid. Bellona is the Roman Goddess of war.
Magic and healing: Little used today due to its extreme toxicity, all parts of the plant are extremely poisonous and there are still reports of accidental nightshade poisoning. In the past it was used to encourage astral projection and to produce visions but safer alternatives are available.
Benzoin (Styrax benzoin)
Folk names: Ben, benjamin, gum benjamin, siam benzoin, siamese benzoin
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Air
Deities:
Powers: Purification, Prosperity
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Burn to purify and add to purification incenses. A fine ‘clearing’ herb. Make an incense of Benzoin, cinnamon and basil and burn to attract customers to your business.
Bergamot, Orange (Mentha citrata)
Folk names: Bergamot, orange bergamot
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Deities:
Powers: Money
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: The leaves of the orange bergamot are slipped into wallets and purses to attract money. Fresh leaves are rubbed onto money before spending it to ensure its return. Also used in success rituals and spells.
Bergamot, Wild (Mondarda fistulosa) Also see Bee balm
Folk names: Horsemint, bee balm, monarda
Gender: Feminine
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Element: Air
Deities:
Powers: Clarity
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Magic and healing: Can be used to bring clarity and good working order to the surface of any situation
Be-Still (Thevetia peruviana, T. nereifolia) POISON
Folk names: Trumpet flower, yellow oleander, flor del peru, lucky nut
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Powers: Luck
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Magic and healing: In Sri Lanka, the seeds are known as ‘lucky beans’ and are worn as talismans or charms to attract good luck.
Betony (Stachys officinalis) Perennial herb growing up to 3ft., preferring a bit of shade. Best propagated from cuttings or division. Flowers in July and August.
Folk names: Bishopwort, lousewort, purple betony
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Deities:
Powers: Protection, purification, love
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Egyptians considered betony a magical herb. The Romans listed it as a cure for 47 different illnesses. Betony is said to ward off evil and evil spirits and harm. Historically, it has been planted in churchyards and used in amulets for this purpose. Betony is added to purification and protection incenses and mixtures and it is tradtional on Midsummer to burn it on a bonfire and then jump through the smoke to purify the body of ills and evils. Grown in gardens to protect the home as well as scattered near doors and windows to form a protective wall around the property through which no evil can pass. A good plant to carry when making love advances and said to reunite quarreling couples if the herb is added to their meal. Betony is believed to prevent intoxication if carried, strengthen the body when worn and is a cure for ‘elf-sickness’.
Betony decoctions are used for asthma and bronchities, heartburn, kidney problems, and excessive sweating. The juice of the plant can be used to heal cuts, external ulcers and old sores. Containing tannins, Betony infusions ease sore throats when gargled. A Betony tea eases diarrhea. An essential component has been shown to lower blood pressure, ease headaches and anxiety attacks.
Birch (Betula spp., Betula pendula, B. pubescens, B. lenta, B. alba)
Folk names: Beithe, Bereza, Berke, Beth, Bouleau, Lady of the Woods
Parts used: leaves, bark
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities: Thor
Ogham: Beth (Beth)
Powers: Protection, exorcism, purification
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Birch twigs are used to exorcise spirits by gently striking possessed people or animals. The tree is used for protection and the Russians used to hand a red ribbon around the stem of a birch to rid themselves of the evil eye. The birch also protects against lightning. The traditional witch’s broom was made of birch twigs and cradles were once made from birch wood to protect their young charges.
Birch is the ideal rune wood. Birch wood has the qualities of purification, exorcism and protection. Native Americans believe birch conveys the essence of support. Birches growing together seem to be joined at the roots. They symbolize gentle people devoted to being joined to others.
In the Ogham, birch symbolizes birth and new beginnings. It strongly symbolizes the circle of some bright new element from the death that came before. It embodies what is dawning and, unless cast in reverse, embodies a joyful element.
Native Americans used birch tea to treat headaches and ease rheumatism, steeping the leaves of the black birch in hot water. Tea from leaves and dried bark were used to treat fevers, kidney stones, and abdominal cramps caused by gas in the digestive system and eases diarrhea. Poultices of boiled bark helped to heal burns, wounds and bruises. Gargling with the tea freshens the mouth and drinking it stimulates urination. The conelike fruit structures were boiled to make a tea given to women with painful menstruation. Birch bark yields an oil which is astringent and is beneficial to skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It may also aid in non-hereditary baldness. An infusion of twigs, leaves and bark for your bath to ease skin eruptions, including poison ivy. Inner bark, simmered to make tea, or tea from young leaves, is useful in easing the pain of rheumatism or conditions such as gout. It also has been used as a sleep aid, to do sedative properties. It is high in potassium.
Birch buds can be tinctured in alcohol to ease colds, painful rheumatic conditions, stomach ulcers, stomach pain, liver and gallbladder conditions, as well as kidney and bladder stones.
Birch charcoal can be swallowed if poison has been consumed, due to its absorption properties.
As a wild food, tea made from birch leaves, twigs and inner bark are excellent sources of vitamin A, B1, B2, C and E. Never allow the water to boil or the essential oils will be lost.
Birch people are said to intelligent and devoted to the causes they believe in. They want everyone around them to feel comfortable and they look for ways to encourage growth in others. They are advocates of advancing public welfare. Birch people tend to become teachers, lawyers, business leaders and artists.
Bistort (Polygonum bistorta)
Folk names: Patience dock, snakeweed, dragonwort, sweet dock, osterick, passions, English serpentary, red legs, Easter giant
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Deities:
Powers: Clairvoyance, fertility
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Carry bistort if you wish to conceive. Add to divinatory incenses, especially effective with frankincense.
Black Hellebore (Helleborus niger) VERY TOXIC See Hellebores
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) Considered unsafe Herbaceous perennial growing from 6-14 ft. Native to North America. Prefers cool, moist shade. Flowers in very early spring. Easily propagated from seeds but easily to use rhizome division.
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Magic and healing: Bloodroot stimulates respiration, increases blood pressure, excites the flow of saliva and increases peristalsis in the intestines. Small doses can act as expectorant, stimulant and diaphoretic. Just nibbling the root can have extremely adverse effects.
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Unsafe A deciduous perennial growing to a height of 1-3 ft. Flowers in April. Prefers shade and moist, rich soil. Can be propagated by cutting the rhizome or from ripe seed.
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Magic and healing: Used by Native Americans as the herb of choice for all women’s ailments. Also used to treat bronchitis, cramps, sore throat, nervousness, rheumatism, uterine cramps, and delayed menstruation. Not advisable for use in self-medication.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) Common Boneset grows to between 2-5ft in height in full sun and rich, moist soil.
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Borage (Borago officinalis) An annual self-sowing plant with white, blue or purple flowers. Prefers full sun and easily grown from seed. Flowers can be candied and added to cakes and other treats. Leaves have crisp, cucumber flavor.
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Magic and healing: Smuggled into a drink, Borage is said to give a prospective husband the courage to propose. Ancient Celtic warriors drank wine flavored with borage to give them courage. Their fears would vanish and they would feel elated. Pliny believed the herb to be an anti-depressant. Dioscorides recommended borage to ‘cheer the heart and lift depressed spirits.’ The Welsh call Borage llanwenlys, meaning herb of gladness. In addition to relieving depression, Borage is said to be a diuretic, demulcent and emollient. Infusions and decoctions of borage flowers are taken to relieve fevers, bronchitis, and diarrhea among other ailments. Poultices made from the leaves are cooling and soothing when applied externally to inflammations and swellings. Borage boosts the resistance of nearby plants to insects and disease, especially strawberries.
Broom (Cytisus spp.) Unsafe A low, deciduous shrub flowering in May and June which reaches 3-6ft (can reach 10ft in ideal condition). Prefers full sun and ordinary if well-drained soil. Cultivated from seed, grafting or cuttings. Hardwood or softwood cuttings take equally well.
Folk names: Link, genista, banal, scotch broom, Irish broom
Gender: Male
Planet: Mars
Element: Air
Deities:
Powers: Purification, protection, wind spells
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: All internal uses have been found to be unsafe. Use broom to sweep area before working magic outside. Use in purification incenses and hand a little in your magic room as protection. Can be used to raise and calm winds. Thow herb into the air to raise wind, preferably off a mountain top, and calm winds by burning the herb.
Burdock (Arctium lappa) Treated as an annual by sowing seeds in spring and harvesting the taproot in fall. Grows 1- 6ft. Flowers in summer. Grows easily from seed
Parts used: roots, leaves and seeds
Folk names: Beggar's buttons, clotburr, bardana, happy major, hardock, burrseed, personatta, great burdock, hurrburr, cocklebur
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Purification, protection
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Magic and healing: Cast in house or magic room to ward off negativity. Add to protection sachets of all kinds. Wear a necklace of dried, carved burdock roots as protection against magic.
Dried burdock root is used mainly as a blood purifier. It is also considered a diuretic and diaphoretic. Burdock root has also been used to treat acne, psoriasis and other skin conditions. Poultices of the leaves are used on bruises, burns and knee swellings.
Bryony (bryony alba)
Folk names: wood vine, briony, tetterberry, white bryony, tams, ladies' seal, wild hops, wild vine
Gender: Male
Planet: Mars
Element: Earth
Part used: roots
Powers: Prosperity, protection
Magical uses: Bryony roots are often used in place of mandrake root. The root can be set on a piece of money to increase financial wealth.
Part used: flower
Folk names: Devil’s flower, red campion, bluet, hurtlesickle, blue bottle
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities: Robin Goodfellow
Powers: Love
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Magic and healing: Women wear this flower on their breast to attract the love of a man. Take a flower and put it in your pocket; it will lose or retain its freshness in accordance with bad or good success in amatory pursuits.
Balm, Lemon (Melissa officinalis) A bushy perennial which loves full sun and easily spreads with growth and seeds. Less than 1ft. Flowers in summer, though keeping it pinched will contain spread.
Parts used: leaves
Folk names: Lemon balsam, melissa, sweet balm, sweet melissa, tourengane, oghoul
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Love, success, healing
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Magic and healing: Used like a mild form of valium in centuries past. Oil of lemon balm can inhibit bacteria and viruses. Lemon balm can be used to influence love. Soak the herb in wine for several hours, strain and share with a friend. Or carry the herb on you to find love. Pliny wrote that if it was attached to a sword that made a wound the blood would immediately be staunched. Use in spells to ensure success. Rub on hives to attract new bees and keep the old ones there.
Balm of Gilead (Commiphora opobalsamum, Abies balsamea, Populus balsamifera var, balsamifera, P. jackii)
Parts used: buds
Folk names: Balessan, balsam tree, balsumodendrom gileadensis, bechan, mecca balsam
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Love, Manifestations, Protection, Healing
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Magic and healing: Carry the buds to mend a broken heart or to attract a new love. Also steep them in red wine for a simple love drink. Burn to see spirit manifestations or carry to protect and heal. Beware that many plants bear this name!
Banana (Musa sapientum)
Parts used: leaves, flowers and fruits
Folk names: Maia (Hawiian), bacove, sanging
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities: Kanaloa
Powers: Fertility, potency and prosperity
Ritual uses: A banana stalk is used as a substitute for a human body in sacrifices to the gods. Until 1819, certain kinds of bananas were forbidden to women upon pain of death. Also used in contempory voodoo rituals, in which they represent the gods, since both they and the bananas flowers are hermaphroditic.
Magic and healing: Remember, a banana should never be cut, only broken! Bananas are used to increase fertility. They also cure impotency. If a bride is married under a banana tree, she will be considered lucky. Leaves, flowers and fruits are used in money and prosperity spells, due to the tree’s fruitfulness. Bananas are high in potassium and are an excellent source for potassium loss after bouts of diarrhea and illness.
Banyan (Ficus Benhgalensis)
Folk names: Arched fig, indian fig tree, indian god tree, vada tree
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Deities: Maui
Powers: Luck
Ritual uses: Banyans are planted outside Hindu temples. They are also connected with the worship of Maui in Hawaiian and Polynesian religions
Magic and healing: Sit beneath or look upon a banyan tree for good luck. Being married beneath one ensures the couple’s happiness.
Barley (Hordeum spp. Vulgare) Do not take internally if pregnant
Parts used: grain
Folk names: Malt
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Deities:
Powers: Love, healing, protection
Ritual uses:
Magic and healing: Use the grain or barley water in love spells. For a toothache, wind a barley straw around a stone, visualizing your pain into the stone. Throw it into a river or any running water and see your pain washed away. Scatter barley on the ground to keep evil and negativity away.
Barberry (Berberidaceae) A perennial shrub which grows up to 8ft. Flowers in spring. Prefers temperate climate to zone 4.
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Magic and healing: In ancient Egypt, barberry syrup was mixed with fennel seed to prevent the plague. In Europe during the Middle Ages, medicines made from barberry were prescribed as antiseptics, purgatives and tonics. In North America, the native people often prepared decoctions from the root bark and drank them to restore the body from general debility and to improve the appetite. Make a gargle by crushing some berries and mixing in water for a sore throat. Barberry’s astringent properties also work on the bowels to help control diarrhea and the herb is said to be an effective purgative. Barberry can have stimulant effects on the heart on low doses and depressant effects in high doses. High doses were also shown to depress respiration, stimulate the smooth muscle of the intestine and decrease bronchial constriction. Berberine, one of the manin constituents of Barberry, also has sedative, anticonvulsant and uterine stimulant properties.
Basil (Lamiaceae) Not for use with infants and toddlers. An annual herb with many hybrid sizes, colors and flavors that loves the sun. Leaves are very tender. Grows 1-2ft., though frequent pinching off makes the plant bushier. Flowers in July and August. Some varieties will self-sow. Grows easily from seed and does well on a sunny window sill.
Parts used: leaves
Folk names: herbe royale, albahaca, american dittany, our herb, St. Joseph’s wort, sweet basil, witches’ herb, njilika, balanoi, feslien
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Deities: Vishnu, Krishna, Erzulie
Powers: Love, exorcism, wealth, flying, protection
Ritual uses: Springs were laid on the breasts of the dead to protect them from evil in the next world and to offer them entrance to paradise.
Magic and healing: Putting a pot of basil on your balcony, or at your front door, is a sign you are ready to receive love. When a man gives a woman a sprig of basil, she will fall in love with him and never leave him (though some pesto and a bottle of wine might not hurt). In India, basil is a sacred herb dedicated to the gods Vishnu and Krishna. The scent causes sympathy between two people and soothes the tempers of lovers. Add to love incense and sachets. Use in love divinations by placing two fresh leaves upon a live coal. If they lie where you put them and burn quickly, the match will be harmonious. If they crackle, the life of the pair will be disturbed by quarrels. If a person is promiscuous, a sprig of fresh basil on their palm with immediately wither. Carried in the pocket, Basil brings prosperity and kept in the cash register wealth and success to a business. Sprinkling basil powder over your body thoroughly while your lover sleeps, especially over the heart, insures fidelity will bless your relationship. Where basil is strewn on the floor, no evil can live. Place small amounts in each room to bring protection. Basil is also used to keep goats away from your property, to attract scorpions and to prevent inebriation. Witches were said to drink ½ cup of basil juice before flying. Basil given as a gift for a new home brings good luck. And, as a diet aid, the diner will not be able to eat from any dish if basil has been secretly placed beneath it.
Basil is recommended for digestive complaints. A cup of basil tea after a meal dispels gas and aids digestion. Also recommended for stomach cramps, vomiting and constipation. It is said to have a mildly sedative effect, making it a good remedy for nervous headaches and anxiety. An external poultice of the seeds is good for sores as they have an antibacterial effect. Basil brings luster to hair. Brunettes can add it to a rosemary rinse; blondes add it to chamomile. Its fragrance is invigorating and so it makes a good addition to stimulating bath salts, herbal bath mixes, shampoos and lotions as well.
Bay (Laurus nobilis) May cause dermatitis if used externally. Bay is an aromatic, evergreen tree of medium size with dark green fragrant leaves. Flowers in spring. Indigenous to the Mediterranean, Bay should be brought inside in colder, more temperate climes during the Winter.
Part used: leaves
Folk names: Baie, bay laurel, bay tree, daphne, grecian laurel, laurier d’apollo, laurier sauce, lorbeer, noble laurel, roman laurel, sweet bay
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Deities: Apollo, Aesculapius, Ceres Faunus, Eros
Powers: Protection, psychic powers, healing, purification, strength
Ritual uses: Ancient priestesses of Apollo chewed bay leaves to induce prophetic state and also inhaled their fumes. Bay leaves are used as decorations at Yule.
Magic and healing: Ever since Apollo declared the Bay to be sacred, since his love was turned into a bay laurel, it has been a plant of ‘renown.’ Bay is used in clairvoyance and wisdom brews, although its taste is strong. Bay leaves are placed beneath the pillow to induce prophetic dreams and are also burned to cause visions. It is a perfect herb for protection and purification and is worn as an amulet to ward off negativity and evil, burned or scattered during exorcism rituals, placed in windows to protect against lightning. It is hung to prevent poltergeists from working any mischief in the house. A sprig of bay is used to sprinkle water during purification ceremonies and the tree planted near the home protects its inhabitants against sickness. Bay leaves mixed with sandalwood can be burned to remove curses and evil spells.
To ensure a love will stay, the couple should break off a twig from the tree and then break this in two, each keeping half. Bay leaves give strength to those engaged in wrestling and athletic sports if worn at the time of competition. Wishes are written on bay leaves which are then burned to make them come true. A bay leaf held in the mouth wards off bad luck.
It is the sign in Greece of glory, honor and greatness. Wreaths crown poets and warriors alike. Scholars wore wreaths of bay when they achieved academic honors. Thus we earn our ‘laurels’. Bay protects from thunder and lightning, witches, the devil. Middle Age herbalists prescribed it to promote menstruation and induce abortions. Death of a bay laurel is considered an evil omen. An infusion of Bay soothes the stomach and reduces flatulence. Rub Bay oil on rheumatic joints, sprains, bruises and skin rashes. Bay is said to be an astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, narcotic, bactericidal and fungicide.
Bayberry (Myrica cerifera) Suspected carcinogen A fragrant perennial shrub growing to heights of up to 35 ft. Flowers in March and April. Likes full sun, moist peaty soil, to zone 4.
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Magic and healing: Used in herbal healing for its tonic, stimulant, and astringent properties. Bayberry tea has been recommended for sore throat, spongy gums, jaundice and uterine hemmorrhages. Poultices from the root bark are said to heal bruises, cuts, insect bites and ulcers.
Bedstraw, Fragrant (Galium verum, G. triflorum)
Folk names: Cleavers, madder’s cousin
Gender: feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Love
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Magic and healing: Fragrant bedstraw is worn or carried to attract love.
Beebalm (Monarda didyma) A member of the mint family, this herb grows on square stems and many varieties have edible flowers. Height of 3-4 feet, grow in full sun. Susceptible to powdery mildew, though new varieties are more hardy. Flowers in July and August. Easily grown from seed or propagated from runners.
Folk names: golden melissa, indian nettle, bergamot
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Magic and healing: First discovered in Otsego, an area of New York named after the tribe which lived there. The Otsego brewed beebalm tea for pleasure and for medicinal purposes. During the period of the Boston Tea Party, it replaced black tea. In infusion of beebalm treats coughs, sore throats, nausea, flatulence, and mentrual cramps. A poultice can be used to treat fungal infections. Growing beebalm near carrots enhances their growth.
Beech (Fagus saylvatica) Large amounts of the nuts should not be consumed.
Folk names: Bok, boke, btuche, buk, buke, faggio, fagos, faya haya, hetre
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
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Powers: Wishes
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Magic and healing: Take a stick of beech, scratch or carve your wishes onto it, bury it in the ground and leave it there. Your wish will come true if it is to be. Carry the wood or leaves to increase creative powers.
Beet (Beta vulgaris) Large amounts of the leaves should not be consumed.
Folk names: Mangel, mangold
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
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Powers: Love
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Magic and healing: If a man and a woman eat of the same beet, they will fall in love. Beet juice is used as ink for love magic and is also a blood substitute.
Belladonna (Atropa belladonna) POISONOUS!
Folk names: Banewort, black cherry, deadly nightshade, death’s herb, devil’s cherries, divale, dwale, dwaleberry, dwayberry, fair lady, great morel, naughty man’s cherries, sorcerer’s berry, witch’s berry
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Water
Deities: Hecate, Bellona, Circe
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Ritual uses: The priests of Bellona, according to ancient legend, drank an infusion of belladonna prior to worshipping Her and invoking Her aid. Bellona is the Roman Goddess of war.
Magic and healing: Little used today due to its extreme toxicity, all parts of the plant are extremely poisonous and there are still reports of accidental nightshade poisoning. In the past it was used to encourage astral projection and to produce visions but safer alternatives are available.
Benzoin (Styrax benzoin)
Folk names: Ben, benjamin, gum benjamin, siam benzoin, siamese benzoin
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Air
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Powers: Purification, Prosperity
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Magic and healing: Burn to purify and add to purification incenses. A fine ‘clearing’ herb. Make an incense of Benzoin, cinnamon and basil and burn to attract customers to your business.
Bergamot, Orange (Mentha citrata)
Folk names: Bergamot, orange bergamot
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Deities:
Powers: Money
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Magic and healing: The leaves of the orange bergamot are slipped into wallets and purses to attract money. Fresh leaves are rubbed onto money before spending it to ensure its return. Also used in success rituals and spells.
Bergamot, Wild (Mondarda fistulosa) Also see Bee balm
Folk names: Horsemint, bee balm, monarda
Gender: Feminine
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Element: Air
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Powers: Clarity
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Magic and healing: Can be used to bring clarity and good working order to the surface of any situation
Be-Still (Thevetia peruviana, T. nereifolia) POISON
Folk names: Trumpet flower, yellow oleander, flor del peru, lucky nut
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Powers: Luck
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Magic and healing: In Sri Lanka, the seeds are known as ‘lucky beans’ and are worn as talismans or charms to attract good luck.
Betony (Stachys officinalis) Perennial herb growing up to 3ft., preferring a bit of shade. Best propagated from cuttings or division. Flowers in July and August.
Folk names: Bishopwort, lousewort, purple betony
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Deities:
Powers: Protection, purification, love
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Magic and healing: Egyptians considered betony a magical herb. The Romans listed it as a cure for 47 different illnesses. Betony is said to ward off evil and evil spirits and harm. Historically, it has been planted in churchyards and used in amulets for this purpose. Betony is added to purification and protection incenses and mixtures and it is tradtional on Midsummer to burn it on a bonfire and then jump through the smoke to purify the body of ills and evils. Grown in gardens to protect the home as well as scattered near doors and windows to form a protective wall around the property through which no evil can pass. A good plant to carry when making love advances and said to reunite quarreling couples if the herb is added to their meal. Betony is believed to prevent intoxication if carried, strengthen the body when worn and is a cure for ‘elf-sickness’.
Betony decoctions are used for asthma and bronchities, heartburn, kidney problems, and excessive sweating. The juice of the plant can be used to heal cuts, external ulcers and old sores. Containing tannins, Betony infusions ease sore throats when gargled. A Betony tea eases diarrhea. An essential component has been shown to lower blood pressure, ease headaches and anxiety attacks.
Birch (Betula spp., Betula pendula, B. pubescens, B. lenta, B. alba)
Folk names: Beithe, Bereza, Berke, Beth, Bouleau, Lady of the Woods
Parts used: leaves, bark
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities: Thor
Ogham: Beth (Beth)
Powers: Protection, exorcism, purification
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Magic and healing: Birch twigs are used to exorcise spirits by gently striking possessed people or animals. The tree is used for protection and the Russians used to hand a red ribbon around the stem of a birch to rid themselves of the evil eye. The birch also protects against lightning. The traditional witch’s broom was made of birch twigs and cradles were once made from birch wood to protect their young charges.
Birch is the ideal rune wood. Birch wood has the qualities of purification, exorcism and protection. Native Americans believe birch conveys the essence of support. Birches growing together seem to be joined at the roots. They symbolize gentle people devoted to being joined to others.
In the Ogham, birch symbolizes birth and new beginnings. It strongly symbolizes the circle of some bright new element from the death that came before. It embodies what is dawning and, unless cast in reverse, embodies a joyful element.
Native Americans used birch tea to treat headaches and ease rheumatism, steeping the leaves of the black birch in hot water. Tea from leaves and dried bark were used to treat fevers, kidney stones, and abdominal cramps caused by gas in the digestive system and eases diarrhea. Poultices of boiled bark helped to heal burns, wounds and bruises. Gargling with the tea freshens the mouth and drinking it stimulates urination. The conelike fruit structures were boiled to make a tea given to women with painful menstruation. Birch bark yields an oil which is astringent and is beneficial to skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It may also aid in non-hereditary baldness. An infusion of twigs, leaves and bark for your bath to ease skin eruptions, including poison ivy. Inner bark, simmered to make tea, or tea from young leaves, is useful in easing the pain of rheumatism or conditions such as gout. It also has been used as a sleep aid, to do sedative properties. It is high in potassium.
Birch buds can be tinctured in alcohol to ease colds, painful rheumatic conditions, stomach ulcers, stomach pain, liver and gallbladder conditions, as well as kidney and bladder stones.
Birch charcoal can be swallowed if poison has been consumed, due to its absorption properties.
As a wild food, tea made from birch leaves, twigs and inner bark are excellent sources of vitamin A, B1, B2, C and E. Never allow the water to boil or the essential oils will be lost.
Birch people are said to intelligent and devoted to the causes they believe in. They want everyone around them to feel comfortable and they look for ways to encourage growth in others. They are advocates of advancing public welfare. Birch people tend to become teachers, lawyers, business leaders and artists.
Bistort (Polygonum bistorta)
Folk names: Patience dock, snakeweed, dragonwort, sweet dock, osterick, passions, English serpentary, red legs, Easter giant
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
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Powers: Clairvoyance, fertility
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Magic and healing: Carry bistort if you wish to conceive. Add to divinatory incenses, especially effective with frankincense.
Black Hellebore (Helleborus niger) VERY TOXIC See Hellebores
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) Considered unsafe Herbaceous perennial growing from 6-14 ft. Native to North America. Prefers cool, moist shade. Flowers in very early spring. Easily propagated from seeds but easily to use rhizome division.
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Magic and healing: Bloodroot stimulates respiration, increases blood pressure, excites the flow of saliva and increases peristalsis in the intestines. Small doses can act as expectorant, stimulant and diaphoretic. Just nibbling the root can have extremely adverse effects.
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Unsafe A deciduous perennial growing to a height of 1-3 ft. Flowers in April. Prefers shade and moist, rich soil. Can be propagated by cutting the rhizome or from ripe seed.
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Magic and healing: Used by Native Americans as the herb of choice for all women’s ailments. Also used to treat bronchitis, cramps, sore throat, nervousness, rheumatism, uterine cramps, and delayed menstruation. Not advisable for use in self-medication.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) Common Boneset grows to between 2-5ft in height in full sun and rich, moist soil.
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Borage (Borago officinalis) An annual self-sowing plant with white, blue or purple flowers. Prefers full sun and easily grown from seed. Flowers can be candied and added to cakes and other treats. Leaves have crisp, cucumber flavor.
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Magic and healing: Smuggled into a drink, Borage is said to give a prospective husband the courage to propose. Ancient Celtic warriors drank wine flavored with borage to give them courage. Their fears would vanish and they would feel elated. Pliny believed the herb to be an anti-depressant. Dioscorides recommended borage to ‘cheer the heart and lift depressed spirits.’ The Welsh call Borage llanwenlys, meaning herb of gladness. In addition to relieving depression, Borage is said to be a diuretic, demulcent and emollient. Infusions and decoctions of borage flowers are taken to relieve fevers, bronchitis, and diarrhea among other ailments. Poultices made from the leaves are cooling and soothing when applied externally to inflammations and swellings. Borage boosts the resistance of nearby plants to insects and disease, especially strawberries.
Broom (Cytisus spp.) Unsafe A low, deciduous shrub flowering in May and June which reaches 3-6ft (can reach 10ft in ideal condition). Prefers full sun and ordinary if well-drained soil. Cultivated from seed, grafting or cuttings. Hardwood or softwood cuttings take equally well.
Folk names: Link, genista, banal, scotch broom, Irish broom
Gender: Male
Planet: Mars
Element: Air
Deities:
Powers: Purification, protection, wind spells
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Magic and healing: All internal uses have been found to be unsafe. Use broom to sweep area before working magic outside. Use in purification incenses and hand a little in your magic room as protection. Can be used to raise and calm winds. Thow herb into the air to raise wind, preferably off a mountain top, and calm winds by burning the herb.
Burdock (Arctium lappa) Treated as an annual by sowing seeds in spring and harvesting the taproot in fall. Grows 1- 6ft. Flowers in summer. Grows easily from seed
Parts used: roots, leaves and seeds
Folk names: Beggar's buttons, clotburr, bardana, happy major, hardock, burrseed, personatta, great burdock, hurrburr, cocklebur
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deities:
Powers: Purification, protection
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Magic and healing: Cast in house or magic room to ward off negativity. Add to protection sachets of all kinds. Wear a necklace of dried, carved burdock roots as protection against magic.
Dried burdock root is used mainly as a blood purifier. It is also considered a diuretic and diaphoretic. Burdock root has also been used to treat acne, psoriasis and other skin conditions. Poultices of the leaves are used on bruises, burns and knee swellings.
Bryony (bryony alba)
Folk names: wood vine, briony, tetterberry, white bryony, tams, ladies' seal, wild hops, wild vine
Gender: Male
Planet: Mars
Element: Earth
Part used: roots
Powers: Prosperity, protection
Magical uses: Bryony roots are often used in place of mandrake root. The root can be set on a piece of money to increase financial wealth.