Magickal Properties of Herbs Part 1

Cottage or Kitchen Witches have known for generations that plants hold the power of magick. The key to harnessing that power is to understand their magicak properties. That is what we are going to explore for the nex few days. Since the list is so long we are going to take in a few parts.

Today we are going to talk about Herbs A through G. Please keep in mind that this list is far from complete. But these are the most commonly available and most widely used herbs.

Key: G = Gender P = Planet E = Element
ALOE
G/P/E: Feminine, Moon, Water.
Magical attributes: Beauty, protection, success, peace.Uses: Aloe has always been known for its healing qualities. For treating wounds and maintaining healthy skin. It may be applied right from the plant or in gel form for burns, sunburns, and can relieve poison ivy rash and helps to combat a variety of bacteria that commonly cause infections in skin wounds. It is also an excellent additive for soaps and creams as a conditioner.After using gel from a leaf the opened the leaf will seal itself so you can store it in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for future uses.

ANGELICA
G/P/E: Masculine, Venus, Fire.Magical attributes: Protection, Exorcism.Uses: Grow in the garden as a protection. Carry the root with you as an amulet. Burn the dried leaves in exorcism rituals.

ANISE
G/P/E: Masculine, Jupiter or Moon, Air.Magical attributes: Protection, purification, awareness, joy.Uses: For treating coughs, bronchitis and a stuffy nose, it loosens bronchial congestion, making it easier to cough it up and expel it. A good breath freshener in the morning, and if kept by the bed it will prevent bad dreams. Also a digestive aid and can relieve an upset stomach and flatulence when taken as a tea, and a treatment for colic. Also suggested that anise may be beneficial to women because certain chemicals in the plant are chemical cousins to the female hormone estrogen. Though it is mild, anise may help to relieve the discomfort of menopause. In traditional folk medicine it has been used to promote milk production in nursing mothers. It's recommended dosage would be 1 teaspoonful of seeds for every cup of boiling water, steep 10-20 minutes and strain, drink 3 cups a day for maximum effect. A good general cleansing bath is made with a handful of anise seeds and a few bay leaves. A pillow of anise keeps away nightmares. Also a good sedative.

APPLE
G/P/E: Feminine, Venus, Water.Magical attributes: Love spells, good luck.

ASH
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Water. Magical attributes: A tree with protective qualities, it is used to make brooms for purification and wands for healing. The leaves placed beneath a pillow induce psychic dreams. The leaves bring luck and good fortune when carried in a pocket of bag worn around the neck.

BALM of GILEAD
G/P/E: Feminine, Saturn.Magical attributes: The buds are carried to ease a broken heart and can be added to love and protection charms and spells.

BASIL
G/P/E: Masculine, Mars, FireMagical attributes: Protection, love, wealth (if carried in your wallet), healing relationships, ensuring faithfulness in a mate, courage, fertility, exorcism.Uses: It is good as a tea for calming the nerves, settling the stomach, and easing cramps and good for the bladder. In tincture form, also makes a good hair rinse for brunettes. An ingredient of the Purification bath sachet. Add to love sachets and incenses.

BAY LAUREL
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, FireMagical attributes: wisdom, protection, psychic powers, banishes negative energy.Uses: DO NOT TAKE INTERNALLY-use as a poultice on chest for bronchitis and chest colds.

BAY LEAVES
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire.Magical attributes: Psychic visions and dreams, repels negativity and evil.

BENZOIN
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Air.Magical attributes: Used widely in purification incenses. Tincture of benzoin preserves oils and preparations.

BETONY
G/P/E: Masculine, Jupiter, Fire. Magical attributes: Add to incenses of protection and purification. Sleep on a pillow stuffed with betony to prevent nightmares.

CARAWAY
G/P/E: Masculine, Mercury, AirMagical attributes: Protection, PassionUses: Add to love sachets and charms to attract a lover in the more physical aspect. Also a mild stimulant for digestion.

CARNATION
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire. Magical attributes: Worn by witches for protection during the "Burning Times", adds energy and power when used during a ritual as an incense.

CATNIP
G/P/E: Feminine, Venus, Water.Magical attributes: Cat magic, familiars, joy, friendship, love.Uses: Its flowers and leaves have often been used to treat colds and insomnia. It lowers fevers, dries up post nasal drip, gets rid of bad headaches and relieves sore aching bones due to colds and flus, when taken in tea form, 2-3 times daily. As an incense it may be used to consecrate magical tools.

CAMOMILE
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun or Venus, Water.Magical attributes: Good as a meditation incense, for centering, peace, sprinkle in your home for protection, healing, money.Uses: Is an excellent herb both internally and externally for calming. Great for digestion, fevers, burns, rs, anti-inflammatory for wounds, and sedative for nervous disorders. And releaves stomachaches and diarrhea in infants and small children (always using in diluted form). In tea form, made of 2 teaspoons of the herb steeped for 5 minutes in a cup of boiling water is a gentle sleep inducer. Chamomile also makes an excellent insect repellent, simply splash some tea on face arms and feet. It is also a good hair rinse for blondes. Plant camomile in your garden to be the guardian of the land, and you will have certain success.

CARAWAY
G/P/E: Masculine, Mercury, Air. Magical attributes:Used in love charms to attract a lover. Uses: Culinary herb.

CELANDINE
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire. Magical attributes:Helps the wearer escape unfair imprisonment and entrapment, cures depression.

CINQUEFOIL
G/P/E: Masculine, Jupiter, Earth. Magical attributes:Hang around the doors and windows for protection from evil. Use in spells and charms for prosperity, purification and protection.

CINNAMON
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire.Magical attributes: Spiritual quests, augmenting power, love, success, psychic work, healing, cleansing. Used in incenses for healing, clairvoyance, high spiritual vibrations. Reputed to be a male aphrodisiac. Use in prosperity charms.Uses: It is recommended as a skin astringent and digestive aid in tea form. Ground, or taken with milk, good balance after a heavy meal or dessert. Also used for diarrhea, dysentery or general indigestion. It is an excellent aromatic and makes a good anointing oil for any magical working.

CLOVER
G/P/E: Masculine, Mercury, Air. Magical attributes: Associated with the Triple Goddess. Use in rituals for beauty, youth, healing injuries, curing madness. A Four-leaved clover enables one to see fairies, and as a general good-luck charm.

CLOVE
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire. Magical attributes: Wear in an amulet or charm to dispel negativity and bind those who speak ill of you. Cloves strung on a red thread can be worn as a protective charm. Money matters, visions, cleansing and purification.Uses: It has a mild antiseptic quality for toothaches (chew), or in tea form it is an expectorant for colds, also good foe nausea or vomiting. It is an antibacterial,antiseptic, and analgesic, which means it helps prevent disease and infection.

COMFREY
G/P/E: Feminine, Saturn, Water.Magical attributes: Safe travel spells, money, healing, honoring the Crone aspect of the Goddess.Uses: Has been known to slow bleeding, aid colds, ease burns. As a poultice or a tea, comfrey may be applied to bites, sores, rashes, broken bones, and cuts. Also a good ingredient for lotions to soothe sunburn.

CORIANDER
G/P/E: Masculine, Mars, Fire.Magical attributes: Protection of home and serenity, peace , good in ritual drinks, incenses for longevity and love spells.Uses: If added to wine, it makes a good love potion for 2 consenting parties. To use in this fashion, grind 7 grains of coriander and mix into a wine and drink. Also used in love sachets and charms.

COWSLIP
G/P/E: Feminine, Venus, Water. Magical uses: Luck in love, a woman who washes her face with milk infused with cowslip will draw her beloved closer to her. Induces contact with departed loved ones during dreams.

CYPRESS
G/P/E: Masculine, Saturn, Earth. Magical uses:Connected to death in all of its aspects. The smoke of Cypress can be used to consecrate ritual objects.

DAISY
G/P/E: Feminine, Venus, WaterMagical uses:Decorate the house with daisies at Midsummer's Eve to bring happiness to the home and to obtain the blessings of faeries. Daisies are also worn at Midsummer for luck and blessings. In the old times, young maidens would weave and wear daisy chains in their hair to attract their beloved.

DANDELION
G/P/E: Masculine, Jupiter, Air.Magical attributes: Divination, welcoming, messages.Uses: The ground root can act as a coffee substitute, and the flowers make a lovely wine. A superb cleansing tonic, and the milky juice is a diuretic, a tonic and a relief for common stomach problems. Use a handful of flower tops to 1 pint of boiling water, steep 10 minutes and strain. Drink this several times a day. Use the milky latex from the stem , rub on a wart several times daily and soon its gone. Also good for night blindness.

DILL
G/P/E: Masculine, Mercury, Fire. Magical attributes:Useful in love charms. May also be hung in childrens rooms to protect them from evil spirits and protect against bad dreams.Uses: A culinary herb.

DRAGONS BLOOD
G/P/E: Masculine, Mars, Fire. Magical uses:Widely used in love, protection and purification spells. Keep a piece under the bed to cure impotency. Carried for good luck. May be dissolved in the bath for strong purification.

ELECAMPANE
G/P/E: Masculine, Mercury, Earth. Magical uses:Useful in raising spirits and to aid in meditation.

ELDER
G/P/E: Feminine, Venus, Air. Magical uses:Branches are widely used for wands. One must always be cautious to ask permission from the Elder Dryad before cutting or harvesting Elder limbs or leaves and berries to avoid very bad luck. It is also considered very bad luck to burn Elder wood. The leaves hung around the doors and windows will ward off evil.

EUCALYPTUS
G/P/E: Feminine, Moon, Air. Magical uses:Used in healing rituals, charms and amulets. Place the leaves around a blue candle and burn for healing energies. Green pods worn around the neck eases the discomfort of colds, sore throats and congestion.

EYEBRIGHT
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Air. Magical uses:Anoint eyelids with the infusion daily to induce clairvoyant visions and psychic dreams.

FENNEL
G/P/E: Masculine, Mercury, Fire.Magical attributes: Purification, protection, healing, money.Uses: Sometimes employed as an appetite suppressant and digestive aid. Used in tea form to expel mucus. Chew the seeds slowly for really bad breath, or use the fluid extract to rub on gums.

FERN
G/P/E: Feminine, Saturn, Earth. Magical uses:The Fern is an extremely powerful protective plant. Grow them in and around the house for protection from evil and negativity.

FRANKINCENSE
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire. Magical uses:A very powerful aid to meditation. Use to purify ritual spaces and invoke a spiritual frame of mind.

GARDENIA
G/P/E: Feminine, Moon, Water. Magical uses: Used to attract true love.

GARLIC
G/P/E: Masculine, Mars, Fire.Magical uses: A very protective herb, healing, good weather, courage, exorcism. Lowers tension, ease colds, and improve circulation. Garlic vinegar can be used to disinfect wounds and soothe rheumatic pain and any common pain (made from one liter of vinegar and ten cloves of crushed garlic steeped for at least 10 days). Shrinks warts, relieves pain from teeth and earaches. Good for high and low blood pressure and removing parasites and infections. To ease the pain of aching joints, a toothache or an earache, place a crushed raw bulb of garlic on a piece of gauze and place over the area of pain. For joints, try using garlic paste.
Uses: A culinary herb.

GINGER
G/P/E: Masculine, Mars, Fire.Magical attributes: Power, success, love, money matters.Uses: Acts as an aid to ingestion or colds (tea form). Also in tea form, good for cramps, to stimulate the digestive organs, migraines and nausea, external stiffness. Can be added to the bath as a way to ease pain and increase circulation, but only use a few sprinkles, not to much, like cayenne, ginger quickly brings the blood to the surface of the skin. For pain you can also soak cloths in ginger tea and apply them directly to the painful areas. Add in cooking to detoxify meat, especially chicken. A good healing tea is made from a pinch of peppermint, a pinch of ginger and either a pinch of clove powder or 2 bruised cloves, add 1 cup of hot water and steep.

GINSENG
G/P/E: Masculine, Sun, Fire.Magical attributes: Love, wishes, beauty, desire.Uses: Stimulant, tonic, and agent for prolonged life. Also a mild pain killer, and improves blood circulation. Reported to successfully treat asthma, bronchitis, cancer, flatulence, diabetes, weakness, fever, coughs and heartburn, and a mild stimulant. In tea form it helps to relieve stress and moderate heart disease.


Sources: www.wicca.org