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Dried Nettles may feel a little prickly, but they do not sting and they yield their nutritional benefits without much further ado.
Nettles are very cleansing on both, the digestive tract and the kidneys, from which they remove waste materials in a thorough, yet undramatic way. Nettles have the ability to flush out uric acid crystals from arthritic joints and will eliminate them via the kidneys. Thus, they can be used as a supportive blood cleansing remedy for skin conditions such as eczema or for rheumatic and arthritic conditions. They are strongly diuretic and can be helpful in cases of edema or to support the treatment of bladder and kidney complaints.
Nettles are very rich in iron and provide good nutritional support for women
, especially during pregnancy or menstruation.
They are styptic and will help to inhibit internal and external bleeding. They also have an anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine effect, which, in combination with other herbs, is used to control hay fever and other allergic reactions.
The leaves can stimulate the production of mother's milk, while the seeds are said to increase sexual potency in men.
Magical Uses:
Nettles are often mentioned in association with love potions. Especially the seeds are said to have aphrodisiac properties. Nettles are also used for protection - worn as amulets or hung above stable doors they ward off evil witches and demons. In particular, Nettles are often used to protect milk or beer from turning sour during a thunderstorm. A wide range of conditions was addressed by various sympathetic folk-medicine practices that involved Nettles. It is a classic spring cleansing herb and sacred foods such as Nettle pudding, Nettle soup and Nettle beer not only act physically restorative, but also confer protection against disease and are said to attract good fortune for the entire year.
Shamanic Magical Uses: This is the herb of Muspellheim, the burning land, and its power is aggressive defense.
Nettle is an aggressive defender, in the sense that it will not only absorb any harmful magic that is thrown at you or the space, it will strike back if you let it.
Due to its difficult nature, it's nearly impossible to handle fresh in ritual, but dried or cooked nettle will lose its sting - physically, anyway. Nettle keeps its rabid-guard-dog energy when burned, or sprinkled dry around an area. You can drink it in tea in preparation for any kind of guardian duty. Sometimes Nettle's aggressive defensiveness will slip over into offensiveness, so it's not a bad herb to use before any duty where you're going to be armed and going into danger.
Because of its association with Muspellheim, Nettle likes being burned, but throwing it into a fire may make the fire burn longer and hotter, perhaps dangerously so. Take care that you have plenty of water around before infusing your little campfire with the power of the Fire World. On the other hand, it can be a symbolic substitute for fire in a place where you aren't allowed to actually light a flame.
Mints are sobering and clear headed herbs, aloof, even. In mythology they are said to have descended from Mentha, a nymph, who had succumbed to Pluto's passion. His jealous wife Persephone (or, according to some accounts, her mother Demeter), disgusted and enraged, stomped the poor nymph into the ground and punished her with infertility. A hybrid between common Garden Mint and Watermint, Peppermint is indeed sterile. She reproduces by means of creeping rhizomes - though rather prolifically at that. Peppermint has been used for food and medicine for many millennia. From China to Egypt, evidence of its use goes back thousands of years. It is still a popular herbal home remedy and provides flavoring for dozens of products from chewing gum to chocolate and cigarettes to name but a few. Creepy crawlies such as mice, rats, cockroaches and ants detest the scent. Planting Peppermint in the garden, sprinkling it in the cupboards or on their pathways will surely deter them.
Medicinal
Peppermint is mostly used as a digestive aid. It can ease nausea and travel sickness and relieve cramps and colic. It soothes PMS related symptoms such as bloating or abdominal pains. It is also used to decongest the upper respiratory tract and as a steam inhalation it can help clear stuffiness, catarrh and sinus headaches, sinusitis and bronchitis. Peppermint is calming and relaxing. It soothes an agitated nervous system and dispels anxiety and fears. It aids neuralgia and rheumatic pains, strengthens the nerves and tones the entire system. Do not use during pregnancy.
Magical
All Mints are said to act as aphrodisiacs and can be used in various love charms and potions. Peppermint clears the mind and aids concentration and helps focusing on one's intent. It is protective against evil spirits and wards off the demons of disease. Peppermint is very cleansing and can help clear the air of lingering emotions and irrational fears or attachments.
Raspberry leaves are among the most pleasant-tasting of all the herbal remedies, with a taste much like black tea, without the caffeine. Raspberries were said to have been discovered by the Olympian gods themselves while searching for berries on Mount Ida.
Herbalists and midwives continue to copy Red Raspberry’s traditional uses from the Chippewa and other Native American groups: as an effective herbal support throughout all stages of a woman’s life from menstrual discomforts to pregnancy and childbirth.
Red Raspberry is more than just a women’s tonic though, the nutritive herb builds healthy blood (high in iron), soothes gastrointestinal distress and eases digestive discomforts.
Herbalist Hint: Red Raspberry makes a pleasant tasting tea with a black tea like taste and a delicate fruity floral aroma. It blends well with fruity Hibiscus and lemony teas like Lemon Verbena & Lemongrass.
Magical:
Raspberry is served as a love inducing food and the leaves are carried by pregnant women to alleviate the pains of pregnancy and childbirth. Also used for Love and Protection.
Raspberry magic is the magic of patience in fertility. First year canes do not produce fruit but are essential to the fertility of the plant, establishing her root system and filling her canes with the strength and energy she'll need. After the cane has weathered a year, she's ready to bloom and fruit. Raspberry reminds us that maturity and proper conditioning are essential to abundant and healthy reproduction.
It is best to be patient, Raspberry councils, when beginning any creative endeavor. Raspberry's thorny canes remind us, too, to be protective of the fruits of our labors. If we truly want to share our work, we would be wise to be picky about who will carry it into the world. Birds, who cover a wide territory and have adapted strong beaks and feet that are undaunted by Raspberry's thorns, are welcomed by thorny Raspberry's canes. Bear, with his delicate claws, thick coat, and wide range is another welcome forager in Raspberry's thicket. Raspberry offers up her bounty knowing her seed will be carried far and wide by friends who have evolved the tools and techniques to pass her thorny test.
Sassafras leaf is traditionally used as a thickening and flavoring agent in Gumbo, as well as other Cajun sauces and soups. The leaves have a lightly spicy and a pleasant aromatic scent and flavor. The fresh young leaves are used in salads.
Magical
Sassafras is considered strongly protective and cleansing. It can be used as incense to ward off evil influences. As a tea it makes a good ritual tonic. It is frequently added to love charms and potions. Its warming, stimulating and aphrodisiac qualities make it very suitable for sex magic and tantric rituals. Native Americans also used to smoke the root bark.
There are some 400 species of Senna, which are mostly natives of the Indian subcontinent. Collectively they are often referred to as Cassia senna. They have been used as an effective and reliable laxative for thousands of years and played an important part in Arabian medicine since the 9th century, where it was imported along with dozens of spices from India and China. Ayurveda and Chinese medicine made the broadest use of Senna, employing not only the pods, but also the leaves for numerous purposes.
Due to its purgative properties it is sometimes included in modern weight-loss programs, but this use is not recommended, as it is habit forming.
Traditional
Senna's action depends on irritating the intestinal tract, which causes the muscles to contract and thus produces a bowel movement. It also binds liquids in the intestines. In Ayurveda it is also used externally for certain skin problems, jaundice, bronchitis and anemia. In Chinese medicine it is used to 'cool the fire of the liver'. Senna leaves can have a very drastic effect. It is best not to boil or simmer them, as this releases substances that produce a cathartic action. The best way to prepare Senna is to infuse with warm water, strain, and allow to cool and drink.
Senna may cause griping (cramping). It can be combined with Ginger and other digestive relaxants to reduce this cramping effect.
Do not use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Magical
Senna is sometimes included in sachets used for love charms.
Made from a concentrated decoction of the herbs themselves and Vodka as preservative.
Free of Essential Oils, Artificial Colors, Artificial Scents !
Stevia Leaf has been in the news in the last few years because it offers a naturally sweet taste with no calories, making it very useful for those trying to watch their weight as well as their sugar intake. Stevia Leaf, also known by the botanical Latin name of Stevia rebaudiana, goes by the common names of sweetleaf, honey leaf, sweet herb of Paraguay, Kaa he-he and sugarleaf. It is commonly used as a sugar substitute. The Stevia plant is an annual that enjoys sunny weather and moist soil in order for it to grow well.
A 2016 study reported that dried stevia leaf powder significantly lowered blood sugar levels in people with diabetes (Type 2), both while fasting and after eating. The study participants also experienced a reduction in their triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
NOTE: Sweet Basil is NOT the same as Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum).
Probably originating in the East, Basil (Tulasi) is considered sacred in India, where it is grown around the temples and placed on the altars. Although it arrived in the West in the days of antiquity, the ancients seemed to have felt ambivalent towards its use. Invariably it is associated with demons, dragons and scorpions. Some say it protects against the effects of bites from such venomous beasts, whilst others claim that there is no hope for him who had eaten Basil and was unlucky enough to subsequently be stung by a scorpion. Others deem that scorpions could grow from chopped up basil, while Culpeper even claims that a scorpion would develop in the heads of those who merely smelled the herb too frequently. Basil certainly had an ambivalent reputation.
In Egypt it was associated with the cult of the dead and used in embalming rituals as well as laid on the chest of the deceased. Basil was also placed or grown on the grave. On the other hand Basil symbolized tragic love - 'love washed in tears', while in Italy girls decorated their hair with a sprig of the herb to signal their willingness to a potential suitor.
It is said that Basil would only grow well if sown under a barrage of swearwords, which is why recent writers concluded that Basil is associated with hate. However, in the old days swearing was a kind of protection spell, in the same vein as we might say 'break a leg' to wish someone luck. Swearing, or saying the opposite to what was intended was a 'deception maneuver', thought to avert unseemly attention from the eyes of jealous demons by making a plant, animal or child seem worthless, so they could grow in peace, without becoming the target of envy. Basil is also associated with courage and with money magic, and in Central America it is used as magical wash/ cleansing lotion to attract benevolent spirits.
Traditional
Most of us are unaware of this rich folklore and magical history when we enjoy our tomato salad decorated with fragrant basil leaves. It is as spice that we are most familiar with it. As such, it adds not just flavor, but also its carminative benefits to a dish, dispelling nausea, flatulence and intestinal parasites. Therapeutically it is said to calm nervous excitement and depression and may be useful in states of anxiety and insomnia. Mothers appreciate it for its galactagogue properties. Externally it helps to soothe insect bites and acts as an insect repellent. Basil has proven antibacterial properties.
Magical
Sprinkled around the temple or house, or used in cleansing rites prior to ritual it will attract good spirits and give courage to the practitioner. Basil can be used in the last rite of passage to easy the journey of the soul to the Otherworld. It can also be used to confer courage to the novice during initiation rites. Basil is associated with money magic. Sprinkle the place of business or the till with basil oil or carry some leaves in your pocket to attract money. It can also be included in love philters and potions to attract lovers, though the unions that ensue may be fiery and short-lived.
Witch Hazel bears striking resemblance to regular Hazel, although the two species are completely unrelated. The leaves almost look the same and even the nuts are very similar. However, unlike regular Hazel, Witch Hazel flowers produces the strangest looking scraggily blooms in the midst of winter. The name 'Witch Hazel' is derived from the old English word 'wytch', which means 'dowsing' and refers to the Old World use of regular Hazel as dowsing rods to divine hidden water veins or lost treasures. The pilgrims learned about the use of Witch Hazel from Native American healers.
Medicinal:
Witch Hazel is an excellent astringent herb. It can be used for all sorts of swellings, whether they are due to inflammation, e.g. as a gargle for tonsillitis and inflamed gums, or bruises, insect bites or poison ivy rash. One of the best known applications for Witch Hazel is as a remedy for hemorrhoids, which is said to be very effective. It is also used for afflictions of the veins, giving support and strength in cases of varicose veins. It makes a great ingredient for various skin care preparations, not just because it soothes and draws together 'spider veins', but also because it contains powerfully active antioxidant agents, which can fight the effects of aging.
Witch Hazel has also traditionally been used to treat all manner of eye infections and inflammations and even temporary blindness caused by blows to the head.
Internally it can be used as an astringent for inflamed or irritated tissues, especially of the digestive system.
It will curb inner bleeding and diarrhea, it has also been used to reduce excessive menstruation or to reduce the loss of blood during childbirth.
Magical:
Witch Hazel twigs are cut and used as dowsing rods, Native Americans also used the seeds in medicine ceremonies and for divination practice to determine whether a patient would recover
. Witch Hazel has an affinity with water and may be used in weather magic.