Tag: Herb

Comfrey, Horehound, mullein, Bloodroot

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Botanical Name: Symphytum officinale

Common Name: Comfrey

Folk Names: Assear, Black wort, Boneset, Bruise wort, Green plant, Healing herb, Kara kaffes, Wall wort, Miracle herb

Habitat & Description: Zone 4-9, Stout bristly-hair perennial with mucilaginous roots. Does best in moist to wet soil in sun to partial shade.

Planetary Ruler: Saturn

Gender: Female

Elemental Rule: Water

Parts Used: Leaves, roots

Culinary Uses: Fresh leaves are added to salads, cooked like spinach, and used in teas.

Medicinal Uses: Externally: Bruising, sprains, dislocations, skin irritations. Internally: Ulcers & digestive disorders.

Magickal Uses:  Safe traveling, money

Other Uses:

  • Put some in your suitcase for safe traveling.
  • It has been used for healing since early BC.
  • Do not use if pregnant
  • It is difficult to irradiate when it is established, very invasive.
  • The foliage of the plant can cause skin irritation.
  • Latin it means “to grow together”

Botanical Name: Marrubium vulgare

Common Name: Horehound

Folk Names: Eye of the star, Maruil, Soldiers tea

Habitat & Description: Zone 4, barren lands, open areas, wastelands, poor soil. Can be invasive.

Planetary Ruler:  Mercury

Gender: Male

Elemental Rule: Earth

Parts Used:  Leaf

Culinary Uses: Flavoring, teas, tinctures,

Medicinal Uses: Cough suppressant, expectorant

Magickal Uses:  protection

Other Information:

  • Can over run your garden, invasive!
  • Used in candies, cough syrups, flavorings all can be made from horehound.

Botanical Name: Verbascum thapsus

Common Name: Mullein

Folk Names: Candle wick plant, Torches, Velvet dock, Flannel plant, Lung wort, Arrons rod, Blanket leaf, Clot, Doffle.

Habitat & Description: Zone 5-9, well-drained, poor, dry soil in sun. Self seeding biannual with grey-green wooly leaves & yellow flowers on a spike.

Planetary Ruler:  Saturn

Gender: Female

Elemental Rule:  Fire

Parts Used: Leaves, flowers, roots – whole plant.

Culinary Uses: Tea, tincture, extracts for medicine.

Medicinal Uses: Internally: coughs and other respiratory ailments, urinary tract ailments. Externally:  sores, wounds, boils, rheumatism, nervousness, insomnia.

Magickal Uses:  Protection from evil spirits, courage, protection, health, love, divination, exorcism.

Other information:

  • Leaves harvested in summer and dried for infusions, extracts, tinctures.
  • Flowers can be used fresh or frozen for infusions, oils, syrups.
  • Put flowers in olive oil to help with earaches.

Botanical Name: Sanguinaria canadensis

Common Name: Bloodroot

Folk Names: King root, Red root, Tetter wort

Habitat & Description: Zones 3-8, rhizomes run underground. It’s a perennial but short lived.  It needs well-drained rich soil in sun or shade.

Planetary Ruler:  Mars

Gender: Male

Elemental Rule:  Fire

Parts Used:  Rhizomes

Culinary Uses: NONE

Medicinal Uses: Heals respiratory tract, externally:  skin diseases, warts, nasal polyps, benign skin tumors

Magickal Uses:  Love, protection, purification

Other information:

  • Anti Plaque.
  • Rhizomes lifted in August and used in extracts, ointments and tinctures.
  • Don’t use if pregnant.
  • Dark red roots are the best.
  • Also used as a dye.
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Basic Herbs: Dandelion, Honeysuckle, Solomon Seal, Tansy

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Botanical Name: Taraxacum Officinale

Common Name: Dandelion

Folk Names: Goats beard, Wild chicory, Pisseabed, Dent de lion, wild endive, blow ball, lion’s teeth, goats beard, fairy clock and peasant’s cloak

Habitat & Description: Perennial that likes moist to dry, neutral – alkaline soil in full sun. It can be dead headed to prevent seed production.

Planetary Ruler:  Jupiter

Gender: Male

Elemental Rule:  Air

Parts Used:  Whole plant

Culinary Uses: Salads, greens, teas, substitute for coffee

Medicinal Uses:  Used as tinctures, extracts & capsules. Stimulates bile production and helps with digestive disorders, helps with gallstones, menstruation, reduces swelling and inflammation, breast cancer, jaundice, urinary tract infections, snake bites, inhibit, tumor cells, anemia, IBS.

Magickal Uses:  Divination, wishes, calling spirits

Other Information:

  • It is hard to eradicate from yard as it is invasive.
  • Plants cut in early summer and dried for use.
  • Leaves picked late in spring before they flower.
  • To use roots of dandelion you would harvest them at the end of second year before they seed.

Botanical Name: Lonicera Japonica

Common Name: Honeysuckle

Folk Names: dutch honeysuckle, goat leaf, woodbine

Habitat & Description: zone 4-9, vigorous twining evergreen/semi-evergreen climber with hollow hairy stems, blooms followed by poisonous berry.

Planetary Ruler:  Jupiter

Gender: Male

Elemental Rule: Earth

Parts Used:  stems & flowers

Culinary Uses: Sweet blooms

Medicinal Uses: acute rheumatoid arthritis, mumps, hepatitis, respiratory, high fever, throat infections, boils, nettle rash, food poisoning, urinary tract, antibiotic, diuretic, flowers aid in breast cancer,

Magickal Uses:  Money, psychic powers, protection, Crush flowers and rub on third eye to heighten your psychic powers, Grown near home symbolizes good luck.

Botanical Name: Polygonatum biflorum

Common Name: Solomon Seal

Folk Names: Drop berry, lady seal, St. Mary’s seal, seal root, seal wort

Habitat & Description: Zone 3-9, Moist sandy, rocky soil grows in woods and thickets, perennial with rhizomes and fragrant flowers.

Planetary Ruler:  Saturn

Gender: female

Elemental Rule: Water

Parts Used:  rhizomes, flowers

Culinary Uses: teas, Roots can be eaten if they are cooked thru 3 changes of waters.  Don’t eat roots raw.

Medicinal Uses: In Chinese medicine it was used for heart disease, tuberculosis, dry coughs, and gastric problems.  It’s used externally for broken noses and hemorrhoids, aphrodisac, stop profuse menstruation, laxative

Magickal Uses:  protection, exorcism

Botanical Name: Tanacetum Vulgare

Common Name: Tansy

Folk Names: Buttons

Habitat & Description:  Zone 4-9, strong aromatic perennial with rhizomes and dark green leaves.  Clusters of yellow button like flowers in late summer and autumn

Planetary Ruler:  Venus

Gender: Female

Elemental Rule: Water

Parts Used:  whole plant, oils

Culinary Uses: leaves are used, Cakes, custards and puddings

Medicinal Uses: Enema for round & thread worms in children, topical creams for scabies, lice and fleas.

Magickal Uses:  Health, Longevity.

  • Could be unsafe if ate in large quantities
  • Unsafe for pregnant women to ingest as it could end up being aborted.
  • Tansy has a strong aromatic warming herb.
  • Ants do not like Tansy.
  • TANSY OIL IS HIGHLY TOXIC BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY.

Read more: http://www.motherearthliving.com/in-the-garden/dandelion-uses-loathed-weed-cure-all-of-lawn.aspx#ixzz2dkpW6fnN

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Basic Herbs Lesson 9 – Salt, Chamomile, Castor Beans

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Botanical Name: Sodium Chloride
Common Name: Salt
Folk Names:
Habitat & Description: Mineral found in the oceans and seas, also found in deposits around the earth.
Planetary Ruler: Mars
Gender: female
Elemental Rule: Earth
Parts Used: all
Culinary Uses: added to foods to enhance flavors, curing foods, preservative
Medicinal Uses: sore throat, bee stings, dental issues, healing cuts, burns, nasal issues, poison ivy and oak, allergies
Magickal Uses: cleansing, purifying, healing, consecration, absorbs psychic energies, repel evil spirits
Botanical Name: Chamaemelum nobile
Common Name: Chamomile
Folk Names: Maythen, Maranilla, ground apple, Whig plant, Roman Chamomile
Habitat & Description: Mat forming perennial evergreen with aromatic fine leaves on stalked solitary flower with yellow disks and white petals in summer zone 4-8, light well drained soil in full sun
Planetary Ruler: Sun
Gender: Male
Elemental Rule: water
Parts Used: flowers, essential oil
Culinary Uses: Tea, flavorings, creams & sauces
Medicinal Uses: digestive problems, painful menstruation, insomnia, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, anti-spasmodic, fever, colds, congestion, headaches, stress, nervousness, colic, teething pain, ulcers, rashes, infections,  burns, eczema, asthma, hay fever
Magickal Uses: prosperity, meditation, healing, protection, purification, good fortune, abundance, love, sleep, money
Botanical Name: Ricinus communes
Common Name: Castor Oil Plant
Folk Names: Palma Christi, palms Christi root, mamona, Makula kula, mbono, mdogo, raczinic
Habitat & Description: upright fast grown perennial shrub with dark red stems and long stalked lobed leaves, yellow/green flowers in summer, zone 9, well drained rich soil in sun.
Parts Used: Leaves, Bean (poisonous)
Culinary Uses: NONE, POISON!!!!
Medicinal Uses: Castor Oil: Laxative, old wives tale to induce labor, antihistamine, anti-inflamatory, sunburns, cuts, abrasions, arthritis, warts, hair and skin care Castor Beans: Ricin from the beans is extremely poisonous
Magickal Uses: protection, evil eye, negativity, absorbs evil.
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Basic Herbs – Lesson 8 – Basil, Garlic, May Apple

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  • Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
  • Common Name: basil
  • Folk Names: American dittany, alabahea, St Joseph Wort, sweet basil, witches herb, our herb
  • Habitat & Description: Erect plant with lots of branches, aromatic annual or short lived perennial. Small whorls of white flowers. Zone 10 rich, light well drained soil to dry soil.
  • Planetary Ruler: Mars.
  • Gender: male
  • Elemental Rule: fire
  • Parts Used: whole plant
  • Culinary Uses: flavoring for soups, stews, salads and Italian based meals, tomato sauces
  • Medicinal Uses: Fever, digestion, anxiety
  • Magickal Uses: purification, protection, love, soothes tempers.

  • Botanical Name: Allium sativum
  • Common Name: Garlic
  • Folk Names: Ajo, Poor man’s treacle, stinkweed
  • Habitat & Description: Perennial with a globe bulb of 5-15 bulblets in a papery white to mauve skin, flat leaves up to 24 inches long. Green/white flowers in summer, zone 4-9
  • Planetary Ruler: Mars
  • Gender: Male
  • Elemental Rule: Fire
  • Parts Used: bulbs, leaves, flowers
  • Culinary Uses: garlic enhances flavors in meats, seafood and vegetables.
  • Medicinal Uses: helps prevent infection, cold & flu, lung ailments , externally for allergies
  • Magickal Uses: protection, anti-theft, exorcism

  • Botanical Name: Podophyllum peltatum
  • Common Name: May Apple
  • Folk Names: American Mandrake
  • Habitat & Description: Perennial with round red brown rhizomes, upright stems with lobed leaves, solitary white flower followed by yellow fruit (only part of the may apple that is edible)
  • Planetary Ruler: Mercury
  • Gender: Male
  • Elemental Rule: Earth
  • Parts Used: rhizomes, resin
  • Culinary Uses: NONE, ONLY FRUIT is edible
  • Medicinal Uses: helps with certain cancer, venereal warts, and planters warts.
  • Magickal Uses: protection, fertility
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Basic Herbs Lesson 5 – Thyme, Peppermint, Henbane

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  • Botanical Name: Thymus Vulgaris
  • Common Name: Thyme
  • Folk Names: Common Thyme, Garden Thyme
  • Habitat & Description: shrubby perennial, doesn’t like wet winters, well drained neutral to alkaline soil in sun, zone 4-8.
  • Planetary Ruler: Venus
  • Gender: female
  • Elemental Rule: water
  • Parts Used: whole plant, oil
  • Culinary Uses: flavorings for soups & stews, fish, good with vegetables and mushrooms.
  • Medicinal Uses: Stomach, pulmonary, whooping cough, fever, antiseptic properties, healing rituals,restful sleep
  • Magickal Uses: sleep, psychic powers, courage, banish negativity
  • Personally, I have used this for kidney stones with lots of success.

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  • Botanical Name: menthe x piperita
  • Common Name: Peppermint
  • Folk Names: American mint, garden mint
  • Habitat & Description: creeping and vigorous perennial likes rich, moist soil in sun or partial shade, zone 4-9.
  • Planetary Ruler: Mercury
  • Gender: male
  • Elemental Rule: air
  • Parts Used: whole plant, oil
  • Culinary Uses: teas, flavorings, drinks, salads
  • Medicinal Uses: decongestant, anti-nausea, other digestive properties, stimulant (do not use at night),r chills, colic, fevers, dysentery, cholera heart trouble, palpitation of the heart, influenza, la grippe and hysteria http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/bookofshadows/ig/Magical-Herbs/Peppermint.htm
  • Magickal Uses: lust, travel, protection, healing
  • Peppermint can be a bit evasive, plant in containers if this is a problem.
  • Botanical Name: Hyoscymus niger
  • Common Name: Henbane
  • Folk Names: Hogs bean, Devils eye, hen balls, Jupiter Bean, poison tobacco
  • Habitat & Description: Annual or biannual with pale hairy sticky leaves, cream purple bell shaped flowers, light well drained neutral to alkaline soil in sun.
  • Planetary Ruler: Saturn
  • Gender: female
  • Elemental Rule: water
  • Parts Used: whole plant
  • Culinary Uses: NO, DO NOT EAT!!!!!
  • Medicinal Uses: {asthma, motion sickness, whooping cough } in pharmaceuticals.
  • Magickal Uses: love, rain, flying potion, visions
  • If used as an incense burn outside as recommended
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