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| A decoction of agrimony was used in the 1800's as a cure for lunacy
In wicca it is used to help create a deep, undisturbed sleep, slip dried leaves inside the sleeper's pillow. |
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| Aloes was employed by the ancients and was known to the Greeks as early as the forth century B.C. Uses by Dioscorides, Celsus and Pliny. It is said one of the reasons Alexander the Great invaded the Scocotra Islands was to provide Cleopatra with Aloe. |
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| Angelica was associated with many Pagan festivals, and after the introduction of Christianity, the plant became linked with some archangelic patronage, according to legend Angelica was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the plague. Another explanation for the name is that it blooms on the day of Michael the Archangel (May 8, oldstyle) and is on that account held to be a preservative against evil spirits and witchcrafts of spells of all kinds, being also called "the root of the holy ghost" |
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| Anise is one of the herbs that was supposed to avert the evil eye. Japanese plant star anise trees on in their temples and on tombs, and use the pounded bark for incense. |
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| Astragalus was known in the time of first century Greek physician Dioscorides, and the word itself is even more ancient, deriving from a Greek word meaning "anklebone". Ankle bones were once used as a form of dice, and one conjecture is that astragalus so named because the rattling seedpods sounded like rolling dice. |
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| Among the Italians, the Barberry bears the name of Holy Thorn, because it is thought to have formed part of the crown of thorns made for our Saviour. |
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| Basil brings prosperity and happiness when planted in the garden.
In Europe, they place basil in the hands of the dead to ensure a safe journey. In India, they place it in the mouth of the dying to ensure they reach God. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that it would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on. |
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| The Delphic priestesses are said to have
made use of the leaves. That it is a tree of the Sun, and under the celestial sign Leo, and resisteth witchcraft very potently, as also all the evils old Saturn can do to the body of man, and they are not a few, for it is the speech of one, and I am mistaken if it were not Mizaldus, that neither witch nor devil, thunder nor lightning, will hurt a man in the place where a bay-tree is. (Culpepper) |
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| Many North American tribes used this plant in healing and spiritual ceremonies. |
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| The ancient Greek physicians held mustard in such esteem that they attributed its discovery to Aesculapius, demigod of medicine and healing. (Grieve, Maude., 568) |
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| Pepper was used as a currency during the siege of Rome in AD 408 and "peppercorn rents", now meaning very low rents, were commonly paid to landlords. It is said that Attila demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper in ransom for the city of Rome. |
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| In Mexico during the time of the Aztec kings the small seeds were utilized as coins twelve approximating to the value of 1d., the smallest actual coin in use then being worth about 6d. The seeds were necessary for small transactions. The method is still in use in some parts of Mexico. |
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| Marigolds are called after the Virgin Mary. In Macer's Herbal it is stated that only to look on Marigolds will draw evil humours out and strengthen the eyesight. |
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| The famous heretical sect of Mohammedans, who, by murderous attacks upon the Crusaders, struck their hearts with terror, derived their name Hashashin from the drug, and from that our word assassin in derived. |
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| A curious superstition was held in olden times about the Caraway. It was deemed to confer the gift of retention, preventing the theft of any object which contained it, and holding the thief in custody within the invaded house. In like manner it was thought to keep lovers from proving fickle (forming an ingredient of love potions), and also to prevent fowls and pigeons from straying. It is an undoubted fact that tame pigeons, who are particularly fond of the seeds, will never stray if they are given a piece of baked Caraway dough in their cote. (Grieve, M.) |
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| Catnip brings energies of knowledge, mystery, and playfulness. |
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| Frequently mention in the Bible, representing fertility and abundance. King Solomon's temple was said to built entirely from cedar from Lebanon. Only a few hundred trees survive of the once vast forests of the Lebanon cedar Cedrus libani. |
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| The name of the genus to which it is at present assigned, Erythraea, is derived from the Greek erythros (red), from the colour of the flowers. The genus was formerly called Chironia, from the Centaur Chiron, who was famous in Greek mythology for his skill in medicinal herbs, and is supposed to have cured himself with it from a wound he had accidentally received from an arrow poisoned with the blood of the hydra.
(Grieve, M.) |
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| Chamomile soothes the spirit and can be a magnet for gentle nature spirits. It attracts prosperity and love, and the tiny flowers are enjoyed by flower fairies. |
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| The Athenian matrons in the sacred rites of Ceres used to string their couches with the leaves of Chaste Tree, because of the seeds reputation for securing chastity. |
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| Chickweed water is an old wives remedy for obesity. |
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| Cinnamon was one of the first known spices. The Romans believed Cinnamon's fragrance sacred and burned it at funerals |
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| Once used to ward off witches and other evil forces, finding a four leaved clover has always been considered a lucky charm. |
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| Coca was also a vital part of the religious cosmology of the Andean tribes in the pre-Inca period as well as throughout the Inca Empire (Tahuantinsuyu). Coca was historically employed as an offering to the Sun, or to produce smoke at the great sacrifices; and the priests, it was believed, must chew it during the performance of religious ceremonies, otherwise the gods would not be propitiated. Coca is still held in veneration among the indigenous and mestizo peoples of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and northern Argentina and Chile. |
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| Traditional healers hold the coconut is such high regard that the name in the Philippines, the coconut is commonly given the title "Tree of Life". |
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| Cubeb was thought to be repulsive to demons in Europe as it was in China. Ludovico Maria Sinistrari, a Catholic priest who wrote about methods of exorcism in the late 17th century, includes cubeb as an ingredient in making an incense that wards off incubus.[7] Even today, his formula of the incense is quoted by neopagan authors, some of whom also claim that cubeb can be used in love sachets and spells. |
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| Damiana was sometimes burned ceremoniously to enable participants to "see visions". For thousands of years, Latin American cultures have ritualistically used Damiana as a sexual stimulant. |
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In the Middle Ages, dill was also one of the herbs used by magicians in their spells, and charms against witchcraft. In Drayton's Nymphidia are the lines: Therewith her Vervain and her Dill,
That hindereth Witches of their Will. |
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| It was thought the Elder could not be hit by lightning, and so should be planted near the house. In the sixteenth century it was believed that the leaves of the elder should be gathered on the last day of April, and hung on doors and windows to prevent witches from entering the house. A twig of Elder carried close to the body, was thought to give good health and luck |
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| The Greeks named it Inula for Helen, wife of Meneluas, who was believed to have had an armful of the plant when Paris abducted her to Phrygia. |
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| The name of the herb in Mandarin, yin yang huo, roughly corresponds to "weed for licentious goat." Legend has it that a goat herder discovered the properties of epimedium by observing his billy goats uncontrollable sexual appetites after they grazed on the herb. |
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| The long trailing roots of False Unicorn root, so the legend goes, possessed not only extremely beneficial healing properties, but extraordinary magic. This so angered the Devil, that he bit off all the roots, his rage so powerful that to this day the roots have not been able to grow back. But the remaining stub is still imbued with good medicine, and every spring it is able to put forth the tall spike of beautiful blazing-star blossoms as a reminder that the power of goodness can always avert the forces of evil. |
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| In medieval times, Fennel was employed together with St. Johns Wort and other herbs, as a preventative of witchcraft and other evil influences, being hung over doors on Midsummers Eve to warn off evil spirits |
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| Tukankhamen was entombed with seeds from this ancient herb |
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| Flax flowers were believed in the Middle Ages to be a protection against sorcery. The Bohmians held a belief that seven year old children who dance amoung the flowers will grow up to be beautiful. The plant is under the protection of the Teutonic goddess Hulda, who was held to first teach mortals how to spin and weave. In the New Tesament, if formed the clothing of the Saviour in the tomb, and was plant to which the plague of hail was so disatrous in Exodus. |
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| During the time of the Tang dynasty, a Chinese legend about a man named He Shou-wu, who became depressed because he had no children and was impotent. he drank himself into a supor and passed out on a mountainside. Apon awakening, he saw two intertwined herbs growing next to the spot where he lay. He dug up the root and took it to a old village herbalist, who told him it had fabulous restorative powers. He made a decoction of the root and started drinking it everyday. Legend has it that over the next 10 years he fathered several children, his hair never turned grey, and he lived to be 130 years old. Since that time this Chinese member of the bindweed family has been known as He Shou-wu. |
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| The name is said to be derived either from the fact that its whitish, blue-green colour gives it the appearance of smoke rising from the ground, or, according to Pliny, because the juice of the plant brings on such a flow of tears that the sight becomes dim as with smoke, and hence its reputed use in affections of the eye. According to the ancient exorcists, when the plant is burned, its smoke has the power of expelling evil spirits, it having been used for this purpose in the famous geometrical gardens of St. Gall.
There is a legend that the plant was produced, not from seed, but from vapours arising out of the earth. (Grieve, M.,329) |
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| Garlic was placed by the Greeks on the piles of stones at cross-roads as a supper for Hecate, and according to Pliny, garlic and onion were invocated as deities by the Egyptians at the taking of oaths.
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| The roots are called, by the natives of China, Jin-chen, meaning 'like a man', in referance to their resemblance to the human form. The American Indian name for ginseng, garantoquen, has the same meaning. |
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| Gotu kola got the nickname tiger's herb because injured tigers often rub against it to heal their wounds. Gotu Kola features in both Chinese and Indian myths and folklore. The Tai Chi Chuan master Li Ching-Yun purportedly lived to an advanced age of over 200 years old, due in part to his use of Gotu kola and other Chinese herbs. In Sri Lanka there is a tale of a 10th century king who claimed gotu kola (In sinhalese Gotu = conical shape and Kola= leaf), provided the energy and stamina to satisfy his extensive harem. |
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| The tree was regarded as sacred, probably from a tradition that it furnished the Crown of Thorns. It adorns the family crest of English royalty, the Oglives, chosen by Henry VII. (Grieve, Maude |
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| The famous heretical sect of Mohammedans, who, by murderous attacks upon the Crusaders, struck their hearts with terror, derived their name Hashashin from the drug, and from that our word assassin in derived. |
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| The Egyptian priests called horehound the "Seed of Horus", or the "Bulls Blood", and "The eye of the Star". It was a principal ingredient in the negro Caesars's antidote for vegetable poisons. (Grieve) |
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| This night blooming fairy vine encourages the magic of the evening - mystery, love, psychic dreams, and enchantment.The Hindus string the flowers together as neck garlands for honored guests. The flowers of one of the double varieties are held sacred to Vishnu and are used as votive offerings in Hindu religious ceremonies. |
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| Like many flowers, this plant was associated with the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages. (hence the name Lady's not Ladies Mantle)Many believed that alchemical virtues lay in the subtle influence the rich accordion foliage imparted to the dewdrops that lay within it's leaves, these dewdrops were used in many mystic potion. In Sweden an old authority states that if placed under the pillow at night the herb will promote a good nights sleep. |
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| The Delphic priestesses are said to have
made use of the leaves. |
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| It is plentiful in Spain and Portugal and it is used as a rule for strewing the floors of churches and houses on festive occasions, or to make bonfires on St. Johns Day, when evil spirits are supposed to be abroad. Growing lavender in your garden is said to bring good luck and has long believed to be a fairy favorite due to it's incredible scent. Traditionally fragrant bundles of lavender were placed in the hands of women during childbirth to bring courage and strength. |
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| For pre-Christian Germans it was an object of worship since the lime-tree was associated with Freya, the guardian of life and goddess of fortune, love and truth. Therefore her tree was considered a tree of peace and it often formed the central meeting place of many villages and rural communities. Furthermore, legend has it that it cannot be struck by lightning since Freya is the wife of Wodan, the main god of the Germanic pantheon. |
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| Marjoram is incorporated into charms and spells to draw love and fertility. It is rumored to help keep a married couple happily together. |
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| This sweetly scented flower commonly named "bridal wort" was popular in bridal bouquets, thought to bring love, joy, a beautiful wedding day, and a happy marriage. |
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| Mary, it is said, sat among green thistles to nurse the infant Jesus and spilled milk on the leaves |
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| The milkweeds (Asclepias)were named for Aesculapius, who is said to have learned his knowledge of healing from an apprenticeship to Cheiron, the centaur whose herbal and medical skills came directly from Apollo. |
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| In the Middle Ages, the plant was known as Cingulum Sancti Johnnis, it being believed that John the Bapist wore a girdle of it in the wilderness. It was believed to preserve the wayfarer from fatigue, sunstroke, wild beasts and evil spirits generally. A crown made from its sprays was worn on St. Johns Eve to gain security from evil possession. |
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| In Hans Andersons fairy-tale of the Princess and the Eleven Swans, the coats she wove for them were made of nettles. Indeed nettle fibers, like hemp and flax have been used for textiles. A quaint old superstition exited that a fever could be dispelled by plucking a Nettle up by its roots, reciting therby the names of the sick man and also the names of his family.
Called "wergulu" in old Wessex in the tenth century, nettle was one of the nine sacred herbs, along with mugwort, plantain, watercress, chamomile, crab apple, chervil, and fennel. |
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| Of all the trees in prehistoric times the oak Quercus was the most widely venerated of all sacred plants because in the mythological belief of many ancient tribes the oak was the first tree created and man sprang from it. The oak tree was in antiquity sacred to the Hebrews, the Greeks dedicated it to Zeus, to the Romans the oak was the tree of Jupiter; and to the Teutonic tribes, the Tree of Life, sacred to Thor. It was the celestial tree of the Celtic Druids, also the sacred tree of the pagan Dagda, the Good God and Creator of the ancient Irish Gaels. The fruit of the oak, the life giving acorn, main food of the Nordic tribes, became the symbol of fecundity and immortality.(Lehner Ernst, Lehner Johanna, 42) |
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| The high position held by the Olive tree in ancient as in modern days may be realized when it is remembered that Moses exempted from military service men who would work at its cultivation, and that in Scriptural and classical writings the oil is mentioned as a symbol of goodness and purity, and the tree as representing peace and happiness. The oil, in addition to its wide use in diet, was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples, while the victor in the Olympic games was crowned with its leaves |
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| Among the Greeks, if Marjoram grew on a grave, it augured the happiness of the departed, and among both the Greeks and Romans, it was the custom to crown young couples with Marjoram.
(Grieve, M.,321) |
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| The herb was never brought to the table of old, being held sacred to oblivion and to the dead. It was reputed to have sprung from the blood of the
Greek hero Archemorus, the forerunner of death. There is an old superstition against transplanting parsley plants. The herb is said to be dedicated to Persephone and to funeral rites by the Greeks. |
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| Passion flower was named such by Spanish explorers because they believed the flowers represented the Crucifixion, or Passion of Christ. |
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| 'The boke of Secretes of Albertus Magnus of the vertues of Herbes, Stones and certaine Beastes' states that, by putting drowning flies and bees in warm ashes of Pennyroyal 'they shall recover their Iyfe after a little tyme as by ye space of one houre' and be revived.
(Grieve, Maude |
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| Peppermint's generic name, Mentha, is derived from the mythological origin ascribed to it, and was originally applied to the mint by Theophrastus. Menthe was a nymph, who because of the love Pluto bore her, was metamorphosed by Proserpine, from motives of jealousy, into the plant we now call mint. Mint was used by the ancient Assyrians in rituals to their fire god. |
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| Our Saxon ancestors esteemed plantain highly and in the old Lacnunga (a collection of miscellaneous medical texts,Lacnunga means 'remedies' in Old English) the Weybroed (plantain) is mentioned as one of nine sacred herbs. |
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| The milkweeds (Asclepias)were name for Aesculapius, who is said to have learned his knowledge of healing from an apprenticeship to Cheiron, the centaur whose herbal and medical skills came directly from Apollo. |
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| The essential oil is referred to as "the oil that heals" and is is obtained by steam distillation from the leaf. It's fresh scent is smooth, slightly spicy, and earthy |
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Once used to ward off witches and other evil forces, finding a four leaved clover has always been considered a lucky charm. Tradition holds that clover is the favorite plant of the fairies. Holding clover in your hand is thought to gain you "fairy sight" (the ability to see the fairies.)
"To live in clover," from the insect's point of view at least, may well mean a life of luxury and affluence. Most peasants in Europe will tell you that a dream about the flower foretells not only a happy marriage, but long life and prosperity. For ages the clover has been counted a mystic plant, and all sorts of good and bad luck were said to attend the finding of variations of its leaves which had more than the common number of leaflets. At evening these leaflets fold downward, the side ones like two hands clasped in prayer, the end one bowed over them. In this fashion the leaves of the white and other clovers also go to sleep, to protect their sensitive surfaces from cold by radiation, it is thought.
Netje Blanchan Wild Flowers worth Knowing(1917) |
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| The rose is so highly steeped in history and romance that the following account by M. Grieve (A Modern Herbal, Vol 2, pg 684) is a mere taste, just enough perhaps to arouse your curiosity.
It was between 1582 and 1612 that the oil or OTTO OF ROSES was discovered, as recorded in two separate histories of the Grand Moguls. At the wedding feast of the princess Nour-Djihan with the Emperor Djihanguyr, son of Akbar, a canal circling the whole gardens was dug and filled with rose-water. The heat of the sun separating the water from the essential oil of the Rose, was observed by the bridal pair when rowing on the fragrant water. It was skimmed off and found to be an exquisite perfume. The discovery was immediately turned to account and the manufacture of Otto of Roses was commenced in Persia about 1612 and long before the end of the seventeenth century the distilleries of Shiraz were working on a large scale. The first mention of Persian Otto or Attar of Roses is by Kampfer (1683), who alludes to the export to India. |
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| Greek students would braid Rosemary into their hair to help them with their exams. Also known as the herb of remembrance, it was placed on the graves of English heroes. |
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| Hippocrates specially commended it, and it constitured a chief ingredient of the famous antidote to poison used by Mithridates. The Greeks regarded it as an antimagical herb. In the Middle ages and later, it was considered a powerful defense against witches, and was used in many spells. It was also thought to bestow second sight. The common name "Herb of Grace" reflects the time when a brush of Rue was used to sprinkle the holy water in the ceremony "Asperges" before High Mass. |
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| There is an old Arab belief that if your sage grows well you will like a long time. During the fourteenth century, three leaves a day were to be eaten to avoid the 'evil aire'. Sage was also a favorite of the Hungarian gypsies, they believed that it attracted good and dispelled evil. |
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| Its generic name, Mentha, is derived from the mythological origin ascribed to it, and was originally applied to the mint by Theophrastus. Menthe was a nymph, who because of the love Pluto bore her, was metamorphosed by Proserpine, from motives of jealousy, into the plant we now call mint. (Grieve, Maude |
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"Gathered upon a Friday, in the hour of Jupiter when he comes to his operation, so gathered, or borne, or hung upon the neck, it mightily helps to drive away all phantastical spirits."
These are the blossoms which have been hung in the windows of European peasants for ages on St. John's eve, to avert the evil eye and the spells of the spirits of darkness. "Devil chaser" its Italian name signifies. To cure demoniacs, to ward off destruction by lightning, to reveal the presence of witches, and to expose their nefarious practices, are some of the virtues ascribed to this plant, which superstitious farmers have spared from the scythe and encouraged to grow near their houses until it has become, even in this land of liberty, a troublesome weed at times.
Netje Blanchan Wild Flowers worth Knowing(1917)
There are many ancient superstitions regarding this herb. Its name hypercum is derived from the Greek that means 'over an apparition', a reference to the belief that the herb was so obnoxious to evil spirits that a whiff of it would cause them to fly. If you pinch the leaves or the petals they give out a reddish purple stain- the "blood of St. John". Keeping this herb in your garden will protect you from fairy trickery. Carrying a few stems of the foliage was an old way to avoid being "fairy-led", or lost and confused while wandering through the local enchanted forest. |
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| In Hans Andersons fairy-tale of the Princess and the Eleven Swans, the coats she wove for them were made of nettles. Indeed nettle fibers, like hemp and flax have been used for textiles. A quaint old superstition exited that a fever could be dispelled by plucking a Nettle up by its roots, reciting therby the names of the sick man and also the names of his family. |
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| The Delphic priestesses are said to have
made use of the leaves. |
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| Marjoram is incorporated into charms and spells to draw love and fertility. It is rumored to help keep a married couple happily together. |
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| Natives believed the Tamanu tree was a sacred gift of nature and that gods hid in its branches. It was their answer to skin protection from hot sun, high humidity and ocean wind. |
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| The name Tansy is probably derived from the Greek Athanaton (immortal), either, says Dodoens, because it lasts so long in flower or, as Ambrosius thought, because it is capital for preserving dead bodies from corruption. It was said to have been given to Ganymede to make him immortal. |
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| According to legend, any place where thyme grows wild is a place blessed by the fairies.
The ancient Greeks burned thyme in their temples for consecration and purification, but also as an offering to the gods. It was especially sacred to Adephaghia, the Greek goddess of food and good eating.
Modern pagans use thyme as a smuging herb to purify the space used for a magical ritual. Wear sprig of thyme in your hair to make yourself irresistible. A pillow stuffed with thyme dispels nightmares and promotes safe, positive dreams. |
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| For general protection from disease, carry turmeric root in your pocket, or tie it on a yellow silk thread around your neck |
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| Valerian is sedative to humans, but excites both cats and mice. In the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, he baited the rodents with valerian to drive them out of the city. The flowers are used in charm bags to encourage love, protection and sleep. |
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| The name Verbena was the classical Roman name for altar plants in general, and for this species in particular. The druids included it in the lustral water and socerers employed extensively. A garland was worn around the neck as a charm against headaches, snake bite and for general good luck. Legend has it's discovery on the Mount of Calvary, where it staunched the wounds of Christ. ,Hence it is crossed and blessed with verse when gathered. |
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| The Athenian matrons in the sacred rites of Ceres used to string their couches with the leaves of Chaste Tree, because of the seeds reputation for securing chastity. |
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| Buddhism teaches that Maya, the virgin mother of Buddha, was supported by a holy cherry tree during her pregnancy. In Danish folklore, a good crop of cherries was insured by having the first ripe fruit eaten by a woman shortly after her first child was born. |
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| Tradition associates the flower with the Hyacinth of the Ancients, the flower of grief and mourning, so Linnaeus first called it Hyacinthus. Hyacinthus was a charming and handsome Spartan youth, loved by both Apollo and Zephyrus. Hyacinthus preferred the Sun-God to the God of the West, who sought to be revenged. One day, when Apollo was playing quoits with the youth, a quoit that he threw was blown by Zephyrus out of its proper course and it struck and killed Hyacinthus. Apollo, stricken with grief, raised from his blood a purple flower on which the letters 'ai, ai,' were traced, so that the cry of woe might for evermore have existence on the earth. As our English variety of Hyacinth had no trace of these mystic letters, our older botanists called it Hyacinthus nonscriptus, or 'not written on.' A later generic name, Agraphis, is of similar meaning, being a compound of two Greek words, meaning 'not to mark.' |
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| Pagans use wild lettuce as an incense aid for divination, especially when working with darker deities. |
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| The pliable branches of witch hazel were a favorite among dowsers. The flowers sometimes emerge on Halloween, another witchey connection. |
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| Many extravagant superstitions grew up round Betony, one, of very ancient date, was that serpents would fight and kill each other if placed within a ring composed of it; and others declared that even wild beasts recognized its efficacy and used it if wounded, and that stags, if wounded with a dart, would search out Betony, and, eating it, be cured. Betony was endowed with power against evil spirits. On this account, it was carefully planted in churchyards and hung about the neck as an amulet or charm, sanctifying, as Erasmus tells us, 'those that carried it about them,' and being also 'good against fearful visions' and an efficacious means of 'driving away devils and despair. |
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| According to the Ancients, Wormwood counteracted the effects of poisoning by hemlock, toadstools and the biting of the sea dragon. The plant was of some importance among the Mexicans, who celebrated their great festival of the Goddess of Salt by a ceremonial dance of women, who wore on their heads garlands of Wormwood. The genus is named Artemisia from Artemis, the Greek name for Diana. In an early translation of the Herbarium of Apuleius we find:
'Of these worts that we name Artemisia, it is said that Diana did find them and delivered their powers and leechdom to Chiron the Centaur, who first from these Worts set forth a leechdom, and he named these worts from the name of Diana, Artemis, that is Artemisias.
(Grieve, M.)
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| Yarrow stalks are still used by the Chinese for casting I Ching predictions. |
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