Wild Herb Lore

I have put together some Pagan Herbal Lore here, but omitted the medicinal uses, owing to the fact that this is purely for information, and not to be undertaken without solid knowledge of the correct way to mix the herbs medicinally.

Scullcap (Scutelleria laterifolia)

Folk Names

Greater Scullcap, Helmet Flower, Hoodwort, Madweed, Quaker Bonnet

Gender

Feminine

Planet

Saturn

Element

Water

Powers

Love, fertility and peace.

Magical Uses

Treatment of the nervous system, insomnia, anxiety, nerve pain, seizures and the DTs. Scullcap was traditionally taken to ease muscle spasms caused by rabies, which gave it one of its common names, Mad Dog Weed. It can be used both as an incense or a tea or tisane, although the taste is appalling.

Wood Sorrel (Spiraea Ulmaria)

Folk Names

Aleluya, Common Wood Sorrel, Kazayagi, Mountain Woodsorrel, Sleeping-Beauty.

Flowers

April - May throughout the U.K.

Habitat

Moist woods, on shady rocks and moorland.

Wood-Sorrel is one of the early spring-flowering plants, along with wood anemone, bluebell and ramsons characteristic of old woodland and shaded hedgebanks. Leaves comprise 3 heart-shaped leaflets, and the flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, The Welsh call the sorrel 'crinche cranche.'

Effects

Healing, health, spiritual healing, affection, joy, maternal tenderness.

Planet

Venus

Deities

Faeries, Elves and Woodland Sprites.

Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa)

Flowers

March - May throughout the UK, in abundance.

Habitat

Normally found in shady deciduous woodland. Most of the year, the Wood Anemone is hidden from view, as it has no foliage and appears to be a lumpy root in the soil. Come the end of February, it bursts into life, showing deeply lobed leaves and flowering until May. A member of the buttercup family, its flowers are slightly unusual as they have no petals, but sepals, which are white in colour. The Wood Anemone is known as a primitive flower.

Planet

Mars

Deities

Adonis, Amenos/Eurus, Aphrodite/Venus.

Legend

This is the same for all anemones. They sprang up from Aphrodite's tears as she cried over Adonis' death. Wood Anemone is called the Flower of Death in China and was an emblem of ill health in ancient Egypt. Parts of Europe also associated the flower with misfortune, but countryfolk considered it a faery hideaway because of its habit of closing up for the night and in inclement weather. The bad luck might have arisen from fear of disturbing faeries, or from the fact that the plant is poisonous and cattle have died from ingesting it.

Magic

It was the belief of the Romans that the first flower of Spring should be plucked as a charm against fever. Until recently, it was gathered whilst saying, "I gather this against all diseases." Then, it was tied around the neck of an invalid. It may be added to healing rituals or to a bath. It's connections to Adonis's legendary end also make it useful in rituals of death or passing.

Deities

Aphrodite, Adonis, Wind God.

Like all members of the anemone family, Wood Anemone is poisonous and should not be used unless you absolutely know what you are doing. No anemonies are edible.

Lesser Celandine (Cytisus scoparius)

Folk Names

Small Celandine, Figwort, Smallwort, Pilewort, Brighteye, Butter and Cheese.

Flowers

February-April throughout the UK.

Habitat

Hillsides, Shady areas under trees, moist fields, damp hedgerows, open woodland, bare meadows, ditches and banks.

The leaves rise on long stalks, from a short, prostrate stem and are variable. The first leaf is heart-shaped, with later ones cut bluntly into a shape similar to ivy, and often have dark markings. Bright yellow single flowers appear in spring, with three sepals and eight to twelve lanceolate petals. The blossoms close before rain and only open for around nine hours of the day, closing again by 5 p.m. Its Celtic name, Grian (meaning the Sun), refers to this habit. Green on the underside, the petals become inconspicuous as soon as the flowers close. It has fleshy oblong or club-shaped roots, up to three centimeters long.

Effects

Natural power, war, rage, destruction, force and action.

Planet

Sun

Element

Fire

Deities

Bast, Eostre, Kwan Yin, Sunna, Artemis, Belinos, Diana, Hecate.

Traditions

The tubers of this plant resembled piles, according to the Doctrine of Signatures, but in the Western Isles of Scotland, they were believed to resemble a cow's udder and were hung in cow byres to ensure high milk yields. Wordsworth loved the flowers so much that he had them carved on his tomb, and penned this extract from The Small Celandine...

"There is a flower, the lesser celandine,

That shrinks like many more from cold and rain,

And the first moment that the sun may shine,

Bright as the sun himself, 'tis out again!"

Magic

Psychic ability, associated with Scorpio.

Ramsons Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)

Folk Names

Broad-Leaved Garlic, Wild Garlic, Ramsons, Wood Garlic, Roman Garlic.

Flowers

April - June through the UK

Habitat

Damp woods, hedges, shady damp meadows and streamsides.

A tall, hairless perennial, with erect, unbranched stem, this plant usually grows in large colonies. The leaves, are up to 20 cm long, broad, pointed and long-stalked, and there are normally two of them. The flowers, with six segments, are white and star-shaped, and it is readily recognised by its strong scent of garlic, particularly if bruised or crushed. Ramsons or Wild Garlic's glossy green leaves are delicious in sandwiches, used sparingly in salads or added to sauces and dressings, making splendid pesto. The bulb may be eaten raw or cooked and harvested all year round, although best when dormant between July and December/January. The plant is quite small and fiddly to harvest but has a fairly strong garlic flavour. The flowers may be eaten raw or cooked and are somewhat stronger tasting than the leaves. Tasty and decorative, used in small quantities in salads, the flower heads can still be eaten as seed pods are forming, although the flavour intensifies with the ripening of the seeds.

Meadowsweet (Spiraea Ulmaria)

Folk Names

Meadsweet, Dolloff, Queen/Lady of the Meadow, Bridewort.

Gender

Feminine

Planet

Jupiter

Powers

Love, attraction, calming and release of tension.

Magical Uses

Used for love magick and to help with happy energy, this is a subtle yet aromatic herb, which can be used as the symbol for love when casting an attraction spell. The dried herb may be burned in the home to disperse negative tension and provide a warm, uplifting atmosphere. Meadowsweet is linked with Water and Jupiter. Tradition puts this as a sacred plant to the Druids, which was much used as a strewing herb, for its pleasant smell. It is one of fifty ingredients in a drink called 'Save', mentioned in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, in the fourteenth century, being called Medwort or Meadwort. Its common name, Meadowsweet is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word 'medu' (mead), because it was once used to flavour the drink made from fermented honey.

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)

Folk Names

Langwort, Umbrella Plant, Bog Rhubarb, Flapperdock, Blatterdock, Capdockin, Bogshorns, Butter-Dock.

Planet

Mercury and Saturn

Magical Uses

Historically, this plant's seeds have been used for love divination. The seeds of Butterdock must be sowed by a young, unmarried woman, half and hour before sunrise on a Friday morning, in a lonesome place. She must strew the seeds gradually on the grass, saying these words:

I sow, I sow!

Then, my own dear,

Come here, come here,

And mow and mow!

Once the seeds are scattered, she will see her future husband mowing with a scythe, a short distance from her. She must not be afraid, for if she says, "Have mercy on me," he will vanish, immediately! This method is said to be infallible, but is looked upon as a bold, desperate and presumptuous undertaking.

The Butterbur is a member of the daisy family, with roundish, heart-shaped leaves, which are very large, producing laves sometimes as big as three feet in diameter. The male (stamen-bearing), and the female (seed producing) flowers grow on separate plants which appear before the leaves between March and May. Flowers appear in clusters in a dense spike, with small pink/purplish flowers, in the shape of a five-pointed star. It is mostly found in damp wooded areas, especially around pond edges, lakes and streams.

Warning: Butterbur contains liver-toxic and possibly carcinogenic components called pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Ivy-Leafed Toadflax (Cymbalaria Muralis)

Folk Names

The Herb of the Madonna, Kenilworth Ivy, Ivywort, Aarons Beard, Climbing Sailor, Creeping Jenny, Mother of Millions, Mother of Thousands, Thousand Flower, Oxford Weed, Pedlar's Basket, Pennywort, Rabbits, Roving Jenny and Wandering Jew.

Flowers April - November throughout the UK.

Habitat Walls, Churchyards and Cemeteries.

Found mostly near houses, old garden walls, churchyards and cemetaries, this trailing plant with purple or light blue and white flowers with yellow bumps near the throat, flowers on individual stems, which are abundant from Spring to Autumn. It has ivy shaped leaves, dark green in colour and the backs of these leaves are reddish purple. It spreads by inserting its seed capsules into crevices on walls and sending out pink thready stems and roots that take hold wherever they can grip.

Effects

Protection, hex breaking

Planet

Mars

Element

Fire

Magic

Hexes, protection, charms against spells, banishes negativity and hostile activity.

The edible leaves have been used as a salad in southern Europe and the flowers produce a clear but not permanent, yellow dye.

Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Folk Names

Scotch Broom, French Broom

Flowers

May - June throughout the UK.

Habitat

Heaths, open woodland, clearings and scrub.

Blooming at its best from April to June, this tall member of the pea family is a common, fast growing but short-lived shrub which produces abundant yellow flowers in summer. There are some species, however, which continue to flower until August. Its much branched stems are green and ridged with small leaves that are simple or trifoliate, with untoothed leaflets. Trifoliate leaves with rich yellow flowers, and seeds in hairy pea like thin pods which explode on sunny days during the autumn.

Traditions

The Broom is commonly known as a magick shrub from which it was believed faeries often spoke. Its upright, dense mass of ascending stems used to be cut and made into brooms. Broom has been used for thatching, fence rows and cattle fodder, and the woody plant was once used for tanning leather and old wood, for veneering. Cloth has been manufactured with the fibre, too. The traditionally nomadic Celts camped on one place throughout the cold winter months and would break camp when the first yellow blooms appeared on the broom in the Spring. However, it stands for the month of October in the Ogham Calendar, despite its Celtic associations with Spring.

Rosemary (Rosemary Officinalis)

Natural Habitat Dry scrub and rocky places, especially close to the sea.

Rosemary, one of the oldest Mediterranean aromatic shrubs in cultivation, is still regarded as an essential culinary and medicinal herb, with an invigorating, spicy flavour. Its evergreen leaves are about an inch long, linear, revolute, dark green above and paler and glandular beneath, with a pungently aromatic odour, which is somewhat camphoraceous. Its flowers are small and pale blue, and much of the active volatile principle resides in their calyxes. The green leaved variety is the kind used medicinally, rather than the silver and gold-striped.

Culinary Uses

Condiment; Leaves; Tea. Young shoots, leaves and flowers - raw or cooked. The leaves have a very strong, bitter flavour, which is somewhat resinous, although the flowers are somewhat milder. They are used in small quantities as soup and stew flavouring, with vegetables such as peas and spinach, and with sweet dishes such as biscuits, cakes, jams and jellies. They can be used fresh or dried. The leaves have a tough texture and so should either be used very finely chopped, or in sprigs that can be removed after cooking. A fragrant tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves, which is said to be especially nice when mixed with tansy and of course it is wonderful with lamb.

Aromatherapy Uses

The oil has a positive effect on the digestive system, helpful for indigestion, colitis and constipation. It is also good or hepatic disorders being a liver and gall-bladder tonic.

The circulatory system also benefits from the oil. The oil can normalize blood pressure and help combat hardening of the arteries.

Rosemary is good for rheumatic and muscular pain, especially tired and over worked muscles. It has a warming effect on cold limbs and is helpful in the winter for rheumatism aggravated by cold.

Rosemary has a stimulating effect on the nerves and is beneficial for all nervous disorders including hysteria, and paralysis.

The other benefits of rosemary include a positive effect on menstrual cramps, an excellent skin tonic property, a stimulant for the scalp encouraging hair growth and providing treatment for dandruff and greasy hair.

The emotional benefits of Rosemary include its ability to clear the mind and the emotions promoting mental clarity, it also provides an uplifting boost to confidence.

Safety points: Although non-toxic and non-irritant (in dilution) non-sensitising, Rosemary should not be used during pregnancy or by epileptics. The oil should be used with caution if suffering from high blood pressure, hypertension or insomnia. Skin irritation may occur with sensitive individuals. Tradition

The Romans considered the plant sacred as it was used as a decoration for statues and paintings of the gods. The Greeks also decorated statues with rosemary wreaths. Egyptians used the plant for incense in ritual cleansing and healing and there is evidence that it was used from the earliest times.

Philosopher healers such as Dioscorides, Theophanus and Conrad Gesner all recognised the beneficial effects of Rosemary in the treatment of liver, heart, brain and eye problems.

During the plagues of the Middle Ages Rosemary was burnt to drive away evil spirits and protect against infection.

Rosemary was used as a symbol of fidelity and remembrance in wedding and funeral ceremonies.

It was also used in sachet for safe passage over water, has been used as incense along with juniper for aiding in recuperation and it is also said that rosemary will only thrive if the woman is in charge of the household.

Properties

Sun, Masculine, Fire

Powers

Protection, Love, Lust, Mental Powers, Exorcism, Purification, Healing, Sleep, Youth

Rosemary, when burned, emits powerful cleansing and purifying vibrations, and so is smouldered to rid a place of negativity, especially prior to performing magick. It is one of the oldest incenses.

When placed beneath the pillow rosemary ensures a good sleep and drives away nightmares. Laid under the bed it protects the sleeper from all harm. Rosemary is also hung on the porch and doorposts to keep thieves from the house and is carried to remain healthy. Placed in the bath it purifies.

A chaplet of rosemary, worn, aids the memory, while the wood, smelled often, preserves youthfulness. To ensure the latter add a rosemary infusion to the bath water.

Rosemary has long been used in love and lust incenses and other mixtures, and healing poppets are stuffed with rosemary to take advantage of its curative vibrations. Rosemary infusion is used to wash the hands before healing work, and the leaves mixed with juniper berries are burned in sick rooms to promote healing.

If you wish to receive knowledge or the answer to a question, burn rosemary on charcoal and smell its smoke. Rosemary is also grown to attract elves, and the powdered leaves wrapped in linen cloth and bound to the right arm dispel depression and make the emotions light and merry.

Rosemary is generally used as a substitute for frankincense.