Herb Magic

In a cave situated deep in the Zagros mountains in Iraq, lie the bones of a 60,000 year old Neanderthal man, who was buried amongst large quantities of herbs, including Yarrow and Groundsel - which are believed to be put there to protect and empower the man after death.

Pots of herbs were used for divinatory purposes - to foretell the name of a lover by seeing which grew the fastest and strongest, sachets of herbs were pinned to the clothes or carefully placed under pillows or stuffed into cloth dolls to attract love, prosperity, happiness and wealth.

Years later these same herbs are still used for spell casting and retain their magical significance.

Properties of Herbs and their Uses

Allspice - Healing, luck, money.
Angelica - Safeguard against the hostility of others; healing; vision; protection. It is the herb of Candlemas at the beginning of February and Beltane or May Day, at the beginning of the old Celtic summer.
Balm, lemon - Love, success, healing.
Basil - Love; exorcism; wealth; astral flying. Used to conquer a real phobia of flying.
Bay - Psychic powers, protection, purification, healing, strength and endurance.
Bladderwrack - Protects against accidents or illness, especially at sea; money; action; used in rituals of sea and wind.
Burdock - Protection from negativity; sex magic, magical cure for coughs; healing; love.
Caraway - Passion; protection; protects against theft; mental powers.
Cascara sagrada - Legal matters; money; protection.
Catnip - Cat magic, love, beauty, happiness in the home and fertility charm.
Chamomile - Peaceful sleep; affection; family; money.
Cinnamon - Spirituality; success; healing and psychic powers; money; love and passion.
Cinquefoil - Prophetic dreams about love, money, protection; good health.
Clove - Protection; banishes negativity; love; money.
Clover - Fidelity; love; success; banishes negativity.
Cohosh, black - Love, courage, protection, potency.
Columbine - Courage; love, the lion's herb, retrieves lost love.
Comfrey - Safe travelling; money.
Coriander Love, health and healing.
Cumin - Exorcism, love, fidelity.
Dill - Protection; safety in the home from enemies and those with envy in their hearts; money; passion; luck.
Dittany of Crete - Astral projection; contact with other dimension.
Echinacea - Strengthens rituals and personal intuitive powers.
Fennel - Purification, courage, protection.
Garlic - Protection, healing, passion; security.
Ginger - Love, passion, money, success, power.
Ginseng - Love; wishes, healing, beauty, increases male sexual potency.
Goldenrod - Money, divination, finding buried treasure; charm against rheumatism.
Heliotrope - Banishes negativity; prophetic dreams; healing; wealth; invisibility.
Juniper - Protection; anti theft; love, protection from accidents, increases male potency.
Lavender - Love; protection, especially of children; quiet sleep; long life, purification, happiness and peace.
Lemongrass - Repels spite, protections from snakes, increase psychic awareness.
Lucky hand root - Employment; luck; protection; money; safe travel.
Maidenhair - Beauty, love.
Marjoram - Love; happiness; health; money; protection.
Meadowsweet - Love; divination; peace; happiness.
Mint - Money; love; increases sexual desire; healing; banishes malevolence; protection whilst travelling.
Moonwort - Magic associated with phases of the moon, money, love.
Mugwort - Strength; psychic powers; prophetic dreams; healing; astral projection.
Mulberry - Protection; strength.
Mullein - Courage; protection; health; love and love magic; banishes nightmares and malevolence.
Mustard - Fertility; protection; increases mental powers.
Parsley - Love; protection; divination; passion; purification.
Pennyroyal - Strength; protection; peace.
Pepper - Overcomes inertia and helps focus the mind; positive anger for change.
Peppermint - Energy, love healing; increases psychic powers.
Ragweed - Courage
Ragwort - Fairy magic and the ability to see fairies.
Rosemary - Love; passion; increases mental powers; banishesnegativity and depression; nightmares; quiet sleep; youthfulness.
Rue - Healing; protects against illness; speeds recovery from surgery or wounds; banishes regrets and redundant guilt.
Sage - Long life, wisdom; grants wishes; improves memory; protection.
St John's Wort - Health, power; protection; love and fertility, love divination.
Sandalwood - Protection; healing; banishes negativity; spirituality; contact with guardian angels and the higher self.
Slippery elm - Prevents gossip and malice.
Sweetgrass - Wisdom, purification; Psychic awareness.
Tansy - Long life, invisibility against potential danger; health.
Thyme - Healing; prophetic dreams; increases psychic powers; improves memory; love divination; courage.
Turmeric - Purification.
Valerian - Love; quiet sleep; protection from outer hostility; inner fears and despair.
Vanilla - Love; passion; increases mental powers.
Vervain - Love; protection; transforms enemies into friends; peace; money; prophecy; youthfulness; peaceful sleep.
Vetivert - Breaks a run of bad luck; love; money; anti theft; against negativity.
Witch Hazel - Mends broken hearts and relationships; finds buried treasure and underground streams; protection.
Yarrow - Courage; love; psychic powers; protects against illness and domestic strife.
Yellow evening primrose - Finding lost objects.
Yerba mate - Fidelity, love, passion.