Samhain is right around the corner and the veil between our world and the afterlife is thinning.The walls between our world,the fey realm,and others who cloak themselves in the shadows is also thinning. I've been getting a lot of messages lately from all places and the message is"Arm yourself" Not so much with weapons but with knowledge. Especially strong is the messages to stock up on healing herbs and be mindful of the places to harvest them. With H1N1 looming,flu and cold season upon us,and the unrest churning in the world I am taking this as good advice and doing just that. As an Herbalist,Healer and Teacher I also feel the pull to share what I know and to learn from others. This Thread is to share knowledge of herbs to use for protection spells,charms,and magick. It is also for receipes that will boost immune systems,ease pain,shorten illness,and relax/nourish our stressed bodies.
Lets start with a list of herbs used most this time of year and go from there with sharing and questions. I am so looking forward to reading what all of you bring to the table!

Rosemary Pumpkin
Catnip Sage
White Pine Needles Mullein
Wormwood Nettles
Garlic Wintergreen
Elderberry Calendula
Sunflowers Rosehips
Frankincense myrrh
Tarragon Bay leaf


I've left out a couple of the more poisonous or endangered ones. This should be fun and informative!

I have a question. Can you offer any associations between herbs and chakras.

I've been searching the Internet and I've found quite many associations between herbs and charkas. I've come up with the following list I made up of my own (from picking and choosing from various other lists).

My main goal for this particular "exercise" is to find herb plants that I can grow (or start from seed) right now for this winter. Even if only just to grow.

In any case, here is a list that I put together so far.

Root Chakra - Chives
Sacral Chakra - Lemon Balm
Solar Plexus - Marshmallow
Heart Chakra - Basil
Throat Chakra - Red Clover
Brow Chakra - Mugwort
Crown Chakra - Chamomile

Now, once again, I'm trying to find plants that I can grow (one plant for each chakra) So far I'm fairly pleased with the ones marked in bold and I have decided pretty much on those. I already have Lemon Balm that I brought in from outside and it has taken the transplant very well.

I think I can grow chives, basil, and possibly chamomile? I don't know if I can grow the other plants indoors in pots very well or not. So I'm still looking for more suggestions.

So any herbal suggestions that you have for chakra herbs would be appreciated. I've seen some places suggest the same herb for more than one chakra also, so I imagine there can be some overlap.

What I'm looking to do is simply create a nice little indoor garden of seven "easy to grow" potted plants that can actually be used in cooking or salads, on occassion.

My little "Chakra Garden".

So any suggestions along these lines would be appreciated.

I am not very good with chakras so bear with me. I do know that most of those herbs work very well for healing and some magick. Red Clover is not one to do well inside nor is marshmallow and mugwort. They are very seasonal weeds and need their winter cycles. You may just need to grow them outside in your spring and summer gardens and use dry herb thru winter. Red Clover is a powerful antioxidant and a key ingrediant in treating cancer patients. Marshmallow is good for colds,especially of the lung and bowel.Mugwort will give you vivid dreams and is used for astral projection.

I agree.

I don't have any questions at this point. However, it might be nice to do a little class if you want. You can assign me an herb and I'll research it's medicinal and magickal properties and then report back here with what I've found. Or we can take turns doing that as I don't know how many people will be participating. It's just a suggestion, but I'd really like to learn and I thought that might be a good way. Any books you'd like to recommend?

Again, just an idea. You know how this would work best and it's your time I'm taking advantage of.

That sounds like a good idea! You start us off;how about your new friend Basil? It's also on the seasonal list I posted, so very timely for the upcoming holidays. I think if we can find a simple spell or receipe we like lets include that too. I'm going to go with Rosemary,my old friend.When we are finished sharing about Basil I'll post on Rosemary and so on.
Abra,want to pick an herb from our list and join in? Anyone else want to pick one from the original list? How about you Mirror? This should be fun!

Suggested source books..............................................

Celebrate the Earth-Laurie Cabot
Hedge Witch-Silver Ravenwolf
Earth,Air,Fire,Water-Scott Cunningham
The Green Witch Herbal-Barbara Griggs
Halloween-Silver Ravenwolf
Healing Wise-Susan Weed
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs-Scott Cunningham
Candlelight Spells-Gerina Dunwich
Healthy Healing-Linda Page
Homemade Medicines;Simple Receipes for Herbal Health-Christopher Hobbs L.Ac.
Womens Herbal-Rosemary Gladstar

I chose to look into Rosemary a bit.

I must confess that when I look up mystical associations for things like herbs and crystals in some sense I find more disappointments than anything. By that I simply mean that if you search enough websites you find someone associating a particular herb or crystal with just about anything. So it can sometimes seem like 'anything goes'. Which in some sense is ok, but in another sense it's almost like saying there is no real connection at all, just whatever you feel like making up.

Anyway without getting too carried away here's some information I've found about Rosemary.



Rosemary can be grown indoors during the winter months. However, the following things should be taken into consideration:

Some Varieties of Rosemary

First, chose a small compact variety. Two that I found listed specifically for indoor pots are "Blue Boy" or "Golden Rain". They both grow small and compact. The "Blue Boy" will stand up straight and sturdy (similar to the photo above). The Golden Rain, will "droop" or "weep" down over the edges of the pot. Both plants are completely edible, leaves, stems and flowers. The Blue Boy will get blue flowers, the Golden Rain produces Gold color flowers. Other verities come in pink and white flowers. Beware of the "Cooking" varieties for growing indoors. While they are great for use in cooking they are also very large plants that are better grown outdoors. Some examples of the "Cooking" varieties are 'Miss Jessup', 'Tuscan Blue' and 'Spice Island'. These are all supposed to be especially spicy and large. But not good for indoor plants.

Practical Growing Tips:

It's best to start with nursery plants, or cuttings. Rosemary supposedly does well as cuttings. Just start the cuttings in water until they start too root and then transplant into the pot. Starting with seeds is not recommended as seeds are difficult to start and often do not produce good plants.

The soil in the pot should be well drained. Rosemary likes a dry environment and prefers warm circulating air. They do well when kept near a heat source. They can take quite a bit of heat and like the dry air. If kept in a place with stagnant moist air they will be prone to mildew and spider mites.

So the keys are good drainage, air circulation, and lots of light. In winter additional indoor lighting will be required.

Magick Associations

Well, this is where it gets questionable. Glancing over a lot of websites superficially the following associations seem to be commonly referenced:

Love & Relationships - Rosemary is associated quite often with love spells, healthy relationships, loyalty, devotion, and sincerity. It's also associated with funerals, but probably for these same reasons, since a funeral is actually marking the end of one relationship (with the physical world) and the beginning of a new relationship (with the spiritual world).

Protection - Rosemary is also associated with protection. But this seems to stem from the Love aspect mentioned previously. Rosemary burned as incense will put loving vibrations in the sacred space thus simultaneously displacing and neutralizing any vibrations that are not loving. So it can be use both, as a smudging herb to ward off unloving vibrations, and as a method of filling the space with loving vibrations. Rosemary is also quite aromatic on it's own so even just setting the plant in the center of a dinner table will bring a loving aura to the table.

Psychic Powers - Many sites also recognize that Rosemary enhances brain activity, including memory functions, as well as enhancing visualization and psychic communiqué. Rosemary is used in necromancy rituals and séances to aid in communication with ancestral spirits. (probably also partly due to its strong association with relationships, loyalty, and devotion mentioned above as well). So it doubles as a psychic enhancing herb as well as being associated with "good spirits". (love and loyalty)

Chakra Associations

I kept an eye out for chakra associations since this is of specific interest for me. I found three chakra associations. In the following order (based on how many sites made a particular association).

Brow Chakra - Most of the sites I visited seem to associate Rosemary with the brow chakra most often. Probably due to the things listed under "Psychic Powers" above. Enhancement of memory, brain activity in general, and visualization powers (including more lucid dreams or shamanic journeys).

Sacral Chakra - Quite a few sites associate Rosemary with the sacral chakra, no doubt due to the herb's connection with the primal feelings of romantic love and desire for an intimate relationship.

Solar Plexus Chakra - A couple sites associated Rosemary with the Solar Plexus which is probably also due to the devotional aspects of Rosemary. Devotion, loyally, sincerity and so forth. These would all be consciousnesses associated with the Solar Plexus (Hod and Netzach)

So I think I'm going to give Rosemary a shot as my "Brow Chakra herb". At least for this winter anyway. So now owl have to find a plant or cutting somewhere of an 'indoor variety'.

That's probably because most plants are good for multiple things. Back before we could get any plants we wanted from anywhere in the world, people had to use what they had. That meant what grew locally for them. So, over time they found what plants worked best for their specific magickal needs. In other places they found other plants that they could use.

So, yes, I think that plants and crystals can be interchanged for other plants and crystals fairly easily. But, there are certain colors and smells that we associate with certain feelings and responses that would ruin a magickal working. If I used a green stone and mugwort for my love spell, I would just know it's all wrong. I would use roses or some other flower that reminded me of romance. And a pink stone or clear crystal. So, they are not completely interchangeable.

I came home from work to find my basil has sprouted. A timy little green leaf has poked through the dirt. This is the first time I have "felt" a plant. I can't explain that remark. So, I won't bother. Besides, it's only the "Other Relgions" forum so no one will see.

I will begin to do my research on basil tomorrow.

Well, that's true. Actually the information I found on Rosemary is pretty consistent. Love, relationships, devotion, along with some heightened psychic abilities.

I quess where things get a little fuzzy is when trying to make associations with things like the charkras. That's probably due to the fact that the chakras themselves are broadly associated with the entire human condition.

I mean if we take a concept such a "love" it can be applied to all the chakras in different ways.

Root - love of life
Sacral - intimate love
Solar plexus - social love
Heart - love of humanity in general
Throat - the love of creativity
Brow - the love of imagination and ancesteral love
Crown - divine love

So Rosemary goes with all the charkras utlimately.

As do probably all herbs.

I'm looking forward to your report on Basil.

This feels like high school again.

Uncharted territory. I have never heard of anyone trying to associate herbs with chakras. (which doesn't really mean much since I don't hear about much )

However, I'm certain it can be done and you are, undoubtedly, the man to do it.

I get dibs on asking James to the Sadie Hawkins dance!

Are you kidding? People associate everything with everything.

Penczak makes the following herb-chakra associations in his Goddess book:

Root - Horsetail
Sacral - Lemon Balm
Solar Plexus - Nettles
Heart - Vervain
Throat - Skullcap
Brow - Mugwort
Crown - Chamomile

I have no clue where he got these associations from. He doesn't really elaborate on them. They are just in his tables of information.

I also found the following web site:

http://www.spiritherbs.com/chakra.htm

This lady sells concentrated Chakra Elixirs Kits (not cheap!)

She associates the following herbs with the chakras:

Root - Dandelion
Sacral - Calendula
Solar Plexus - Marshmallow
Heart - Hawthorne
Throat - Red Clover
Brow - Eyebright
Crown - Lavendar

These are totally different associations from what Penczak makes. Not to imply that one is right and the other wrong, or anything like that. But clearly they are focusing in on different herbs entirely.

I've searched around and actually found this one by this lady to be fairly common, so it must be a fairly popular association.

I'm creating my own associations (mainly for the purpose of creating an indoor potted chakra garden).

So far I have:


Root Chakra - Chives
Sacral Chakra - Lemon Balm
Solar Plexus - Marshmallow
Heart Chakra - Basil
Throat Chakra - Red Clover
Brow Chakra - Rosemary
Crown Chakra - Chamomile

I'm happy with all but the Marshmallow and Red Clover now. I'm still looking to find replacements for those two that I can grow indoors in pots.

I'm not worried about having any sort of 'perfect associations'. I'm just looking for associations that makes sense for me.

This is just something I'd like to do. Maybe the way each plant grows will tell me something about how well that chakra is coming along. Who knows?

I'll commune with the spirit of each plant and it will know why I chose to grow it and what it's purpose is. It will be my little family of 'living chakra' counterparts.

If a plant dies owl just have to go to the hospital and have that particular chakra extracted from my body and tossed in the trash can.

Just kidding! (I hope!)

It's just a fun little exercise I thought I'd try. Maybe I can writer it up as part of my book. How to grow an indoor chakra garden.

Well, what do ya know? Herbs for chakras. See? I told you I never hear about anything.

Salutations adventurers and powerful witches

I am particularly interested in drinking tea. I have all kinds of teas to drink at home, yet I am curious to know if anyone believes that the herbs can contain magickal powers for good fortune, healthy lifestyle, or perhaps anykind of attributions that might help improve onesself. In otherwords, what is your knowledge with the history of tea drinking and its powers.

I salute you with a butter tea at the moment

Well, I bought over a hundred dollars worth of herbal tea this spring. (I'm still drinking it!)

But it didn't make me rich. It's just cost me a hundred bucks.

It does help me with things. I find that drinking chamomile at night will help me fall asleep quicker. And drinking some of the fruity teas help me to wake up faster in the mornings.

Other than that I'm not sure. I haven't really tried thinking of teas in terms of spellwork. In fact, I haven't done all that much spellwork. I really need to get into doing more spellwork.

When I visited Scotland they loved to put cream with their tea. Also tea time is 6 x a day with the family I visited. It comes with homemade cookies each time. Talking about getting plump in 6 months!

In China they put the roots, herbs, and flowers onto a strainer and pour hot water over it slowly. Then they drink it. No tea bags the last time I visited!

In Turkey the people believe that one should drink tea to help regulate the body temperature to the heat they have over there. To drink cold drinks does the opposite is what they told me. So here I am drinking alot of tea in Istanbul and only sweating more! lol They have tiny tea cups. One swallow and (poof) already gone to refill another cup. Very strong and potent I must add also.

Anyway each culture has different beliefs and understandings of teas.

Even the Americans had an opinion about Tea at one time. Throwing crates of tea over board to refuse to pay a tea tax. Today people must fear to protest in this country or get arrested. What happened to the first amendment?? I wonder at times. I say this for there where many arrested the other day in front of the white house protesting to bring the troops home from Afghanistan. Many got arrested. Anyway, that is for the politics forum in which I stay out of anyway.

Well, I have heard that drinking mugwort tea can help with psychic abilities. But that might be biogical and not magickal.

Right you are Ruth! Mugwort is magickal and can be used for tea if you want vivid dreams and or try some astral projection.I have a Shaman/Wizard friend who smokes it for the same purpose in his own special blend.

Getting back to Rosemary.... It works very well on the alter for Samhain. One of the primary herbs for Rememberance. Shakespeare even refers to it. Ophelia's nosegay included it,"There's rosemary,that's for rememberance,pray you,love,remember..." It represents Love faithful even beyond the grave. This is why it is important to annoint your Samhain alter candles with essential oil of rosemary and lay a sprig or two there with the pictures of your ancestors.
On the medicinal side of things rosemary is wonderful for several things. As a tea ingrediant with ginko biloba and peppermint to stimulate the brain and improve memory,relieving nervous tension,poor vision,loss of smell. Also an herb to consider in a tea or tincture blend for liver problems and lung ailments. Rosemary also helps as an antiviral,antiseptic,and vulinary herb in salves for healing and working out sore muscles and keeping away minor infection.

Dings and Dents Healing Balm by Rosehaven Herbals

1 cup St.Johnswort infused Olive oil
1 cup Comfrey leaf infused Olive oil
1/4 cup Rosemary infused Olive oil
1/4 cup Lavender infused Olive oil
1/2 cup Beeswax chips
Rosemary essential oil
Lavender essential oil
Vitamin E

In a ceramic glazed pan slowly heat infused oils but do not boil! When begins to steam slowly add in beeswax chips and constantly stir with a wooden spoon.When chips are completely melted turn down heat to Low.Spoon small amount into saucer and place in Fridge for 5 min. If too firm add oils,if to loose add another tablespoon or two of wax.When happy with your mix remove from stove.
Add 20 drops Lavender essential oil and 12 drops Rosemary essential oil and 10 drops Vitamin E to mix.Immediately pour into 2 or 4 ounce wide mouth jars and let set.When just warm to touch cover with lids.Store in cool dry place. Balm is good for sore muscle rub,sprains,strains,cuts,scrapes,scratches,small burns, and chapped hands,cracked heels.

***Salve will last 2-3 years if kept in the fridge or in a cool,dry place and tightly closed.4oz. wide mouth canning jars work great!***

And much of it is good for food, too.

Abra, I run a second planting of some of the herbs that are for winter. They do fine alternating, and being out of their cycle as long as you provide protection and what they need. Then you can let your summer plants rest, but still have fresh herbs.

Just make sure you keep the herbs seperated from each other. My basil smells and tastes like mint now, since they grew into each other. Shakes head.