Folk Names

Black Snakeroot, Bugbane, Rattle Root, Squaw Root, Actaea, Cimicifuga

Powers

Love, Courage, Protection, Potency

 

Magical Uses

Use black cohosh in love sachets and add an infusion to the bath to help in cases of impotence.

Use in sachets for love, courage, and potency or add to the bath. Add to holy water and sprinkle around the room to drive off negative influences.​

Folk Names

Golden Poppy, Cup of Sunlight, California Sunshine

Powers

Fertility, Love, Sleep, Money, Luck, Invisibility

 

Magical Uses

Poppy seeds and flowers are used in mixtures designed to aid sleep. They are also eaten or carried to promote fertility and to attract luck and money. At one time, poppy seed heads were gilded and worn as talismans to draw wealth.

 

The seeds are also added to food to induce love or are used in love sachets.

 

If you wish to know the answer to a question, write it in blue ink on a piece of white paper, place this inside a poppy seed pod and put this beneath your pillow. The answer will appear in your dream.

 

Soak poppy seeds in wine for fifteen days. Then drink the wine each day for five days while fasting. According to tradition you will be able to make yourself invisible at will.

 

Poppy seeds can be used to create confusion and delay paperwork, especially if combined with black mustard seed and used to stuff a poppet or to dress a candle used in sympathetic magic, or carry it on your person.

Folk Names

Devil’s Walking Stick, Toothache Tree

Powers

Courage, Healing

 

Magical Uses

When worn, Devil’s Club protects the wearer, and when held in the hand, it stops all fear and grants courage.

 

Cherokee Indians and old-timey Southern herbalists have used the inner bark and berries as anti-inflammatory pain relievers for aching, arthritic joints and sore, decaying teeth with inflamed gums.

 

Cherokees also used roots in a salve as a dermatological aid for sores and swellings, such as boils.​

Folk Names

Black Samson, Coneflower, Rudbeckia

Powers

Courage, Protection, Strengthening Spells

 

Magical Uses

Echinacea was used by American Indians as an offering to spirits to ensure and strengthen spells.

 

Carrying Echinacea will provide inner strength during trying times. It can also be grown around the house or brought into a house and placed in a vase to draw prosperity into the home and protect the family from suffering from poverty.

Folk Names

Canadian Ginseng, Wonder of the World Root

Powers

Love, Protection, Luck, Spirit Communication, Visions, Divination, Male Vigor, Control Another.

 

Magical Uses

Early colonial wizards used ginseng in tea to encourage the appetite or strengthen the digestion, especially of elderly persons or puny children. Ginseng plus black cherry and yellowroot makes a potent tonic, especially with the addition of some homemade whiskey. An early herbalist suggested gathering ginseng root and steeping it with chamomile flowers for fainting females.

 

Soak ginseng root in Holy Oil which can then be used to anoint the male genitalia to enhance sexual performance. It may be used in hoodoo to enhance longevity, libido, and performance in sexual situations.

 

Tie a red thread around a ginseng root and carry with you for beauty and grace.

 

Wrapping the first Dragot earned at a new business around a ginseng root with red thread will help improve income.

 

You can carve a wish on a whole root and toss it into running water to gain what you desire.

 

Ginseng Root can be burned to break curses.

Folk Names

Aaron’s Rod, Blue Mountain Tea, Goldruthe, Gonea Tea, Sweet Scented Goldenrod, Solidago, Verg d’ Or, Wound Weed, Woundwort

Powers

Love, Money, Divination

 

Magical Uses

To see your future love, wear a piece of goldenrod. He or she will appear on the morrow. Give him or her some goldenrod tea to seal the deal. But not just before you hop into bed, because goldenrod is a diuretic.

 

Dried leaves and flowers can be burned to enhance spells for drawing love and to enhance your intuition when performing any divination.

 

When held in hand, the flower nods in the direction of hidden or lost objects, or where buried treasure lies. If goldenrod springs up suddenly near the house door, unexpected good fortune will soon rain upon the family living there.

 

Goldenrod is also used in money spells. Goldenrod flowers can be used in wealth spells and money drawing sachets and planted on your property or placed in a vase inside your home to attract wealth and good fortune.

 

Goldenrod can be used to aid in the grieving process.

Folk Names

Eye Balm, Eye Root, Ground Raspberry, Indian Dye, Indian Paint, Jaundice Root, Orange Root, Tumeric Root, Jaundice Root, Warnera, Wild Curcurma, Yellow Puccoon, Yellow Root

Powers

Healing, Money, Strengthening Spells

 

Magical Uses

Goldenseal may be worked into any charm or spell to increase its power.

 

An herb of healing and prosperity, Goldenseal is beneficial in business dealings and matters of finance. Sprinkle at the base of a green or gold candle to attract money, wealth, success, prosperity, and before embarking on business dealings and financial matters. To attract money, add a small piece of dried Goldenseal to an amulet.

 

Goldenseal Root is used for warding off evil and bringing good luck in health matters. It can be used in healing spells and rituals. It can be used, along with other herbs, to be put in a healing bag for use within the bed of a sufferer of chronic pain, severe disease or acute illness.

Folk Names

Gravelroot, Hempweed, Joe-Pie, Jopi Weed, Trumpet Weed

Powers

Love, Respect

 

Magical Uses

Place a few leaves in the mouth when making love advances and you shall not fail.

 

Carry a few leaves of Joe-Pye so that you will be looked upon with respect and favor by everyone you meet.

Folk Names

Bread and Cheese Tree, Gaxels, Hagthorn, Halves, Haw, Hazels, Huath, Ladies’ Meat, May, Mayblossom, May Bush, Mayflower, Quick, Thorn, Tree of Chastity

Powers

Fertility, Chastity, Happiness, Protection

 

Magical Uses

Hawthorn has long been used to increase fertility. Because of this power, it is incorporated into weddings, especially those performed in the spring.

 

The leaves, curiously enough, are also used to enforce or maintain chastity or celibacy. The leaves are placed beneath the mattress or around the bedroom for this purpose.

 

When worn or carried it promotes happiness in the troubled, depressed or sad.

 

Hawthorn protects against lightning, and in the house in which it resides, no evil ghost may enter. It is also influential in protecting against damage to the home from storms. The Romans placed hawthorn in cradles to guard the child against evil spirits.

Folk Names

Bottle Brush, Dutch Rushes, Paddock Pipes, Pewterwort, Shavegrass

Powers

Snake Charming, Fertility

 

Magical Uses

Whistles made of the stems of the horsetail, when played, will call snakes to the musician.

 

Horsetail is also used in fertility mixtures, or placed in the bedroom for this purpose.

Folk Names

Yellow Moccasin Flower, Nerve Root, American Valerian

Powers

Insomnia, Protection

 

Magical Uses

Lady’s slipper is used in protective sachets as it guards against all manner of hexes, curses, spells and the evil eye.

Folk Names

Blue Magnolia, Cucumber Tree, Swamp Sassafras

Powers

Fidelity, Love, Hair Growth

 

Magical Uses

Place some magnolia near or beneath the bed to maintain a faithful relationship.

 

For protection scatter the leaves around your home.  To protect your money put some leaves in your wallet. If you’re worried about someone reading your journal, put a Magnolia leaf on the cover and it will remain untouched.​

Folk Names

Mizquitl (Aztec)

Powers

Fire, Healing

 

Magical Uses

Add to healing incenses and mixtures. Mesquite is also used to fuel magical fires.

 

Use an infusion of mesquite in the bath for purification.

Folk Names

Milk Thistle, Sow Thistle

Powers

Strength, Protection, Healing, Exorcism, Hex Breaking

 

Magical Uses

Throwing them into a fire will deflect lightning away from your home.

​

 

Use in healing spells and for depression. A bowlful placed in a room strengthens the spirits and renews vitality.

 

A method of calling spirits is to boil some thistle. After removing it from the heat, be seated next to the bowl and begin meditating. As the steam rises, so will your questions and their answers will be heard.

 

Thistle is used in any magic where you are the target of any negative energy; for protection and blessing.  If you have a spell cast against you wear a garment made of spun thistle. Stuff poppets with it to break hexes.

Folk Names

Garden Mint

Powers

Money, Lust, Healing, Travel, Exorcism, Protection

 

Magical Uses

Mint has long been used in healing potions and mixtures, and the fresh leaves rubbed against the head are said to relieve headaches. Mint worn at the wrist assures that you will not be ill. Stomach problems can be alleviated by stuffing a green poppet with mint and anointing it with healing oils.

 

Mint is also used in travel spells and to provoke lust. Its bright green leaves and crisp scent led to its use in money and prosperity spells; the easiest of which is to place a few leaves in the wallet or purse or to rub where your money is kept.

 

To rid a place of evil, sprinkle salt water with a sprinkler made of fresh sprigs of mint, marjoram, and rosemary. Fresh mint laid on the altar will call good spirits to present and aid you in magic. Mint is also kept in the home for protection.

Folk Names

Burn Nettle, Burn Hazel, Burn Weed, Devil’s Claw, Devil’s Plaything, Nettle, Ortiga Ancha

Powers

Exorcism, Protection, Healing, Lust

 

Magical Uses

Nettle can be burned to drive out negativity or unwanted spirits. Also, sprinkle nettle around the house to keep evil out and to send it back. Nettle is also thrown onto a fire to avert danger, held in the hand to ward off ghosts, carried with yarrow to allay fear, and worn as an amulet to keep negativity far away.  It can also be used in protection bags, or ground into powder and used in spells to break curses.

​

For healing power, pluck a Nettle up by its roots and recite the name of the sick person and his/her parents. A pot of freshly cut nettles placed beneath a sickbed will aid in the person’s recovery.

 

Nettle has sometimes been used as a lust-inducing herb, and contemporary Mexican wizards recommend its use in purification baths- because it is more carnivorous than other herbs, and so will work more efficiently.​

 

Place Nettle leaves into pockets to be safe from lighting.

Folk Names

White Oak, Duir, Jove’s Nuts, Juglans (Latin)

Powers

Protection, Health, Money, Healing, Potency, Fertility, Luck

 

Magical Uses

Tradition says that acorns are gathered by the light of the day, while the wood and leaves are harvested during the light of the moon. Pour fertilizer, water, crystals, or wine on the roots to thank the tree for their sacrifice.

 

A tree as long-lived and robust as the oak naturally offers magical protection. Two twigs of oak, bound in a red thread so that they form an equal-armed cross, make a potent safeguard against evil. It should be hung in the house.

 

Acorns placed in windows guard against the entrance of lightning, and a piece of oak wood, carried, protects its bearer from all harm.

 

If you can catch a falling oak leaf you shall have no colds all winter. When a sick person is in the house make a fire of oak wood and warm the house with it to draw off the illness. Carry an acorn against diseases and pains, for immortality or longevity, and to preserve youthfulness.

 

Planting an acorn in the dark of the moon ensures that you shall receive money shortly.

 

Carrying an acorn increases fertility and strengthens sexual potency.​

​

There are other kinds of oak trees; each has the same elemental powers, but each expresses those powers differently. Observing and asking the oaks can reveal to you the more exceptional points of their abilities.

Folk Names

California Barberry, Oregon Grape Root, Rocky Mountain Grape, Trailing Grape, Wild Oregon Grape

Powers

Hexing, Money, Popularity

 

Magical Uses

Carry this root to draw money and financial security and to gain popularity.

 

Oregon Grape brings bitterness, sourness. It is sprinkled around the premises to bring bad vibes and quarrels. On the flip side, it is used with vetivert and bay leaves to protect against bitterness - but that’s risky. It is said to work for good grudgingly and delight in hexing.

Folk Names

Pine

Powers

Healing, Fertility, Protection, Exorcism, Money

 

Magical Uses

Cones from pine trees are carried to increase fertility and to have vigorous old age. A pinecone gathered on Midsummer (still retaining its seeds) is a powerful magical object, for if its possessor eats one pine nut from it every day, it will make him or her immune to gunshots.

 

Pine needles are burned during the winter months to purify and cleanse the house. Scattered on the floor, they drive away evil. Moreover, when burned, exorcize the area of negativity. They are also used in cleansing baths. Pine needles are burned to reverse and send back spells.

 

Branches of the pine placed above or over the bed keep sickness far away (or if they weren't placed in time, aid the ill). A cross made of pine needles placed before the fireplace keeps evil from entering through it. Pine is also used in money spells, and its sawdust is a base for incenses.

Folk Names

Saxifrax, Ague Tree, Cinnamon Wood

Powers

Health, Money

 

Magical Uses

Native Americans and early settlers considered sassafras to be a cure-all for all sorts of ailments. All Native American tribes who live within the range of this tree have made ample use of it as food, medicine and for sacred purposes. It has been used for centuries, and the three parts of the tree used are the young leaves, tender inner bark and young twigs, and roots.

 

Sassafras is placed in the purse or wallet to attract money or is burned for this purpose. It is also added to sachets and spells designed to aid healing.

 

Early settlers also believed that beds made from sassafras would drive away evil spirits and give people restful sleep.

Folk Names

Calamus, Gladdon, Myrtle Flag, Myrtle Grass, Myrtle Sedge, Sweet Cane, Sweet Grass, Sweet Root, Sweet Rush, Sweet Sedge, Lubigan

Powers

Luck, Healing, Money, Protection

 

Magical Uses

The seeds are strung like beads and used for healing, or the powdered root is used in healing incenses and sachets.

 

Small pieces of the root kept in all corners of the kitchen protect against hunger and poverty.

 

Growing the plant brings good luck to the gardener, and sweet flag is also used to strengthen and bind spells.

 

It has been used for protection, especially from snakes and snake bites, as well as from evil spirits.

Folk Names

Osier, Pussy Willow, Saille, Salicyn Willow, Saugh Tree, Tree of Enchantment, Willow, Witches’ Aspirin, Withe, Withy

Powers

Love, Divination, Protection, Healing

 

Magical Uses

Willow leaves are carried or used in mixtures to attract love. If you wish to know if you will be married in the new year, on New Year's Eve throw your shoe or boot into a willow tree. If it doesn't catch and stay in the branches the first time, you have eight more tries. If you succeed in trapping your shoe in the tree, you will be wed within twelve months.

 

All parts of the willow guard against evil and can be carried or placed in the home for this purpose. Knock on a willow tree “knock on wood" to avert catastrophe.

 

The leaves, bark, and wood of the willow are also utilized in healing spells.

 

Our deep unconscious thoughts speak to us through our dreams, so if you have lost touch with your dreams or wish to increase their potency, place a piece of willow under your pillow when you sleep. You will find your dreams will immediately become more vivid and meaningful.

 

If you wish to conjure spirits, mix crushed willow bark with sandalwood and burn at the waning moon outdoors.

 

For a wish to be granted, ask permission of the willow, explaining your desire. Select a pliable shoot and tie a loose knot in it while expressing what you want, when the wish is fulfilled return and untie the knot. Remember to thank the willow and leave a gift.​

Folk Names

Absinthe, Old Woman, Crown for a King, Madderwort, Wormot

Powers

Psychic Powers, Protection, Love, Calling Spirits

 

Magical Uses

Wormwood is burned in incenses designed to aid in developing psychic powers and is also worn for this purpose. Carried, wormwood protects against bewitchment, but also from the bite of sea serpents. Also, according to ancient traditions, it counteracts the effects of poisoning by hemlock and toadstools, but I wouldn’t bet my life on its effectiveness in this area. Hung from a broomstick, wormwood protects the rider from accidents in treacherous skies.

 

Wormwood is also sometimes used in love infusions, probably because it was once made into an alcoholic beverage called absinthe. This highly-addictive and dangerous liqueur is now outlawed or banned in many countries, but the reputation lingers, and wormwood is still used in love mixtures. One such use is to place it under the bed to draw a loved one.

 

Wormwood is also burned to summon spirits. It is sometimes mixed with sandalwood for this purpose. If burned in graveyards the souls of the dead will rise and speak, according to old grimoires.

Folk Names

AchiUea, Arrowroot, Bad Man’s Plaything, Carpenter’s Weed, Death Flower, Devil’s Nettle, Eerie, Field Hops, Gearwe, Hundred Leaves Grass, Knight’s Milfoil, Knyghten, Lady’s Mantle, Milfoil, Militaris, Military Herb, Millefolium, Noble Yarrow, Nosebleed, Old Man’s Mustard, Old Man’s Pepper, Sanguinary, Seven Year’s Love, Snake’s Grass, Soldier’s Woundwort, Stanch Griss, Stanch Weed, Tansy, Thousand Seal, Wound Wort, Yarroway, Yerw

Powers

Courage, Love, Psychic Powers, Exorcism

 

Magical Uses

When worn, yarrow protects the wearer, and when held in hand, it stops all fear and grants courage.

A bunch of dried yarrow hung over the bed or yarrow used in wedding decorations ensures a love lasting at least seven years. Yarrow is also used in love spells.

 

Carrying yarrow not only brings love but it also attracts friends and distant relations you wish to contact. It draws the attention of those you most want to see.

 

The flowers are made into an infusion, and the resulting tea is drunk to improve psychic powers.

 

Washing the head with a yarrow infusion will prevent baldness but won’t cure it if it has already begun.

 

Yarrow is also used to exorcize evil and negativity from a person, place or thing.

 

White Yarrow in the form of flower essence, protects seals and strengthens the aura, improving the shield.

Folk Names

Yucca Stalk, Yucca Root

Powers

Transmutation, Protection, Purification

 

Magical Uses

A hoop or loop of twisted yucca fibers will transmute a person into an animal if he or she jumps through it, according to American Indian magic. Another method instructs the wizard to place a small wreath of yucca fibers on his or her head. This allows the person to assume any form desired.

 

A cross of yucca fibers twisted together and placed on the hearth protects the house from evil.

 

Rub a slice of yucca root all over your body once a day for seven days to remove jinxes and hexes.