Herbs of the Hearth
These are the plants that live in our kitchens and on our altars, with the correspondences we use and a column that tells you, bluntly, which ones can hurt you. Type to search by name, planet, element or purpose.
The table
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Magical use is not medicinal use. Nothing on this page is advice to eat, drink, smoke or apply anything. Several of these plants are poisonous, several interact with medicines, and several are dangerous in pregnancy. The Safety column is a warning, not a clearance. If you want to use a herb on or in your body, talk to a qualified herbalist or a doctor first. We are witches, not pharmacists.
| Herb | Element | Planet | Magical uses | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | Water | Venus | Love, healing, the otherworld, Samhain divination, the pentagram of seeds | Seeds contain cyanide compounds; do not eat in quantity |
| Basil | Fire | Mars | Prosperity, protection of the home, love, courage, cleansing quarrels | Culinary; safe |
| Bay | Fire | Sun | Wishes written on the leaf and burned, success, protection, prophetic dreams, Yule | Culinary; leaves are sharp if swallowed whole |
| Birch | Water | Venus | New beginnings, Imbolc, purification, the besom handle, protection of infants | Safe; pollen allergen |
| Blackberry | Water | Venus | Lughnasadh, protection, prosperity, healing, Brighid | Fruit safe; folklore says not to pick after Michaelmas |
| Cedar | Fire | Sun | Purification by smoke, protection, prosperity, consecration | Smoke irritates; do not burn indoors without ventilation |
| Chamomile | Water | Sun | Calm, sleep, prosperity, purification, attracting gentle luck | Generally safe; ragweed-family allergen |
| Cinnamon | Fire | Sun | Success, power, prosperity, raising energy, protection, Yule | Oil burns skin; culinary quantities safe |
| Clove | Fire | Jupiter | Protection, banishing gossip, attracting money, love, comfort | Oil is potent and can irritate; culinary safe |
| Dandelion | Air | Jupiter | Wishes on the seed head, divination, calling spirits, resilience | Edible; diuretic |
| Dragon's blood | Fire | Mars | Power added to any working, protection, banishing, consecrating tools | Resin for burning only; never ingest |
| Elder | Water | Venus | Protection, the Crone, the faery tree, healing, Samhain; ask the tree before cutting | Raw bark, leaves and unripe berries are toxic; cooked flowers and berries safe |
| Frankincense | Fire | Sun | Consecration, purification, raising vibration, honouring the God, the solar festivals | Resin for burning; smoke is irritant in quantity |
| Garlic | Fire | Mars | Protection, banishing, healing, hung at thresholds, Hecate's offering | Culinary; safe |
| Hawthorn | Fire | Mars | Beltane, fertility, the faery tree, protection, the heart; do not bring indoors except May Eve | Berries and flowers used medicinally; interacts with heart medicines |
| Hazel | Air | Sun | Wisdom, divination, dowsing rods, the salmon of knowledge, Samhain nuts | Nuts safe unless allergic |
| Heather | Water | Venus | Luck, protection, Brighid, rain magic, opening the gates of the otherworld | Safe |
| Holly | Fire | Mars | Yule, protection, the Holly King, luck for men, dream magic | Berries are toxic; keep from children and pets |
| Ivy | Water | Saturn | Fidelity, binding, protection, Yule paired with holly, the Goddess | Berries and leaves toxic; sap irritates skin |
| Juniper | Fire | Sun | Purification by smoke, protection against theft and illness, Imbolc cleansing | Berries affect kidneys; avoid in pregnancy; smoke only in ventilation |
| Lavender | Air | Mercury | Peace, sleep, love, purification, clarity, Litha | Generally safe; oil may irritate skin |
| Mint | Air | Mercury | Money, healing, travel, clearing the mind, protection | Culinary; safe. Pennyroyal, a mint, is dangerous and not to be used |
| Mistletoe | Air | Sun | Yule, protection, fertility, the Druids' all-heal, hung at thresholds | Toxic; never ingest; keep from children and pets |
| Mugwort | Earth | Moon | Divination, dreams, scrying water, protection in travel, Litha, Samhain | Avoid entirely in pregnancy; ragweed-family allergen |
| Myrrh | Water | Moon | Healing, purification, funerary rites, the Goddess, grounding after spirit work | Resin for burning; avoid in pregnancy |
| Nettle | Fire | Mars | Protection, courage, breaking curses, healing, Imbolc greens | Stings fresh; cooked young leaves are edible |
| Oak | Fire | Jupiter | Strength, endurance, the God, Litha, the Oak King, acorns for fertility and luck | Acorns bitter and tannic; safe handled |
| Oats | Earth | Venus | Prosperity, Brighid, Imbolc offerings, the BrÃdeog doll, grounding | Safe |
| Patchouli | Earth | Saturn | Money, grounding, lust, fertility, Earth element work | Oil may irritate; strong scent |
| Pine | Air | Mars | Cleansing, Yule, protection, healing, return of the sun, the besom | Needle smoke irritates; safe handled |
| Rose | Water | Venus | Love of every kind, healing the heart, the Goddess, Beltane, protection | Safe; thorns |
| Rosemary | Fire | Sun | Remembrance, protection, purification, Samhain, cleansing by smoke, love, the mind | Culinary; oil in quantity avoided in pregnancy |
| Rowan | Fire | Sun | Protection above all, against enchantment and ill will, Imbolc, the red thread charm | Berries raw are harsh; safe handled |
| Rue | Fire | Mars | Protection, breaking hexes, clear sight, the herb of grace | Causes severe skin burns in sunlight; toxic; avoid in pregnancy; handle gloved |
| Sage | Air | Jupiter | Wisdom, cleansing, longevity, protection, wishes, Mabon | Culinary sage safe. White sage is overharvested and sacred to Native peoples; use garden sage or rosemary instead |
| St John's Wort | Fire | Sun | Litha, protection, banishing, courage, hung over the door at Midsummer | Serious interactions with many medicines including contraceptives and antidepressants; photosensitising |
| Thyme | Water | Venus | Courage, purification, seeing the faery, healing, sleep, Midsummer | Culinary; safe |
| Vervain | Earth | Venus | Consecration of tools and altar, purification, inspiration, Litha, the Druids' herb | Avoid in pregnancy; otherwise mild |
| Willow | Water | Moon | The Goddess, grief, lunar magic, binding the besom, divination, healing | Bark contains salicylates; avoid if allergic to aspirin |
| Yarrow | Water | Venus | Courage, divination, love, protection, healing wounds, the I Ching stalks | Avoid in pregnancy; ragweed-family allergen |
| Yew | Earth | Saturn | Death and rebirth, the ancestors, Samhain, the churchyard tree, longevity | Every part is deadly except the red aril flesh; do not handle casually |
Using herbs in the Craft
- Smoke. Dried herbs burned on charcoal or as a bundle to cleanse space and carry intention. Rosemary, juniper, garden sage, lavender, cedar and pine are our everyday cleansers.
- Charm bags. A pinch each of three to seven herbs in a cloth bag, charged and carried. The oldest spell there is.
- Dressing candles, as described in Candle Magic.
- Washes and sprinkles. Herbs steeped in water, strained, and used to wash a threshold or sprinkle a circle. Not drunk.
- Offerings. Fresh herbs and flowers on the altar for the Goddess and God and the season.
- Growing them. The most powerful herb is the one you grew, picked, dried and know. A windowsill will do.