My Herbal Pharmacopeia..

I’ve loved growing and using herbs as long as I can remember. I used to treat my cats and sled dogs in Alaska with various berries and plants growing outside our home. Without formal training, I did what made sense to me..which is what happens when you’re an eight year old, clairsentient and precocious witchling, embracing her solitary herbal practice. I was ever ready with poultices for insect bites and wraps for their paws if they happened to injure themselves. Mosquitoes were everywhere up there, creating endless opportunities for healing. That year, another dog musher and his family went outside for the summer to Idaho. They left their dogs with me. All told, there were over 120 dogs for me to feed, love and minister to. I was in little witch heaven. Oh, and you’re either “inside” Alaska, or “outside” Alaska. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing at the time. You’re either inside or outside. Beyond that, I don’t remember why we refer to it that way. And yes, even though I was born in California and now live in Oregon, I’m an Alaskan at heart. And I don’t know anyone who feels differently about that. Once you live there, it’s home.

I like making salves, oils, tinctures and incense with herbs. I’ve made Dit Da Jow, a martial arts bruise oil, for years. It’s a staple in our home. It dissipates bruises, alleviates pain, and speeds healing. Smudge sticks are fun to make as well. Rosemary, sage, lavender, juniper, cedar, mugwort..are all great for smudging. Herbal incense is different from that you buy in the store. This type is typically blended together with resin based incense such as copal, frankincense, or myrrh, and then burned on a piece of charcoal. And I’m not referring to grilling charcoal. It’s the kind that is used in censers. Witch, Pagan and religious supply stores carry it as does Amazon.

Herbs can be infused into various types of oil for use in both culinary and medicinal applications. I typically use sweet almond oil for most things, but olive, grapeseed, and jojoba are useful as well. Hemp oil is fairly dark, and tends to turn everything green, so I use it less than the others. Jojoba is especially nice when making salves and lotions. Coconut oil is also very nice to use. Coconut oil is incredibly healing, both internally and externally and binds well with many herbs. I use it when I make cannabis based capsules because the two interact so well. It’s also great as a base for cannabis salves. Plus, it’s awesome to cook with. And yes, I’m an OMMP patient, and cannabis is a medicinal herb, so there. On the culinary side, olive and grapeseed oils are great for blending herbal oils for use in cooking. Witch Hazel is another carrier that’s cool to use. A thyme/witch hazel infusion is great for insect bites and can be put into a spray bottle for easy application.

Herb use in ritual work is common and consideration is made regarding moon phase, day of the week, time of day, etc. when working with herbs. I may blend an oil for anointing candles during energy work, or make a sachet to place under a pillow to have positive dreams. Mugwort can be used as well in a sachet for lucid dreaming or astral projection. If the moon is waning, then an herb that helps in dispelling negative energy or illness for example can be used. Witches are typically herbalists by nature and since herbs are essential for creating healing oils, teas, tinctures, and salves, it’s not uncommon to find an herb garden growing near the kitchen door. Additionally, herbs may be gathered in the wild. Or from my yard. I have plantain growing everywhere and whenever I get stung by a bee or bitten by a mosquito, I gather plantain leaves from the yard, smash them up a bit, then rub them on the sting or bite. It works great. Trust me, one person’s weed is another person’s medicinal herb. When I don’t grow something, I buy it, either locally, or online.

The simplest herbal remedy is tea or tisane. Spearmint, Peppermint, Chamomile can be used for digestive complaints. It’s fun to blend herbs together for teas. Adding lemongrass or lemon balm adds a nice flavor to mint or chamomile. Both lemongrass and lemon balm also help with respiratory conditions and pain relief, with lemon balm reportedly calming anxiety and helping with restful sleep. I’m thinking of adding stevia to the blend to see what happens.

So, I went to my herb cupboard and selected my herbs for blending.

The first herbal tea I blended was for cough or respiratory problems. I blended Spearmint, Stevia, Horehound, and Lemon Balm. Horehound and lemon balm, or melissa as it’s also called, are the primary herbs with spearmint and stevia for flavor. Besides, I like spearmint in just about everything so I often use it. I don’t measure anything or typically use other recipes for teas. I just blend what I have for whatever I need at the time. The fun is in the creative process, not to mention all the herb books to research from. John Lust’s, The Herb Book, Mrs. Grieve’s, A Modern Herbal Vols 1 & 2, Nancy Arrowsmith’s, Essential Herbal Wisdom, Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs and Incense, Oils, and Brews..the list is endless, as is my library.

The next tea I blended was for general gastric issues. I blended peppermint, spearmint, chamomile, stevia, and a touch of lemongrass. I grow everything I use, so I know where it all comes from and whether or not someone sprayed pesticide on the plants. I don’t use anything like that, so I know everything I grow is safe to consume.

A note about horehound. It was growing on our property prior to our purchasing our home. That was thirty three years ago. It’s still here. No matter what I do, it comes up in the strangest places. It must be birds because I don’t plant it there. I plan to put in a gazebo next spring in an area it grows and I know it will come up through the pavers I put down. I would not, for any reason, ever plant horehound at the bottom of the front deck, nevertheless, as you can see from the picture below, it’s there. I’d say it’s a menace, but it’s so healing that I’ll never get rid of it. The same is true of the comfrey that grows on the property. I didn’t plant it, but it’s everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finished product!

And now, after blessing and empowering the herbs, it’s time for a cup of tea!

 

As I said when I began, I’ve loved herbs as long as I can remember. I love how they grow, smell, feel and taste. Herbs provide healing and beauty in our lives and I’ll never stop learning about them. From preparation of the soil, to planting the seed, tending to the herbs as they grow, all the way to harvest, learning about and interacting with plants that will contribute to my own and my family’s health is magickal indeed!

Blessed Be the magickal and healing herbs!