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Palm, Date - (Phoenix dactylifera) Magickal Uses: Dates and pieces of palm leaves are worn or carried for fertility; eat the dates to increase fertility in women, and men carry the pits to regain potency. The palm leaf is also kept near the door of the home to ward off evil and keep “uncanny creatures” away. Pansy - (Viola tricolor) Folk Names: Banewort, Banwort (Anglo-Saxon), Bird’s Eye, Bonewort (Anglo-Saxon), Bouncing Bet, Garden Violet, Heart’s Ease, Horse Violet, Johnny Jumper, Johnny Jump-Ups, Kiss-Me-At-The-Garden-Gate, Little Stepmother, Love Idol, Love-In-Idleness, Love-Lies Bleeding, Loving Idol, Meet-Me-In-The-Entry, Pensee (French), Stepmother, Tittle-My-Fancy Magickal Uses: The pansy draws love so it is worn or carried for this purpose. It is potent in love divinations. It is said that if you plant pansies in the shape of a heart and they prosper, so too will you love. Picking pansies with dew on them will ensure it will rain soon. Papaya - (Carica papaya) Folk Names: Paw-Paw Magickal Uses: A fruit that has a long tradition in island magick. To fulfill your needs, tie a rag around the limb of a papaya tree, while visualizing your needs. Several twigs hung over the door will keep evil outside the home. To increase the feelings of your love serve them papaya. Papyrus - (Cyperus papyrus) Magickal Uses: The Egyptians placed in, or made from, papyrus reeds, their boats to protect them from crocodile attack. Parosela - (Parosela spp. Dalea spp.) Folk Names: Citrus plant, Desert Rue Magickal Uses: Native Americans used paroseala in magickal charms for good hunting. Parsley - (Petroselinum sativum) Folk Names: Devil’s Oatmeal, Percely, Persil, Petersillie, Petroselinum, Rock Parsley The essential oil stimulates the appetite and regulates menstruation, but its main use now is that of a culinary herb. Expectant mothers should eat parsley and watercress during the pregnancy to keep the liver and kidneys strong. A bath in parsley tea is recommended before labor (and before rituals in general). ![]() Herbal Uses: The second-year roots, the leaf, and the seed are used. Parsley is diuretic and helpful for gravel and stone as well as for edema, jaundice, and kidney problems. The root is the most powerful part. The oil of the seed (five to fifteen drops) has been used to bring on menstruation. The seed, when decocted, has been used for intermittent fevers. Steep one teaspoon of leaf per cup for twenty minutes or simmer one teaspoon of the root or seed for twenty minutes. The dose is one-fourth cup, four times a day. Parsley leaves (with violet leaf and figwort herb when possible) are used in poultices for cancer. A parsley poultice will help insect bites, stings, and sore eyes. Parsley tea is used for asthma and coughs. Caution: Persons with weak kidneys should avoid this herb. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use petroselinum for very itchy hemorrhoids, as well as for urinary complaints such as a deep itch in the urinary tract, and gonorrhea with a sudden urge to urinate and a milky discharge. Magickal Uses: Parsley in linked with love; eating it induces lust and promotes fertility; cutting it ends love. The Greeks used parsley in funeral rites; it was held sacred to Persephone. It was wound into funeral wreaths and used to decorate tombs. Even though it is a plant associated with death it is also one of protection. The Romans used it for protection by tucking a sprig of it in their togas every morning. Chefs customarily place it on plates, originally to prevent contamination of the food. Use in purification baths to stop misfortune, and wearing a wreath to inhibit intoxication. Pasque Flower - (Anemone Pulsatilla) Folk Names: Pulsatilla Herbal Uses: The tincture of the flowering plant is used for digestive disturbances and illness involving the mucous membranes of the lung. Coughs, asthma, bronchitis, and whooping cough have been treated with pulsatilla. Mucous conditions in the eye and in diarrhea are addressed by it. Headaches, neuralgia, suppressed menstruation, and nervous exhaustion fall under its sphere. The tincture is made from the fresh plant. The dose is two to three drops in water, four times a day. Chinese herbalists use the root for amebic and bacterial dysentery and as a douche for vaginal trichomonas. Follow the standard method for decoction: use two teaspoons per cup and simmer for twenty minutes. Take one-fourth cup, four times a day. Because of its delicate composition, the tincture will last only about a year. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use Pulsatilla for conditions of changeable or contradictory nature. All symptoms are better when the person is in open air and undergoing gentle motion, even when the person is chilly and ill. Sadness and weeping are characteristics calling for this remedy, as are thick, bland, yellowish-green discharges. Fat foods, warm foods, and hot liquids make the patient worse. They will be better while receiving cold foods and applications, and worse in the evening hours. Magickal Uses: The anemone flower tends to droop gracefully and, in Greek legend, is said to have grown from the tears that Venus shed as she wept for the dead Adonis. For this reason, it is planted on graves. Passionflower - (Passiflora incarnata) Folk Names: Grandilla, Maracoc, Maypops, Passion Vine ![]() Herbal Uses: The dried herb is used for insomnia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, hysteria, shingles, and nervous conditions of all types. The heart and liver are affected by this cooling tonic. It is also used for diarrhea and dysentery, for its calming antispasmodic and sedative effects. Passionflower may be combined with valerian, skullcap, lady’s slipper, black cohosh, or hops for stress relief. Remember to avoid constipation and a diet rich in sugars, caffeine, and fats, as these further add to emotional stress. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use Passiflora incarnata for restlessness, exhaustion, worry, overwork, convulsions, nocturnal coughs, and asthma. Magickal Uses: Carry this flower to win friends and increase charisma, not passion. Brought into the home, passionflower calms and brings peace. Sprinkle it over the doorstep to keep harm from entering. Place it in power bundles and love spells to attract love. Burn it in incense to promote understanding. Under the pillow, it aids in sleep. Patchouli/Pathchouly - (Pogostemon cablin or P. patchouli) Folk Names: Pucha-Pot Patchouli may used as a substitute for graveyard dust. One of the most popular fragrances in the world. The heavy, distinctive scent of patchouli was made famous, or infamous, during the hippie generation of the 60’s. Also one of the most popular perfumes in the Orient and especially India. Patchouli is regarded as the strongest plant scent in the world. The leaves are excellent in potpourris and sachets. Magickal Uses: Because of its rich, earthy smell it is used in prosperity spells and potions. Sprinkle it on money, in purses and wallets, and around green candles. Add to sachets and baths for love and fertility operations. Traditionally, patchouli is used to attract people and to promote lust. (Contemporary American voodoo based herbal magick cites its use as a ‘separation’ herb, but this use does not have a long historical support.) Pea - (Pisum sativum) Historically, peas were cultivate for human consumption. In Egypt they have been found in tombs from the Middle Kingdom onwards, but on sites in Anatolia and Greece dating to the sixth millennium BC and earlier remains prove their use even earlier. Magickal Uses: Peas are connected to prosperity; the shelling of the pea brings good fortune and profit for business. Use dried peas in mixtures for prosperity. If a single female finds a pod with exactly nine peas and hands the pod over her door, then the first single man to walk through the door will become her mate. Peach - (Prunus persica) Magickal Uses: The fruit is used in operations involving love and fertility. Eat the fruit, or serve it to your intended, for love and to gain wisdom. It is thought that the wood of the peach tree, when carried will increase one’s life span and may lead to immortality. In the Orient, the peach tree’s branches are used to drive away evil spirits, root out illness, and as divining and magickal wands. Chinese children wear the pit around their neck to keep demons away. Pear - (Pyrus communis) Magickal Uses: Use in love spells and to induce lust. The wood may be used to make magickal wands. Legend tells that at one time Witches once danced beneath pear trees. Pecan - (Carya illinoensis) Magickal Uses: Pecans ensure prosperity and employment. Add to all money and prosperity spells. To ensure your employment, Shell a small amount of pecans, while slowly eating the meats, visualize yourself working and enjoying your job. Place the shells in a bag and keep them somewhere at work where they will not be discovered or removed. Pellitory of the Wall - (Parietaria officinalis, P. Judaica) A very old medicinal herb. Pellitory is a soothing diuretic used to treat urinary infections and stones. In France a poultice of fresh leaves is applied over the kidney area to treat cystitis and retention of urine. Pennyroyal, English - (Mentha pulegium, Hedoma pulegioides) Folk Names: Lurk-In-The-Ditch, Mosquito Plant, Organ Broth, Organ Tea, Piliolerian, Pudding Grass, Run-By-The-Ground, Squaw Mint, Tickweed The strong mint-scented leaves make an excellent ground cover. Pulegium is derived from the Latin pulex, meaning “flea”, because pennyroyal is a very effective flea and ant repellant. It is a common ingredient in many flea shampoos for pets. Although pennyroyal has been used in teas and cooking (notably the black pudding of Northern England) for centuries, it is not recommended for internal use. It contains pulegone, a toxic compound notorious for causing abortion, and also leads to irreversible kidney damage. Caution: Pennyroyal can cause allergic reactions. Herbal Uses: Pennyroyal tea is a classic remedy fro menstrual problems and for colds. Use two teaspoons of herb per cup of water, steep for twenty minutes, and take one-fourth cup four times a day. The tea is safe for children in small, frequent doses. The oil of pennyroyal can be rubbed directly on the abdomen to relieve menstrual cramps. It is also an effective natural mosquito repellent; mix it with citronella to repel flying and biting insects. In ancient times, pennyroyal was hung in the sickroom and in sleeping quarters. Pennyroyal tinctured in vinegar is used as a wash for ulcers, burns, and even leprosy. Spasms, hysteria, gas and stomach upset are helped by it. Follow the standard instructions for tincturing, but do not use alcohol. Used a good apple cider vinegar instead. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use Mentha pulegium for pain in the bones of the forehead and extremities. Magickal Uses: Pennyroyal is an herb of peace and protection when worn or carried. It is placed in the shoe when traveling to prevent weariness and to add strength. It wards off evil and aids in business negotiations. Pennyroyal will cause a quarreling couple to quit fighting and prevents seasickness. Tied on the bedpost, it sharpens the brain and wits. Pennyroyal kept in a bowl brings peace to the household. It is used to bathe the body of the deceased to bring a peaceful transition to the next life. Peony - (Paeonia officinallis) Folk Names: Paeony Peony may be used as a substitute for mandrake. Gather it only at night. It is said that the seeds shine with an eerie light. Magickal Uses: Peony is regarded to protect the body, spirit and soul. In the home it wards away evil spirits; in the garden, it keeps evil and storms away. The seeds and roots, called ‘piney beads’, are worn as a necklace for protection from mischievous fairies and imps. Combine the ‘piney beads’ with coral and flint to keep the incubus away. Add it to exorcism rituals and carry the root to cure lunacy. Pepper - (Piper nigrum) Folk Names: Black Pepper Pepper is a perennial shrub growing wild and now cultivated commercially in a number of countries. The leaves are glossy and ovate, the flower white, followed by round yellow to red fruit. It contains volatile oil and other constituents rendering it stomachic, carminative, antibacterial, insecticide, diaphoretic, stimulant, and of course, much favored as a condiment. In East Africa it is used to induce abortion and as a mosquito repellant. Magickal Uses: Black pepper is added to amulets for protection from evil and to free yourself from envious thoughts. When mixed with salt and sprinkled around the home it dispels evil. Peppermint - (Mentha piperita) Folk Names: Brandy Mint, Lammint The place of origin of this well known perennial in unknown. Peppermint is used to treat flatulence, as a digestive and antiseptic, and for toothaches and colds. The essential oil contains menthol. In the days of Apicius it was widely used in cooking. In England it is also the traditional accompaniment to lamb, whereas in the Middle East it flavors yogurt and honey, and is widely used for a tea. Liqueurs and confectionary also benefit from the characteristic aroma of the herb. Magickal Uses: The presence of peppermint raises the vibrations so it has long been used in healing and purification spells. Rub your furniture, walls, and floors for this. Its aroma will compel sleep and may bring prophetic dreams. Pliny recommended adding peppermint to love spells, as it “excites love.” Pepper Tree - (Schinus molle) Folk Names: California Pepper Tree, Peruvian Mastic Tree, Piru (Spanish) Magickal Uses: Mexican curanderos have long used branches of the pepper tree in healing rituals. The afflicted is brushed with the branch to draw out the disease and then burned to destroy the illness. Rue may be used along with the pepper branch. Mexican spiritualists and brujas add the leaves to ritual purification baths. The bright red berries are carried for protection. Periwinkle - (Vinca minor) Poison Folk Names: Blue Buttons, Centocchiio (Italian: Hundred Eyes), Devil’s Eye, Joy on the Ground, Sorcerer’s Violet Considered a powerful magickal herb, periwinkle should be gathered according to the Pseudo-Apuleius in a strict manor to ensure its efficacy in the operation. It is to be gathered when one is ‘clean of every uncleanness’’ when the Moon is one night old, nine nights old, eleven nights old or thirteen nights old, and the following incantation should be uttered while plucking the plant: Herbal Uses: The herb is a familiar woodland groundcover, which bears blue flowers in spring. It is brewed as a tea for diarrhea, heavy menstruation, and hemorrhages. Chewing the plant relieves toothache. The tea is sedative and is beneficial for hysteria, fits, and nervous states. Use two teaspoons per cup, steep for twenty minutes, and take in quarter-cup doses four times a day. Make a poultice of the herb to relieve cramps in the limbs. The leaves are used in salves for hemorrhoids and inflammations. Use the tea as a gargle for sore throat and tonsillitis. The fresh flowers are made into a syrup laxative, which is excellent for small children as well as adults. To make a syrup, boil three pounds of Sucanat (desiccated sugar cane juice) in one pint of water until you get a syrup consistency, and then steep the herbs in the hot liquid for twenty minutes, or simmer the herbs in honey or maple syrup for about ten minutes, strain, and store in the refrigerator (use two teaspoons of the herb per cup of liquid). Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use Vinca minor in low potencies as a remedy for oozing eczema, mild itching, hemorrhages, and diphtheria. Magickal Uses: Once called “sorcerer’s violet”, periwinkle is used in love charms and potions. A powerful charm against evil spirits, it was also called the “flower of death,” as it was made into crowns for dead children at their burial. In Germany it was known as the “flower of immortality,” and in France it symbolized friendship. Carry this plant to obtain grace, to attract money, and for protection from snakes, poison, wild beasts, terror, and evil spirits. Place it over the door to protect the home. Use in Love spells to increase passion. To restore lost memories, gaze at the periwinkle. One should never bring fewer than seven blossoms into the house. Persimmon - (Diospyros virginiana) An interesting folk legend from Alabama is that they believed that if a girl wanted to change her sex (become a boy), all she had to do was to eat nine unripe persimmons. She would then become a boy within two weeks. Magickal Uses: Burying green persimmons is said to bring good luck. Pilot Weed - (Silphium laciniatum) Folk Names: Bumweed, Compass Point Magickal Uses: To advert a lightning strike from your home, burn the root of pilot weed during the storm. Pimpernel - (Pimpinella spp.) Folk Names: Blessed Herb, Greater Pimpernel, Herb of Mary, Luib na muc, Pimpinella, Poorman’s Weatherglass, Shepherd’s Weatherglass The power of the pimpernel is said to be so great that when dropped into a running stream, it will move against the current. Magickal Uses: Use the juice of the pimpernel for purification and empowerment of magickal blades. Carry it for protection and against deception. When in the home, it prevents illness and accidents. Pine - (Pinus spp.) Pine is the ”tree of peace” of the Native American Iroquois confederacy. Burn pine to purify the home, and decorate with its branches to bring healing and joy. Herbal Uses: The needles and young twigs of the white pine (Pinus strobes, Pinus alba) are made into infusions for coughs and as an antiscorbutic; use two teaspoons per cup of water and simmer for twenty minutes. High in vitamin C, they helped our ancestors get through the long winters. The knot of the wood is boiled with angelica, acanthpoanax, quince, and mulberry branches to make a bath for arthritis and rheumatism. Pine needles are simmered into massage oils. The oil is used externally to relieve rheumatic pain, chronic bronchitis, sciatica, pneumonia, and nephritis. Simply cover the needles with a good quality olive oil and simmer at a low heat for twenty minutes or place in a low (180º) oven overnight. The resin heals the kidneys, liver, and lungs. The scent is calming to the lungs and nerves. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use Pinus sylvestris (Scotch pine) for rheumatism with bronchial symptoms and an itchy rash. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis = Pinus canadensis = Abies Canadensis) is indicated for gnawing hunger, fever, and chills. Pica mariana = Abies nigra (Black Spruce) is used for stomach pains that come after eating, after drinking tea or using tobacco, and in the aged, who experience constipation and heart symptoms. Magickal Uses: Pine is a tree of peace and, being an evergreen, an herb of immortality. Its wood is used to make coffins, and its boughs are placed on graves to remind the living that life is eternal and death but a transition to a different reality. Burn the needles to bring harmony and healing to the bereaved. Pineapple - (Ananas comusus) Magickal Uses: Add it to the ritual bath for good luck as juice or as dried, and in a bag. The juice is also used to deter lust. Add the dried peel or flesh to mixtures for money. Pipsissewa - (Chimaphila umbellata) Folk Names: False Wintergreen, Ground Holly, Price’s Pine, Princess Pine Magickal Uses: Carry to attract money. For a magickal aid that draws good spirits, crush pipsissewa and blend with rose hips and violet flowers. Burn this mixture as incense. Pistachio - (Pistachia vera) Magickal Uses: Pistachios have a very interesting magickal history; in Arabia they are eaten to reverse love spells. A use for them in voodoo magick is as an antidote to the trances of zombieism and to bring them the rest of death. The pistachios that have been dyed red are considered the best for this purpose. Plaintain - (Plantago lanceolata, P. major, P. media) Folk Names: Cuckoo’s Bread, Englishman’s Foot, The Leaf of Patrick, Patrick’s Dock, Ripple Grass, St. Patrick’s Leaf, Ribwort, Slan-lus, Snakebite, Snakeweed, Waybread, Wayboard, Weybroed (Anglo-Saxon), White Man’s Foot Herbal Uses: Ribwort, or the lance-leaf plaintain (P. lanceolata), is especially suitable for lung and throat problems, especially when there is mucous congestion. A tea of the dried leaf helps coagulate blood. Steep two teaspoons of herb per cup of water for twenty minutes and take up to one and a half cups a day in one-fourth cup doses, unsweetened. The juice of the fresh plant helps with gastrointestinal problems; one teaspoon of the fresh juice is taken in water or milk three times a day. The fresh leaves are used in poultices for insect bites, wounds, and hemorrhoids. Plantago major, the broad-leaved plantain, is used in the same way, and its juice also relieves bladder problems and stomach ulcers. The tea of the leaf is used in douches. Plantain poultices are very effective for wound healing; adding a pinch of cayenne pepper will encourage embedded material such as glass and splinters to emerge. Plantago media, the wooly plaintain, is used the same way as the others. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use Plantego major for earache, toothache, and eye pain due to tooth decay or ear infection. Pyorrhea, depression, and insomnia are treated by it. It causes an aversion to tobacco. The tincture is applied locally to toothache, otorrhea, pruritus, incised wounds, and poison-oak. Magickal Uses: A protective herb. A piece of it in your pocket will protect from snakebites. Hung in the car it prevents evil spirits from entering it. When bound to the head with red wool it cures headaches, and placed beneath the feet, weariness. Plum - (Prunus domestica) Magickal Uses: The fruit is eaten to bring love and keep it alive. Place the branches of the plum tree over your doors and windows to protect the home from evil. Plum, Wild - (Prunus americana) In North America, plum sprouts are made into prayer sticks by the Dakota people. They are peeled and painted, and then an offering of sacred tobacco is attached to the end. The prayer sticks are used in healing ceremonies, placed around the altar and into the ground. Plumeria - (Plumeria acutifolia) Poison Folk Names: Frangipangi, Graveyard Flowers, Melia (Hawaiian), Temple Tree Magickal Uses: Use the flowers in love spells. Poison Hemlock - (Conium maculatum) The execution herb. Every part of this plant is extremely poisonous, although it is used medicinally by very brave professionals. The juice was used in ancient times to execute criminals. Socrates being its most notable victum. John Gerard 1633 Poke - (Phytolacca americana) Poison Folk Names: Coakum, Cocan, Crowberry, Garget, Inkberry, Pigeon Berry, Pocan, Pokeberry Root, Poke Root, Scoke, Virginian Poke A magickal ink may be made by crushing the berries. Herbal Uses: The young and tender spring roots are boiled and eaten with butter, or dried and roasted to make a coffee-like brew, sometimes blended with a coffee-bean mixture. The leaves are eaten in salads—but use only very young leaves. Use only cautiously! Over use may cause death. Magickal Uses: To break hexes and curses make an infusion and sprinkle around the home at the new Moon. May also be added to the bath water. Do not ingest. Carry it for courage. When you have lost an item, mix together poke, hydrangea, violet and galangal and sprinkle the mixture in the area where the item was last seen. Pomegranate - (Punica granatum) Folk Names: Carthage Apple, Grenadier, Malicorio, Malum Punicum, Pound Garnet The pomegranate grows wild in south-west Asia and is cultivated in Mediterranean countries. It is shrub or tree with scarlet, scented flowers and later a hard yellowish fruit full of bright red seeds. On the Greco-Roman world the pomegranate was synonymous with fertility. The inside of the fruit yields the true grenadine, and the fresh juice is a favorite drink in Cairo. The bark of the trunk and the root are used in medicine, as they contain tannin, particularly efficient for expelling tapeworms. In ancient Egypt the fruit was consumed, and the flowers set in bouquets and garlands. The rind was used to dye leather yellow. In modern Iraq it is used for similar purposes, mixed with water. The juice may be used as a substitute for blood and as magickal ink. Magickal Uses: This is considered a lucky magickal fruit that will grant wishes that are made before eating it. The seeds are linked to fertility. They are eaten to increase fertility and women may discern the number of children they will have by throwing one hard at the ground. The number of seeds that fall out is the number of children. The skin is also used for fertility by carrying it and when dried added to wealth and money incenses. The branch is also used for prosperity by discovering hidden wealth and attracting money. The branches are also hung over doorways to guard against evil. Pondweed - (Potamogeton schweinfurthii, P. lucens) Pondweed is an aquatic plant, almost totally submerged in water, with upper leaves sometimes floating on the surface. It grows in the Delta and in the Ismailiya Canal of Egypt. The fruits are used for their astringent and refreshing effect. Poplar - (Populus tremuloides) Herbal Uses: The bark of P. tremuloides is used in decoctions for fevers, urinary infection, and gonorrhea. The sticky, resinous winter buds of all poplars are used internally as tea, and externally in salves for coughs, sore throats, cuts, scratches, wounds, and burns. The buds of P. nigra (black poplar) are made into a tea to help arthritis and rheumatism. To prepare the bark or bud as tea, simmer two teaspoons of plant per cup of water for twenty minutes, strain, and take one-fourth cup four times a day. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use P. canadicans (balm of Gilead) in tincture for acute colds with loss of voice. P. tremuloides (American aspen) is used for bladder problems, night sweats, indigestion, nausea, and enlarged prostrate. Magickal Uses: This is a prosperity herb. Use the buds and leaves to attract money by carrying or burning as incense. They are sometimes added to flying ointments. In ancient Greece, the black poplar was a funeral tree, held sacred to the Earth Mother. In ancient Ireland, the fe, or measuring rod used by coffin makers, was made of poplar wood. In Mesopotamia, corpses were decorated with golden headdresses of poplar. Its trembling leaves are said to be sensitive to the messages of the Gods, Goddesses, and spirits, which drift in the winds. Poppy - (Papaver spp.) Folk Names: Blind Bluff, Blindeyes, Headaches, Head Waak At one time, talismans used to draw wealth, contained gilded poppy seed heads. The main constituent in the plant, particularly in the latex, is morphine. It acts as an analgesic, narcotic, stimulant and euphoric. In the classical world it was used as a sedative. Overdoses are fatal. Magickal Uses: The seeds of the poppy are added to food or carried in sachets to promote love. To gain the answer to a question, with blue ink, write it on a piece of white paper. Place the paper inside the seedpod and sleep with it beneath your pillow for the answer to come to you in your dreams. According to tradition, soaking the seeds in wine for fifteen days, and then drinking it for the next five days, while fasting, will make you invisible at will. Potato - (Solanum tuberosum) Folk Names: Bakers, Blye Eyes, Flukes, Lapstones, Leather Jackets, Murphies, No Eyes, Pinks, Red Eyes, Taters, Tatties, White Rose Potatoes make useful poppets and the ‘eye’s can be used as the eyes of other type of poppets. Magickal Uses: Potatoes are carried as protection against several ailments: toothaches, rheumatism, colds, warts and gout. One draw back to using it to protect against a cold is that the same one must be carried in the pocket all winter long Prickly Ash - (Zanthoxylum americanum) Magickal Uses: Add the fruit of the prickly as to perfumes that are made to attract love. Primrose - (Primula vulgaris) Folk Names: butter Rose, English Cowslip, Password Some feel that primrose represents impiety. Herbal Uses: See Cowslip. Homeopathic Uses: See Cowslip. Magickal Uses: Growing in the garden, blue and red primroses attract fairies and protect it from all misfortunes. They are carried to attract love and worn to cure madness. To gain your child’s respect and loyalty, sew them into their pillows. Pulsatilla - See Pasque Flower Pumpkin - (Cucurbita pepo) Herbal Uses: Pumpkin is a New World plant that has recently entered the neo-Pagan tradition. The seed is useful against worms. Make “pumpkin milk” by blending the seeds with water; use seven to fourteen ounces of seed for a child, up to twenty-five ounces for an adult. Drink on an empty stomach, and follow three hours later with a dose of castor oil. In cases of tapeworm, be sure the entire worm is expelled (repeat the dose if needed). The roasted or raw seeds are said to strengthen the male reproductive organ and can be eaten freely. Homeopathic Uses: Homeopaths use a tincture of the pumpkin seed for nausea of pregnancy and seasickness. Magickal Uses: To the ancient Celts, the spirit of a person was located in the head. Light a candle in your jack-o’-lantern to honor the spirits of the living and the dead. Purslane - (Portulaca sativa) Folk Names: Garden Purslane, Golden Purslane, Pigweed Purslane grows wild in India and has been cultivated in Europe. It is an annual with succulent, edible stems, blunt leaves and yellow flowers. It is rich in vitamin C and has been used to treat scurvy. The leaves have a sharp flavor and can be used in salads when young, in stews when older. They can be applied to feverish brows with cooling effect and to inflamed eyes. The herb is diuretic. Magickal Uses: This is an herb of protection and happiness. When placed on the bed it keeps nightmares away. Carried it draws love and evil at bay. Soldiers have carried it in battle as protection. Around the home it brings happiness. Pyrethrum - (Tanacetum cinerarifolium) One of the safest organic insecticides in use today comes from this plant. The pretty flowers contain pyrethrins, which act on the nervous system of most insects, but are harmless to birds and mammals. To make your own pyrethrum spray, just mix one tablespoon of ground dried flowers with one quart of hot water, steep until cool and spray on bug-infested plants. Warning: Some people can be allergic, so use caution. |