A herbarium of 82 magical plants and trees and 24 fungi — rulers, seasons, folklore and clear safety warnings — with a blend maker for sachets, incense, oils and washes, when to gather each plant, the festivals that use it, and your own herb cabinet with the blends it can make. Two pictures open the herbarium: the gatherer's year, a wheel of what is in season each month with the festivals on its rim, and Culpeper's garden, seven planetary beds whose leaves show how safe each herb is. Grind a sachet or incense blend yourself in a mortar, working the pestle round until the leaves are powder, sunwise or against the sun as your aim asks.
mixer19 lessons explain the ideas behind this tool.
Safety first. This is a guide to magical lore and external, symbolic use — sachets, altars, incense and charms. It is not a foraging guide or medical advice. Never eat or drink a wild plant or fungus because of anything here: many are poisonous, some deadly ones look like edible ones, and herbs can interact with medicines and pregnancy.
Each month carries a leaf for every plant here that flowers or is gathered then in Britain. The eight festivals stand on the rim. Tap a month.
January · now
Green: kitchen-safe · gold: use with care · red: poisonous or deadly · violet: controlled. Tap a plant to find it below.
Culpeper's English Physitian (1652) gave nearly every herb a ruling planet. Here they grow in seven beds round a sundial, one for each planet, each leaf coloured by how safe the plant is. Tap a bed to show only its herbs.
He matched herb to illness by sympathy, a herb of the planet that caused it, or by antipathy, a herb of the opposing planet. Lore only: not medical advice.
Agrimonia eupatoria · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Air
Returning ill wishes to their sender; a sleep charm under the pillow.
A medieval English verse claimed that agrimony laid under a man's head would make him sleep as if dead until it was taken away.
Angelica archangelica · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Protection and blessing; hung in the house or carried.
Said to have been revealed by the archangel Michael as a remedy for plague, and nicknamed 'root of the Holy Ghost'.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Makes skin sensitive to sunlight. Avoid in pregnancy. In the wild it is easily confused with deadly hemlock and water dropwort — never forage it.
Malus domestica · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love charms and Samhain divination; offerings to the dead.
Peel thrown over the shoulder was said to fall in the shape of a future lover's initial. Avalon is the 'isle of apples'; cut across, an apple shows a five-pointed star.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: The seeds contain small amounts of cyanide-forming compounds; don't eat them in quantity.
Fraxinus excelsior · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Wands and staffs; even-ash leaves (with an even number of leaflets) carried for luck and love.
The world tree Yggdrasil is usually pictured as an ash. Children were passed through split ash saplings to cure ruptures, as Gilbert White recorded in Selborne.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Ash dieback is killing many trees; take only fallen wood.
Ocimum basilicum · ♂ Mars (Culpeper) · Fire
Money and love charms; a pot by the door for protection.
Culpeper repeats the old claim that basil breeds scorpions. In Italy a pot of basil on the balcony signalled a woman ready to receive her lover.
Laurus nobilis · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Write a wish on a leaf and burn it; leaves under the pillow for prophetic dreams.
Sacred to Apollo. Victors were crowned with laurel, and the Delphic priestess was said to chew or burn it before prophesying.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Don't confuse it with cherry laurel or mountain laurel, which are poisonous.
Atropa belladonna · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Water
Studied for its history only. Named in early-modern accounts of witches' 'flying ointments'.
Caution: Every part is poisonous; a few berries can kill a child. Do not grow it where children or animals can reach it.
Its name means 'beautiful lady': Italian women once used drops to widen their pupils. Atropa is named after Atropos, the Fate who cuts the thread of life.
Betonica officinalis · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Fire
Protection against nightmares and evil spirits; planted in churchyards.
The Old English Herbarium praises it above almost every plant, as good for both soul and body and a shield against monstrous night-visitors and terrifying dreams.
Betula pendula · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Besoms and new beginnings; birch twigs for sweeping out the old.
Prunus spinosa · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Fire
Thorns for protective and binding charms; blackthorn walking sticks.
Its white blossom on bare branches brings the cold snap called 'blackthorn winter'. Scottish lore linked blackthorn staffs with witches and the Devil.
Stones of Saturn →Saturn in Correspondences →
Caution: Thorn wounds easily become infected. Sloe stones are poisonous; sloes are only used in gin and jellies.
Borago officinalis · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Air
Courage and cheer; flowers floated in drinks for a feast or carried before a hard task.
An old Latin tag has the plant say 'I, borage, always bring courage'. Pliny thought it banished sadness.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: Contains alkaloids harmful to the liver; don't take it regularly as a tea or supplement.
Arctium lappa · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Protection charms; burrs strung together and hung as a ward.
Each August the Burryman of South Queensferry walks the town covered head to foot in burrs. Burrs famously inspired Velcro.
Nepeta cataria · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love and friendship charms; gifts for familiar cats.
Cats roll in it with delight. An old folk claim said that chewing the root made even a gentle person fierce.
Cedrus spp. · ♃ Jupiter (later tradition) · Fire
Purifying incense; cedar chips in boxes that hold tools and cards.
Solomon's Temple was built with cedar of Lebanon, and Egyptians used cedar oil in embalming.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: Burn in a ventilated room.
Matricaria chamomilla · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Water
Peace and sleep sachets; a hand-wash for luck in money and games.
One of the herbs of the Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm. The Egyptians are said to have dedicated it to the Sun.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Can cause reactions in people allergic to ragweed or daisies.
Cinnamomum verum · ☉ Sun (later tradition) · Fire
Success and money incense; a pinch in love and luck charms.
A sacred perfume ingredient in Exodus 30 and a luxury of the ancient spice trade.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: The essential oil burns skin; don't apply it undiluted.
Syzygium aromaticum · ♃ Jupiter (later tradition) · Fire
Pomanders, money and protection charms; a strong, warm incense.
Cloves were once worth more than their weight in gold. Oranges studded with cloves were carried against plague and still hang at Christmas.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: Clove oil burns skin and is dangerous to swallow.
Symphytum officinale · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Water
A leaf tucked in luggage to protect travellers and their belongings.
Caution: Contains alkaloids that damage the liver. Not to be eaten or drunk; external use only, and not on broken skin.
Called 'knitbone': its leaves were wrapped around broken limbs.
Coriandrum sativum · ♂ Mars (Culpeper) · Fire
Love charms; seeds added to sachets for lasting affection.
Coriander appears in a love potion in the Thousand and One Nights, and its seeds were found in Tutankhamun's tomb.
Primula veris · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Fairy offerings and May Day garlands; finding what is hidden.
Called 'keys of heaven' and 'St Peter's keys' after its bunch of golden flowers. In fairy lore it shows the way to hidden treasure.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Wild cowslips should be left alone; grow your own. Can irritate sensitive skin.
Bellis perennis · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love divination — 'he loves me, he loves me not' — and daisy chains for children's protection.
Taraxacum officinale · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Air
Blow the seed-clock to send a wish or a message; tell the time or a lover's thoughts.
From the French dent de lion, 'lion's tooth', for its jagged leaves.
Anethum graveolens · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Fire
Hung over doors and cradles against witchcraft.
An old rhyme: 'Vervain and dill / Hinder witches of their will.'
Sambucus nigra · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Protection of house and threshold; ask the Elder Mother's permission before cutting.
The Elder Mother was said to live in the tree, and elder wood was never burned or made into cradles. Judas was said to have hanged himself on an elder.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Raw berries, leaves, bark and roots can cause poisoning; the berries must be cooked.
Euphrasia officinalis · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Air
Clear sight and second sight; placed beside the scrying mirror.
A classic signature: its small flowers look like bloodshot eyes, so it was given for sore eyes.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Never put homemade preparations in your eyes.
Foeniculum vulgare · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Fire
Hung over doors at Midsummer; seeds in keyholes to keep out spirits.
Prometheus carried fire from heaven in a hollow stalk of giant fennel. It is one of the Nine Herbs.
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: Concentrated oil is unsafe in pregnancy and for young children.
Digitalis purpurea · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
A fairy plant, grown in the garden and left alone.
Caution: All parts can stop the heart. Wear gloves and wash hands after touching.
'Folk's glove' — gloves of the fairy folk. In 1785 William Withering published its use for heart disease; digitalis medicines come from it.
Boswellia sacra · ☉ Sun (later tradition) · Fire
The universal incense of offering, consecration and prayer.
Burned in Egyptian temples and the Temple in Jerusalem, and brought by the Magi. Agrippa gives it to the Sun.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Burn in a ventilated room; incense smoke irritates lungs.
Allium sativum · ♂ Mars (Culpeper) · Fire
Braids hung against illness and harmful spirits.
Homer's Odysseus resisted Circe's magic with moly, often guessed to be a wild garlic. Its fame against vampires is Balkan folklore made famous by Dracula.
Zingiber officinale · ♂ Mars (later tradition) · Fire
Adds fire and speed to any charm; courage and success.
A treasured medieval spice. Elizabeth I is credited with having the first gingerbread figures made in the likenesses of her guests.
Crataegus monogyna · ♂ Mars (Culpeper) · Fire
Beltane garlands; a lone hawthorn is a fairy tree, never cut.
Bringing may blossom indoors was thought to invite death. The Holy Thorn at Glastonbury was said to have grown from Joseph of Arimathea's staff.
Stones of Mars →Mars in Correspondences →
Caution: The seeds inside the berries contain cyanide-forming compounds.
Corylus avellana · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Air
Wands and divining rods; nuts for wisdom and Samhain love divination.
In Irish myth nine hazels drop their nuts into the well of wisdom, where the salmon of knowledge eats them.
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: Nut allergy.
Calluna vulgaris · ♀ Venus (later tradition) · Water
Luck and protection; heather besoms for sweeping a space.
White heather is lucky in Scotland, a custom Queen Victoria helped to popularise. Heather was used for thatch, bedding, brooms and ale.
Conium maculatum · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Water
Studied for its history only.
Caution: Lethal in small amounts and easily mistaken for wild carrot, cow parsley and angelica. Never forage umbellifers without expert identification.
The poison given to Socrates in 399 BCE. Its purple-blotched stem gives it the old name 'kex' and the warning 'the Devil's blood'.
Hyoscyamus niger · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Water
Studied for its history only.
Caution: Poisonous in every part; causes delirium and can kill.
Brewed into medieval beer before hops, and named in witch-trial and flying-ointment accounts. Its seeds were burned in some ancient divination.
Ilex aquifolium · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Fire
Yule greenery to protect the house through winter; planted near houses against lightning.
Caution: The berries are poisonous, especially to children and pets.
Lonicera periclymenum · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Earth
Devotion and binding in love; sweet-scented altar flowers.
Also called woodbine for the way it binds trees. 'So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle gently entwist' (A Midsummer Night's Dream).
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: The red berries are poisonous.
Hyssopus officinalis · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Fire
Ritual cleansing — sprinkled or used in a wash.
'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean' (Psalm 51). The biblical plant was probably a different herb, but the name stuck.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: The essential oil can cause seizures; avoid in pregnancy and epilepsy.
Hedera helix · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Water
Fidelity and binding; Yule greenery with holly.
Caution: Berries and leaves are poisonous; the sap irritates skin.
Jasminum officinale · ☽ Moon (later tradition) · Water
Moon work, love and prophetic dreams.
Its scent is strongest at night, which made it a flower of the Moon. In India it is woven into garlands for weddings and the gods.
Stones of the Moon →Moon in Correspondences →
Caution: Not the same as false jasmine (Gelsemium), which is deadly.
Juniperus communis · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Smoke for cleansing a house — the Scottish 'saining' at New Year.
Highland households burned juniper to purify the home and byre at Hogmanay. A local alternative to smudging with white sage.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Avoid ingesting in pregnancy or with kidney problems. Burn only with ventilation.
Lavandula angustifolia · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Air
Sleep pillows, peace sachets and cleansing washes.
Its name may come from Latin lavare, 'to wash': Romans scented their baths with it.
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: Don't swallow the essential oil.
Melissa officinalis · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Water
Joy and comfort; offered to bees and to friends.
Melissa means 'honeybee'. Paracelsus called it an elixir of life.
Mandragora officinarum · ☿ Mercury (later tradition) · Earth
Studied for its history; whole roots were kept as household charms.
Caution: Every part is poisonous. Not for any use but study.
Its forked root looks human. Legend said it shrieked when pulled up, killing whoever heard it, so a dog was tied to it to do the work. English 'mandrakes' sold by quacks were often carved bryony roots.
Calendula officinalis · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Garlands and altar flowers for the Sun; petals under the pillow for dreams of a lover.
Its flowers open and close with the sun, so it was 'the summer's bride'. Calendula means 'little calendar', since it flowers in almost every month.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Don't confuse it with French marigolds (Tagetes).
Origanum majorana · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Air
Love, joy and comfort for the grieving.
Greek and Roman couples were crowned with marjoram, said to have been created by Aphrodite. Planted on a grave, it was a sign the dead were happy.
Filipendula ulmaria · ♀ Venus (later tradition) · Water
Love and peace; strewn for weddings and handfastings.
In the Welsh Mabinogion the magicians make Blodeuwedd from the flowers of oak, broom and meadowsweet. Elizabeth I liked it strewn in her rooms.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Contains salicylates; not for anyone allergic to aspirin.
Mentha spicata · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Air
Money charms (a leaf in the purse) and refreshing washes.
Named after Minthe, a nymph whom Persephone turned into the plant.
Viscum album · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Air
Hung for peace and love at midwinter; a protective charm.
Caution: The berries and leaves are poisonous.
Pliny describes druids in white cutting it from an oak with a golden sickle. In Norse myth Baldur was killed by a mistletoe dart.
Aconitum napellus · ♄ Saturn (later tradition) · Water
Studied for its history only.
Caution: One of the most poisonous plants in Britain. Even handling it can cause symptoms — wear gloves.
Greek myth says it sprang from the foam of Cerberus' jaws when Heracles dragged him from the underworld. Called wolfsbane, it was used to poison wolves.
Botrychium lunaria · ☽ Moon (Culpeper) · Water
A Moon emblem; drawn or pictured rather than picked.
Its leaflets are shaped like half-moons. Culpeper repeats the old belief that it could open locks and pull the shoes from horses that trod on it.
Stones of the Moon →Moon in Correspondences →
Caution: Rare and declining; never pick it.
Artemisia vulgaris · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Earth
Dream pillows, washes for scrying mirrors, and protection for travellers (a sprig in the shoe).
'Eldest of worts' in the Nine Herbs Charm; Roman soldiers were said to put it in their sandals against weariness. Named for Artemis.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Avoid in pregnancy. It is in the ragweed family and causes allergies.
Verbascum thapsus · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Fire
Dried stalks dipped in fat were burned as torches; leaves carried for courage.
Called 'hag's taper' and 'candlewick plant' because of those torches.
Stones of Saturn →Saturn in Correspondences →
Caution: The fine hairs irritate the throat and skin.
Commiphora myrrha · ♄ Saturn (later tradition) · Water
Incense of sorrow, consecration and the dead; often paired with frankincense.
Used in Egyptian embalming and brought by the Magi. The Golden Dawn gives it to Saturn and Binah.
Stones of Saturn →Saturn in Correspondences →
Caution: Avoid ingesting in pregnancy.
Urtica dioica · ♂ Mars (Culpeper) · Fire
Returning ill will to its sender; carried for courage.
In the fairy tale, the sister weaves nettle shirts to free her brothers from an enchantment.
Stones of Mars →Mars in Correspondences →
Caution: Stings when fresh; cooking or drying removes the sting.
Myristica fragrans · ♃ Jupiter (later tradition) · Fire
Carried whole as a luck charm; added to money incense.
Wars were fought over the Banda Islands, the only source of nutmeg, in the 17th century.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: Poisonous in large amounts; a whole nut eaten can cause serious illness.
Quercus robur · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Fire
Acorns carried for strength and luck; oak wood for wands and Midsummer fires.
Sacred to Zeus, Jupiter and Thor, and the tree of the druids — whose name may mean 'oak-knower'.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: Raw acorns are toxic to livestock and unpleasant to people.
Petroselinum crispum · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Air
Purification and protection; honouring the dead.
The Greeks linked it with death, so a dying person was 'in need of parsley'. Folklore says its slow seed goes to the Devil and back several times before it sprouts.
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: Large amounts and the oil are unsafe in pregnancy.
Pogostemon cablin · ♄ Saturn (later tradition) · Earth
Money and grounding incense and oils.
Used to scent Indian shawls in the 19th century, which made the smell fashionable in Europe.
Paeonia officinalis · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Protection against nightmares and evil spirits; seed necklaces were hung on children.
Caution: Roots and seeds are poisonous to swallow.
Named after Paeon, physician of the gods. Ancient writers warned to dig it at night, lest a woodpecker peck out the digger's eyes.
Vinca minor · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love binding and memory.
Caution: Contains potent alkaloids; not to be eaten or drunk.
The French call it 'sorcerer's violet'. In medieval England garlands of periwinkle were put on those going to execution, and Italians called it the flower of death.
Plantago major · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Earth
Healing and travel charms.
'Waybread' in the Nine Herbs Charm, it grows where people walk; it was called 'white man's footprint' where Europeans spread it.
Papaver rhoeas · ☽ Moon (Culpeper) · Water
Sleep, dreams and remembrance of the dead.
Sacred to Hypnos, god of sleep, and to Demeter. The red poppy became the emblem of remembrance after the battlefields of the First World War.
Stones of the Moon →Moon in Correspondences →
Caution: Mildly poisonous; not to be eaten. Don't confuse with the opium poppy.
Primula vulgaris · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Earth
Fairy offerings and May Eve protection.
In Ireland primroses were strewn on doorsteps on May Eve to keep the fairies out — or, some said, to welcome them. Primrose Day (19 April) honours Disraeli, who loved them.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Don't dig wild plants; it is illegal without the landowner's permission.
Rosa damascena · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love, beauty and emotional healing; petals in baths and on altars.
Sacred to Venus. 'Sub rosa' — under the rose — means in secret, from a rose hung over meetings. The Rosicrucians took it as their emblem.
Salvia rosmarinus · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Remembrance, protection and cleansing; a sprig under the pillow against nightmares.
'There's rosemary, that's for remembrance' (Hamlet). Brides carried it, and mourners threw it into graves.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Avoid the concentrated oil in pregnancy and epilepsy.
Sorbus aucuparia · ☉ Sun (later tradition) · Fire
Twigs bound in an equal-armed cross with red thread, hung over doors and byres.
'Rowan tree and red thread / Put the witches to their speed.' Each berry bears a tiny five-pointed star.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Raw berries upset the stomach; they are only eaten cooked, as jelly.
Ruta graveolens · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Against the evil eye; branches were used to sprinkle holy water.
Caution: Causes severe blistering when sap meets sunlight, and is poisonous to swallow. Wear gloves.
The 'herb of grace'. In Italy silver cimaruta charms shaped like rue sprigs protected babies.
Salvia officinalis · ♃ Jupiter (Culpeper) · Air
Wisdom, long life and cleansing. Garden sage is a good alternative to at-risk white sage.
'Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?' asked a medieval Salerno verse.
Stones of Jupiter →Jupiter in Correspondences →
Caution: The essential oil is toxic in quantity.
Santalum album · ☽ Moon (later tradition) · Water
Meditation and prayer incense; a calm base for any blend.
Used for millennia in Hindu and Buddhist worship and for carving sacred images.
Stones of the Moon →Moon in Correspondences →
Caution: Wild Indian sandalwood is threatened; buy from certified sustainable sources.
Polygonatum multiflorum · ♄ Saturn (Culpeper) · Water
Sealing, binding and protection; the root kept as a charm.
Caution: The berries are poisonous.
Cut the root and the scars look like seals, said to be King Solomon's mark on the plant.
Artemisia abrotanum · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Air
Love posies; hung in wardrobes against moths.
Called 'lad's love': young men put it in posies for sweethearts. The French call it garde-robe, 'guard the clothes'.
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: Contains thujone; don't ingest it.
Hypericum perforatum · ☉ Sun (Culpeper) · Fire
Gathered on Midsummer Eve and hung over doors against evil spirits.
Called fuga daemonum, 'flight of demons'. Its red oil was said to be the blood of John the Baptist.
Stones of the Sun →Sun in Correspondences →
Caution: Interferes with many medicines, including the contraceptive pill and antidepressants, and makes skin sensitive to sunlight.
Tanacetum vulgare · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Insect-repelling bunches; an emblem of immortality.
Caution: Poisonous to eat; it once caused deaths when taken as a medicine.
Its Greek name athanasia means 'immortality'. It was packed into coffins and shrouds to keep away worms and flies.
Thymus vulgaris · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Courage, and — in folklore — a key to seeing the fairies.
Medieval ladies embroidered a bee on a sprig of thyme for knights. A 17th-century recipe uses thyme to let you 'see the fairies'.
Valeriana officinalis · ☿ Mercury (Culpeper) · Water
Peace and sleep charms.
Its smell drives cats wild; one story says the Pied Piper used it as well as his pipe.
Stones of Mercury →Mercury in Correspondences →
Caution: A sedative: don't combine with alcohol, sleeping pills or driving.
Verbena officinalis · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Earth
Cleansing altars and tools; protection; prized by cunning folk.
Pliny says the druids gathered it at the rising of the Dog Star. Christian lore said it staunched Christ's wounds — 'hallowed be thou, vervain'.
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Avoid in pregnancy.
Viola odorata · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love, modesty and peace; crystallised flowers as offerings.
Salix alba · ☽ Moon (Culpeper) · Water
Wands, Moon work, grief and wishes tied into knots on its branches.
Associated with mourning ('wearing the willow'). Its bark gave salicin, the ancestor of aspirin.
Stones of the Moon →Moon in Correspondences →
Caution: The bark contains salicylates; not for anyone allergic to aspirin.
Artemisia absinthium · ♂ Mars (Culpeper) · Fire
Incense for calling spirits and for scrying; moth and flea repellent.
Caution: Contains thujone, which can cause seizures. Not to be ingested; burn only in a ventilated room.
The bitter herb of absinthe, 'the green fairy'. In Revelation a star called Wormwood poisons the waters.
Achillea millefolium · ♀ Venus (Culpeper) · Water
Love divination under the pillow; the stalks of the I Ching; courage.
Achilles used it to heal his soldiers' wounds. An English charm: 'Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree, / Thy true name it is yarrow…'
Stones of Venus →Venus in Correspondences →
Caution: Avoid in pregnancy; can cause skin allergy.
Taxus baccata · ♄ Saturn (later tradition) · Earth
A tree of the dead and of eternity; meditation beside churchyard yews.
Caution: Every part except the red flesh of the berry is deadly, including the seeds. Don't burn it or make tools from it.
Some British churchyard yews, like the Fortingall Yew, are thought to be thousands of years old — older than the churches. English longbows were made of yew.
Greek and Roman medicine
Every plant is hot or cold and moist or dry, in a degree from one to four.
Sources: “Pharmacy of the Greeks and Romans”, PMC; Cunnan, “Degrees of heat”
Planetary rulers marked Culpeper are from The English Physitian (1652); elements and the rest follow later tradition, which varies. Seasons are typical for Britain. See also Planetary Herbs and Herbal Preparations.
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