Adventures in Growing My Own Magical/Medicinal Herbs

[Scottish_Pride]

Mugwort
This is a plant that has really had its ass handed to it by my local climate. We're right on the cusp of its growing range, almost being too hot for it. Luckily, the leaves of the taro root nearby seem to be helping out some, by providing much-needed shade for mugwort in the summer. Though this helps a lot, I still notice it gets much happier once temperatures drop, around the same time as my yarrow does. That's when its actual growing season starts, until it gets unbearably hot again. The historic freeze we had earlier this year made the mugwort extremely happy afterward. It and the wormwood just took off a second later, looking healthier than I'd ever seen either of them. I guess some things really do benefit that much from a hard freeze.

The real problem, however, seems to also be moisture. It rains so damn much here, and I'm kicking myself for not giving the mugwort better drainage in the spot where I planted it in 2020. But through all that, this has been one tough motherfucker as far as plants go. It seems to survive in cycles of re-emergence from the ground, depending on favorable conditions. It'll look completely obliterated around this time of year, then boom. Right when I'm wondering if it's finally T-shirt weather instead of exclusively tank top weather, new stems start to come up from the root system underground. I'm hoping it still does that this year, even with all the ridiculous rain plus a small hurricane we've had this summer. Another thing I'll say, is this plant gets tall enough to flop over some, then kinda scraggly unless you trim it back enough.

What do I do with the extra leaves? Honestly, haven't found much to use them for yet myself. I used some in a fire for Samhain last year, along with wormwood and some other things. Meanwhile, I have now become the local mugwort dealer for some of my witchy friends. In terms of use, mugwort seems to have a distinct lunar feel, energetically speaking. And with it being good for stuff like divination and prophetic dreams, that makes sense. I've heard about the supposed mind-altering effects of mugwort tea, but haven't given it a go yet. I'm still a little put off about the idea of ingesting the thing anytime soon, ever since I tried this mugwort flavored daifuku mochi I found at an Asian supermarket. I adore mochi, so I gave this a go out of pure curiosity. But it was honestly one of the most disgusting things I have ever tasted, right up there with my aunt's tilapia that once gave me food poisoning. Despite only taking one small bite, it had this really weird minty aftertaste that I couldn't even get out of my mouth. 0/10, do not recommend, though the plant itself and its occult properties are lovely. Let's just stick with that, maybe. Leave the mochi goodness to adzuki beans and sesame, please.

 

[Scottish_Pride]

So I know it's been a while since I've written about any new plants. While I have plenty I'm currently growing that could be written about, I've come to a bit of a dilemma. When starting off, I specifically wanted to write about plants that aren't super common, or stuff that's not grown for just mundane culinary use. I wanted to focus on the plants that you'd use almost strictly for either the magical, medicinal or perhaps aromatic properties. Because while anybody could write about parsley or oregano, you don't see some of these other things given the spotlight as often, even when it comes to herb magic.

But that being said, I am quickly finding myself running out of herbs to write about, with the focus being so narrow. Because just about every plant has more than one use across various cultures, and a lot of the ones I have left to talk about are also used a lot culinarily. Or are used ornamentally, etc. more than they're used for magic.

So how would y'all feel if I branched out more with the plants I post in this thread? Yay or nay?

 

[SkullTraill]

So I know it's been a while since I've written about any new plants. While I have plenty I'm currently growing that could be written about, I've come to a bit of a dilemma. When starting off, I specifically wanted to write about plants that aren't super common, or stuff that's not grown for just mundane culinary use. I wanted to focus on the plants that you'd use almost strictly for either the magical, medicinal or perhaps aromatic properties. Because while anybody could write about parsley or oregano, you don't see some of these other things given the spotlight as often, even when it comes to herb magic.

But that being said, I am quickly finding myself running out of herbs to write about, with the focus being so narrow. Because just about every plant has more than one use across various cultures, and a lot of the ones I have left to talk about are also used a lot culinarily. Or are used ornamentally, etc. more than they're used for magic.

So how would y'all feel if I branched out more with the plants I post in this thread? Yay or nay?

Go for it.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

So one thing I've really been getting into for the past couple years, is taking what I know about gardening and seeing just the kinds of "out there" plants I can grow. Whenever I read occult or herb books where it starts talking about plants that aren't the most mainstream things to grow where I live, such as valerian, angelica, mugwort and wormwood, part of me just kinda wonders what a live specimen looks like "in person". So whenever the nursery I work for has something like these, I'll snatch one up with my awesome employee discount, do the research and figure out how I can keep it happy. Overall, I've really liked just building a relationship with these different herbs I'd only read about before, observing them in their natural state. It brings dry correspondences to life for me in a way, and I can better understand just what makes different species special on the metaphysical level.

So anyway, I thought it'd be fun to share what I've learned with y'all. Just a basic overview of what these live plants are really like, and the practical side of keeping them around/harvesting from them. I'll probably make more than one entry in this thread, as there's quite a bit of stuff I could probably talk about. You should also probably know that my region's climate is very much a sad bastard child between swamp, jungle and woodland. Constant rains, scorching summers and little to no freeze, rich soil and poor drainage mean some plants are easier for me to pull off than others. Your attempts at growing these things may not look much like mine, depending on the climate you live in. For now, I'll start with two plants here.



Lemongrass
As the name suggests, this plant is in fact a grass. Each blade is about one inch thick at maturity, and the blades all shoot from a dense cluster of root stalks. It grows intimidatingly fast, and honestly has proven to be one of the most unkillable little shits I've ever grown. I got mine as a small baby nursery transplant a year ago, about a foot long and an inch wide at the base. It now has blades going on 4-5 feet long, with the clump of stalks about 2-3 feet wide. Now that it's established, I don't do jack shit for it. If I died tomorrow, it would probably still live on for decades, continuing to consume the entire back section of bedding. One day I'll probably have to divide it along the outer stalk edges, then hurriedly find people to shove the resulting baby plants onto. Then they, too, shall know the wonders and horrors of this all-consuming mound.

When it comes to uses for this bad boy, I personally love taking fresh top sections a few inches long to put in black tea. It ends up tasting like a bootlegged version of earl gray, which is awesome when you haven't dragged your ass to the store in a while. You could also cut and dry several long strands in a bundle to make your own smudge sticks; though probably not the biggest magical nuke out there, it's got enough cleansing properties to possibly work on its own. Great for if you want an uplifting undertone in your working. I also did a cute little halloween project last year, where I made a broom with the leftover grass from cutting and drying some for tea.


Moringa
Moringa is a fast-growing tropical tree, originating from Africa. Though it can grow over 30 feet tall, you can keep cutting it back regularly to keep it a manageable shrubby size. This plant has proven pretty low-maintenance for me, and I swear it's noticeably bigger every time I go out to look at it. It wants reasonable drainage, but will tolerate moisture so long as it isn't constantly waterlogged. This tree's one big weakness is if temperatures dip below 50-ish degrees Fahrenheit. If it does, it'll drop all leaves like it's hot and go dormant. This is your cue to cut the remaining trunk down to a manageable size, then insulate it with a cage of chicken wire and straw/leaves. Leave it like this to chill (Haha, get it? Because it's cold?) until things will consistently stay nice and toasty again for the year. From what I understand, this method only works if your area gets very brief instances of 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit at the absolute lowest. Otherwise, moringa may be better suited as a greenhouse dweller, at least for part of the year. I am very spoiled in that I live in the subtropics, where we are the precise temperature of hell itself for half the year.

This is actually a plant I had never heard of before in my life, until it showed up on the tables at work. I decided to buy one of my own and give it a try, since it was just a few dollars for this allegedly low-maintenance plant. First world health nuts seem to be making a huge deal about moringa now, as if this is the one plant to rule them all. It's to have a whole laundry list of vitamins and minerals in the top growth, as well as protein and fiber, basically a living multivitamin. The seeds can be used to make cooking oil or purify water. The seed pods are also supposed to be good food when cooked and eaten in moderation. The thing I find appealing about its use, is that the leaves can be hidden in other food. Dried and ground into a powder, it's just tasteless enough to throw in with many of your meals. This would be good once I actually bring some in to experiment with for the first time, as I'm a picky American who doesn't like gutting through tastes I'm not used to in the name of health.

I'd like to get involved in growing on three levels.
One, Medical Marijuana, grown in same soil with other plants, such as Mugwort or Lemongrass for example.
The trichomes draw in the "essence" of that around it. If orange pulp/peels are used in compost for it, all of a sudden you have orange creamsicle pot. Not only does it draw in the taste and smell of that in its growing environment, it may draw in slight properties of the other. For example grown among chamomile and mint you might find the result highly relaxing.
Two, Food, in Michigan it requires one State License to Grow Raw Food, grow it in a warehouse and distribute to churches and schools that have kitchen licenses.
Three, Medicinal and Occult herbs particularly those mentioned in religious literature or grimoires. For bulk sale and home made incense and oils. Grow among associated crystals in its growing bed that have been charged with the sun for fourteen days minimum. Grow it as much as possible like it would grow in the wild.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

So I know it's been a while since I've written about any new plants. While I have plenty I'm currently growing that could be written about, I've come to a bit of a dilemma. When starting off, I specifically wanted to write about plants that aren't super common, or stuff that's not grown for just mundane culinary use. I wanted to focus on the plants that you'd use almost strictly for either the magical, medicinal or perhaps aromatic properties. Because while anybody could write about parsley or oregano, you don't see some of these other things given the spotlight as often, even when it comes to herb magic.

But that being said, I am quickly finding myself running out of herbs to write about, with the focus being so narrow. Because just about every plant has more than one use across various cultures, and a lot of the ones I have left to talk about are also used a lot culinarily. Or are used ornamentally, etc. more than they're used for magic.

So how would y'all feel if I branched out more with the plants I post in this thread? Yay or nay?

Yay.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

So how many total have you grown, eight different herbs? Thats awesome!! My Mom and Sister have green thumbs, even my dad I believe. Me, not so much. Yet I want to be a herb and fruit warehouse farmer.

 

[Konsciencia]

Scottish Pride! I want to grow Aphrodisiac plants. I never was a nerd of plants so much, but I would like to start learning. Mugwort helps with the Third Eye. How about NightShade? Is to use it to loosened the Astral Body. What you think?

 

[Scottish_Pride]

So how many total have you grown, eight different herbs? Thats awesome!! My Mom and Sister have green thumbs, even my dad I believe. Me, not so much. Yet I want to be a herb and fruit warehouse farmer.

Honestly, my opinion is that the whole "green thumb" thing is more of a myth than people think. Growing plants is a skill, same as any. Sure, some people may start off with more of a knack for it than others. Just like how you've got talented pianists, for example, while some may not naturally take to it. But both types of people will still need to practice and learn, in order to truly get good.

I started out killing plant after plant, back when I was just a middle schooler playing around with cucumber seeds. My successes were sparse at first, because I did not know what I was doing. But because of the fascination I had, I kept trying and kept doing research, in order to do better next time.

Most people do not realize that there is so much going into whether a plant lives, thrives or dies. Each plant has different watering needs, different ideal sun and temperature ranges. When to water plants varies by the season, and there is no such thing as a true "schedule" to blindly follow. Some plants won't survive if you don't constantly feed them, others will die if you feed them even one too many times. Even the pH level of the soil matters a lot. If it's windy outside, plants need more water than they otherwise would. Your soil may be depleted in one type of nutrient that plants need, but have plenty of another, and only a soil test will tell you for sure. Some seeds need to be in freezing or near-freezing conditions in order to germinate. Potted plants outgrow their containers eventually, and if you do not repot them after a certain point they will die. Certain plants, such as roses, need to be cut back continuously in order to grow in a healthy manner. Insects and disease add a whole new layer of complication, and can wipe out an entire garden before you even have the time to react. Disease pathogens often spread through things as simple as your shoes, going from patch of soil to patch of soil. Or through the very tools you use, going from plant to plant. Many plants cannot survive for more than a year because they are biologically hard-wired to die after a certain point, and if you don't know any better, you may think it was you that killed it. In general, learning how to garden is a process of both trial-and-error as well as educating yourself. And that, in and of itself, is a neverending process. I do not claim to be an expert, and will never do so, for precisely this reason. I still fuck up on things I grow from time to time, even if I do so less often than in the past.

Sorry if that was all long-winded. But just wanted to drive the point home, that you can always improve when it comes to gardening. The only way to guarantee that you don't, is by ceasing to try.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

I guess in hindsight, I grew a pretty mean lima bean stalk, that actually gave us food during a couple tight money times.

That really is awesome. I want to grow a lot of different herbs to make oils and incense with, and preferably the more exotic and rare herbs and roots.

I completely follow what you're saying. There is actually a book I avoided, called Plant Spygyrics by Jean DuBois, and I always avoided the chapters concerning plants and stones in Agrippa and Barrett, I guess cause I thought it would be boring. In hindsight, I should have studied the crap out of the book matter, due to what I want to do. The funny thing was when I was on BALG, President Foras came forward and told me to look into stones and herbs. Unexpected. Possibly one of the few "demons" I like. Knight Furcas is one I like as well.

Hoodoo, witchcraft, low magic, even high magic uses them, I shouldn't have been so blind, but at least now I see. Transferable application. Alchemy too.

 

[Scottish_Pride]

Scottish Pride! I want to grow Aphrodisiac plants. I never was a nerd of plants so much, but I would like to start learning. Mugwort helps with the Third Eye. How about NightShade? Is to use it to loosened the Astral Body. What you think?

Assuming the "nightshade" you're talking about is Atropa belladonna, I do not know much about its magical properties. I have never worked with the plant before, myself.

I can tell you, though, that it is notoriously poisonous. So if it does indeed have any desirable properties, I still would proceed with caution. Obviously do not ingest any part of the plant, but also be aware of what your hands touch after handling it. Some plants are so toxic that even a trace amount on your hands can hurt you, if you get absentminded and eat afterward without washing them thoroughly. I once had an accident just like this with foxglove. Though I don't know whether belladonna is more or less toxic than foxglove, I'd still play it safe and wash the crap outta your hands right after you're done working.

As far as aphrodisiac herbs go, I've worked with a couple in the past via spellwork. There was this particular combination I came up with as a horny ass teen trying to get laid, and it seemed to work quite well. Hibiscus as the primary element, along with chamomile for a "luck" element and vanilla to boost the spell itself. I don't remember whether I added anything else in there as well, but I also can't find the notebook where I wrote it all down. Good luck!

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

Assuming the "nightshade" you're talking about is Atropa belladonna, I do not know much about its magical properties. I have never worked with the plant before, myself.

I can tell you, though, that it is notoriously poisonous. So if it does indeed have any desirable properties, I still would proceed with caution. Obviously do not ingest any part of the plant, but also be aware of what your hands touch after handling it. Some plants are so toxic that even a trace amount on your hands can hurt you, if you get absentminded and eat afterward without washing them thoroughly. I once had an accident just like this with foxglove. Though I don't know whether belladonna is more or less toxic than foxglove, I'd still play it safe and wash the crap outta your hands right after you're done working.

As far as aphrodisiac herbs go, I've worked with a couple in the past via spellwork. There was this particular combination I came up with as a horny ass teen trying to get laid, and it seemed to work quite well. Hibiscus as the primary element, along with chamomile for a "luck" element and vanilla to boost the spell itself. I don't remember whether I added anything else in there as well, but I also can't find the notebook where I wrote it all down. Good luck!

Speaking of, I researched 10-15 male enhancement products, and assembled a huge herb, spice and roots document. Anyone interested?
Thinking of creating a FDA approved male enhancement smoothie.

 

[Scottish_Pride]

I know it's been a hot minute since I've posted any new article tidbits, so here ya go.

Black Pepper
Salt and pepper is almost the default when it comes to any sort of cooking, at least in Western culture. But while salt is a mineral and must be mined or dried from the sea, pepper comes from the seeds of a certain tropical vine. For a time, I had the opportunity to grow this vine in real life, and it was really interesting. Most rote correspondences will slap black pepper with a general "spicy" profile, giving it Mars or Fire associations and relegating it to more combative-type magic. While I never really thought anything of this from the pre-ground black pepper in my spice rack, I certainly got hit in the face with it while observing the live plant. By far, my peppercorn vine was the most vocal and recalcitrant plant spirit I have ever dealt with. Most plants tend to only give little whispers to me here and there, if there's something in particular they don't like or want to caution me against doing. Meanwhile, this guy was practically cussing me out when I went a couple days too long without repotting it. It also made sure I knew exactly what it thought of anything I did with the other plants, with an endless supply of sass. While a lot of the "fuck you" vibes seemed to greatly calm down once I was able to repot the thing like it wanted, there was still a distinct energy to be had.

I'm still very sad that it ended up getting killed in the historic freeze we had last year. If it weren't for that freakish winter storm, this plant would've survived and thrived year-round in my zone 9 climate, probably only needing protection during the coldest days of the year. Black peppercorn vines are pretty vigorous and prefer consistent moisture with fertile, loamy soil. Its biggest weakness is that it cannot withstand cold temperatures at all. If you are in an area that gets any sort of frost, it's best to keep this bad boy in a greenhouse. Or you can keep it in a pot, moving the plant outside and inside depending on what the temperature's doing. It really should stay in temperatures no colder than 50 degrees F at all times. Full exposure to anything colder can harm or kill it. Other than these considerations, you'll also want something to support the vine with, like a trellis or some other vertical structure. Once it's in a place where it's happy, it can definitely take off.

 

[Konsciencia]

Assuming the "nightshade" you're talking about is Atropa belladonna, I do not know much about its magical properties. I have never worked with the plant before, myself.

I can tell you, though, that it is notoriously poisonous. So if it does indeed have any desirable properties, I still would proceed with caution. Obviously do not ingest any part of the plant, but also be aware of what your hands touch after handling it. Some plants are so toxic that even a trace amount on your hands can hurt you, if you get absentminded and eat afterward without washing them thoroughly. I once had an accident just like this with foxglove. Though I don't know whether belladonna is more or less toxic than foxglove, I'd still play it safe and wash the crap outta your hands right after you're done working.

As far as aphrodisiac herbs go, I've worked with a couple in the past via spellwork. There was this particular combination I came up with as a horny ass teen trying to get laid, and it seemed to work quite well. Hibiscus as the primary element, along with chamomile for a "luck" element and vanilla to boost the spell itself. I don't remember whether I added anything else in there as well, but I also can't find the notebook where I wrote it all down. Good luck!

I did not know that Hibiscus and Chamomile is good for that. Amazing!

It's to bad you don't know how to work with NightShade. It is said that if you take a little dose, your Soul loosen up a little. It's the reason I am willing to try it. Perhaps, you can use it for Astral Projection.

 

[Mider2009]

Very cool

 

[KjEno186]

I planted some Black Cumin (Nigella sativa), which has been used for thousands of years

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Now I'm curious how this plant would be perceived magically. I hope to figure this out some day.

 

[Scottish_Pride]

I did not know that Hibiscus and Chamomile is good for that. Amazing!

It's to bad you don't know how to work with NightShade. It is said that if you take a little dose, your Soul loosen up a little. It's the reason I am willing to try it. Perhaps, you can use it for Astral Projection.

Hibiscus has a more sexual element to it, from a magical perspective. Chamomile wasn't there as an aphrodisiac per se, but as a luck element. Because in order to "get lucky", ya gotta have some sort of opportunity to present itself, whether that's being alone in a room with someone long enough or what have you. I remembered what the other ingredient was as well, by the way! Orange or clementine peel. Not only does this have a little bit of an aphrodisiac vibe to it, I geared it toward helping alter how other people perceived me.


There are a number of poisons used for some sort of purpose like that. Hell, even foxglove's toxic component is used in modern pharmaceutical drugs as a heart medication. But as with anything, toxicity is in the dose. Some things are so lethal or dangerous in such small amounts, that there is indeed a very fine line between medicine and poison. So if you do attempt to try this with the belladonna, (I wouldn't without the help of a person who knows what they're doing) do thorough research and measure VERY carefully. Also remember that different people may have different thresholds of a given substance, especially with their size taken into account. Hence why "horse trank" is a stronger dose than human tranquilizers, because they are so much bigger than us.

 

[Scottish_Pride]

I planted some Black Cumin (Nigella sativa), which has been used for thousands of years

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Now I'm curious how this plant would be perceived magically. I hope to figure this out some day.

Cumin is indeed one thing I haven't gotten the chance to find a plant of. Would be cool to try one day, though!

 

[Konsciencia]

Hibiscus has a more sexual element to it, from a magical perspective. Chamomile wasn't there as an aphrodisiac per se, but as a luck element. Because in order to "get lucky", ya gotta have some sort of opportunity to present itself, whether that's being alone in a room with someone long enough or what have you. I remembered what the other ingredient was as well, by the way! Orange or clementine peel. Not only does this have a little bit of an aphrodisiac vibe to it, I geared it toward helping alter how other people perceived me.


There are a number of poisons used for some sort of purpose like that. Hell, even foxglove's toxic component is used in modern pharmaceutical drugs as a heart medication. But as with anything, toxicity is in the dose. Some things are so lethal or dangerous in such small amounts, that there is indeed a very fine line between medicine and poison. So if you do attempt to try this with the belladonna, (I wouldn't without the help of a person who knows what they're doing) do thorough research and measure VERY carefully. Also remember that different people may have different thresholds of a given substance, especially with their size taken into account. Hence why "horse trank" is a stronger dose than human tranquilizers, because they are so much bigger than

Thank you Scottish Pride! I may have to try the Orange and clementine peels, and see.

As far as poisonous plants goes, my Ultimate Guide, Lucifer said, that I don't need them. To let Her/Him guide the way, and be patient and wait when is the right time.

 

[Roma]

So here I am next to an Indigenous sacred site, growing vegetables in polystyrene boxes (no backyard) and have not even thought of which of my plants the local nature spirits might favor.

So just checking and they like my parsley, Sri Lankan spinach and coriander. The rest they seem indifferent to. I will have to have a word with them. Who is the boss?

 

[Scottish_Pride]

So here I am next to an Indigenous sacred site, growing vegetables in polystyrene boxes (no backyard) and have not even thought of which of my plants the local nature spirits might favor.

So just checking and they like my parsley, Sri Lankan spinach and coriander. The rest they seem indifferent to. I will have to have a word with them. Who is the boss?

Lmao, that’s indeed an interesting list of stuff for them to like. I suppose part of it may be based on ecological need as well as preference. Either way, I’ve found that gardening is one of the quickest ways to gain the trust of local nature spirits, even with just container gardening. Especially in cities, refuge can be harder to come by for some of them. As time goes on and you build the relationship more and more, it is also sometimes possible to bargain for certain benefits in return.

One of the first rules when dealing with these sorts of spirits, though, is that you are never the boss.