White Willow (Common Willow) ~ Salix alba
17 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Home Remedies, Remedies for fevers, Remedies for pain relief, Trees ~ Willow Tags: willow
Common name: White Willow (Common Willow)
Botanical name: Salix alba
Family: Salicaceae
Physical description: Tall, graceful tree growing to about 65 feet with a greyish-brown, deeply fissured bark. Distinctive silvery blue-green, narrow, tapering leaves that curl slightly at the tip. Bright yellow male catkins and green (initially) then white, fluffy female catkins both appears in Spring. Flowers from April to May and seeds ripen in June. Willow is noted for attracting wildlife, especially bees that pollinate the tree.
Habitat & cultivation: Prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position. Often seen along rivers and lakes. Although it is easily grown in most soils except chalk and thin soil. Trees can be coppiced and the tree responds well to this. Does not enjoy transplanting, so it is best planted in a permanent position at the very beginning. A very important food source for caterpillars and butterflies as well as bees. There are many cultivars in the willow species.
Parts used in herbalism: Leaves and bark
Constituents: Salicine, salicylic acid and salicylic alcohol, salicortin, tannins, flavonoids. European White Willow has the same properties as the North American variety but contains more tannins.
Energetics: bitter, cold, dry
Medicinal actions & uses: Alterative, anodyne, febrifuge, astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diaphoretic, vermifuge, diuretic, hypnotic, sedative, tonic. White willow’s value lies in the chemical glycoside salicin and in its tannins. It is from salicin that aspirin was eventually derived. Willow has many medicinal properties but the main ones are for reducing inflammation of joints and internal membranes, as an anodyne (painkiller) for headaches and also for fevers, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, period pain, neuralgia, rheumatism, worm infestations, oedema and hay fever. It is also useful for the inflammatory stages of auto-immune diseases. The fresh bark is very bitter and astringent and so draws moisture and dampness out of inflammatory conditions whilst the salicin acts as a pain reliever. Very useful as a strong antiseptic poultice for external wounds, rashes and bites, stings where there is inflammation. For infected wounds, ulcerations or eczema willow bark should be boiled in twice its volume of water in a covered pot of at least half an hour. Add 1 tablespoon of borax to each pint of water. The leaves are used internally in the treatment of minor fever and colic. An infusion of leaves has a calming effect and is helpful in the treatment of nervous insomnia. When added to bath water, the infusion helps in relieving the pain of rheumatism and arthritis.
Magickal actions & uses: Element – Water; Gender – female; Planet – moon; Deities – Artemis, Belinos, Brigantia, Ceres, Circe, Hecate, Hera, Hermes, Isis, Lakshmi, Osiris, Persephone, Psyche, Zeus, all Moon Goddesses. The willow is a tree of water, the Underworld, poetry, death, the moon, birth and the feminine; a tree intimately connected with initiation rites. It strengthens intuition and provides inspiration. As a plant of death and rebirth it is used as an initiatory brew to help transmute negative aspects of the personality and integrate them into the Whole self. It teaches one to take responsibility for ones development and that comes from within. In the Celtic tree ogham, willow is Saille, meaning ‘hue of the dead’. Willow is a healer with a gentle touch. She is associated with the harp and with the gentle soul of the poet. The blessings of willow were part of Celtic ceremonies. For example at Lughnassadh (August/Lammas) milk pails were entwined with ribbons, flowers and willow twigs and carried in processionals. Willow was hung over the hearth to bless it and to ensure healthy cattle.
Cautions: Take no more than 1 ounce of fresh bark as a decoction each day.
History & other notes: Willow bark has been used since 1AD to reduce pain and inflammation. However, the tree has a long history of being used in folk medicine to reduce fevers. ‘Pussy Willow’ the fluffy white female catkins were reputedly supposed to turn into witches’ cats. In Elizabethan England wearing a sprig of willow in your hat signified either rejection by a loved one or death of a loved one. Young willow stems are extremely strong and flexible and are used in basket making to this day. Fibres from the stems can be used to make paper. The wood is also used to make medicinal charcoal.
Recipes:
Pain Relief Tea
1 tablespoon raspberry leaves; 1 teaspoon white willow bark; 1 teaspoon valerian root; 1 cup water
Combine the above herbs and cover with boiling water. Steep for thirty minutes and strain. Take as needed up to 1 cup per day.
Fever Relief Tea
1 teaspoon Echinacea root; 1 teaspoon white willow bark; 1 cup water.
Combine herbs in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil; reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes. Cool and strain. Take half a cup up to 4 times a day.
Holy Basil ~ Ocimum sanctum
11 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Plants E ~ H Tags: holy basil
Common name: Holy Basil (or Tulsi)
Botanical name: Ocimum sanctum, O. tenuflorum, O. gratissimum
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Physical description: The leaves of Holy Basil range from dark green to purple and have gently serrated or uneven slightly lipped edges. They can grow small and ornamental or wild, where the plants are slightly bigger. The plant can grow to 2 ½ feet high with small fragrant leaves. It has spikes of small scarlet or purple flowers. It can grow into a small woody shrub if allowed to do so. There are slight differences in botany between the green and purple varieties – the purple variety has no mucilage and brown seeds, whilst the green variety has a little mucilage and black seeds.
Habitat & cultivation: Prefers light, well-drained, fertile soil which needs to be moist but not water-logged. It does not do well in frosty or cold conditions, so should be seeded or transplanted after frosts are over and the soil has warmed up. It can be cultivated as a perennial by continually removing the flowers and harvesting regularly. It is a plant that needs full sunlight. Dried Holy Basil can only be stored for up to 3 months, after which it loses its medicinal qualities fast.
Parts used in herbalism: Leaves
Constituents: Essential oil Eugenol, limatol and charyophylline, flavones apigenin, luteolin, glycoside, glucosides, and ursotic acid.
Energetics: Pungent aromatic, bitter, hot, dry
Medicinal actions & uses: Adaptogen, anti-microbial, aromatic digestive, relaxing nervine, cardiovascular tonic, expectorant, neuroprotective, radioprotective, antioxidant, immunomodulating, analgesic, demulcent, anthelmintic, antispasmodic. Use for stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, viral infections, fungal infections, depression, colds and flus, herpes virus, radiation exposure, high blood sugar, allergic rhinitis, ulcers, pain. A highly acclaimed adaptogen, or transformative herb, helping the body adapt to stress, and promoting energy and endurance. One way it does this is by helping the body use oxygen more efficiently. However, it’s nervine properties help a person to relax and recover from daily stressors. It has been used with good results with people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. David Winston says it can be combined with other cerebral stimulants such as rosemary, bacopa, and ginkgo to help people with menopausal cloudy thinking, poor memory, attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and to speed up recovery from head trauma (Adaptogens by David Winston and Steven Maimes). Holy Basil also regulates the digestion, removing the bloated feeling and can also help with heart burn. The fresh juice sweetened with honey is used for intestinal parasites. And it is considered to be a hepatoprotective herb, or an herb that protects the liver from harm. Holy basil has been shown to help regulate blood sugar in diabetics and specifically can lower fasting blood glucose significantly. One reasoning for this ability may be its high antioxidant levels. Holy Basil has many beneficial actions on the heart. It is slightly blood thinning and promotes good circulation. It can lower stress-related high blood pressure and taken daily it can help optimize cholesterol levels. Holy basil helps to strengthen and modulate the immune system. It can be taken to both prevent and address current upper respiratory viruses like the cold or flu. This expectorant herb also has an affinity for the lungs and can be used for bronchitis as well as pulmonary weakness. Taken over time it can have a beneficial effect on asthma and has also been shown helpful in alleviating allergic rhinitis symptoms like seasonal hay fever. As an anti-microbial herb it can be used topically or internally to treat bacterial, viral and fungal infections. It is frequently used for herpes sore outbreaks (viral infection) and can also be applied externally to ringworm infections and eczema. (Taken internally its effects on the liver and digestion also help with eczema.)
Magickal actions & uses: Holy Basil is mostly use in Hinduism, with the devout looking after their plants each day as a form of ritual. The leaves are laid on the dead as a protection for their journey to the Afterlife. The roots or tough stems are worn as arm bracelets or necklaces by the Vishnu-Brahmans.
Cautions: Holy Basil might have an anti-fertility effect on both men and women and so should not be taken by couples wishing to conceive or by pregnant women. It is slightly blood thinning and should not be taken by those who are currently taking warfarin. Those who are taking insulin to control their diabetes may need to adjust their insulin levels while taking holy basil.
History & other notes: A sacred plant of the Hindu religion and highly revered. Its species name, sanctum, refers to this sacredness. In Sanskrit, tulsi means “beyond compare”. It is also referred to as an elixir of life, queen of herbs and mother nature of medicine. Holy Basil is sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu. Vishnu’s wife, Tulasi, took the form of this herb when she came to earth. Besides being used in morning prayers, the wood of tulsi is used as beads in meditation, similar to how the Catholics use rosaries. Rama Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) has green leaves and is the most commonly cultivated holy basil and the easiest to get hold of. Krishna Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) has leaves that are more purple in colour. Vana Tulsi (Ocimum gratissimum) is perennial basil that is hard to find in the West although in India it grows in the wild.
Recipes:
Tulsi Kadha (hot basil tea) – 2 cardamom pods (crushed), 2 cloves (crushed), 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 2 ½ cups water, 2 tsp holy basil leaves (dried), honey to taste.
In heavy pan, dry roast cardamom, cloves, cumin and fennel. As soon as they begin to smoke add water and holy basil. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey if desired. Serve hot.
Tulsi ka Sherbet (iced basil tea) – 2 tsp tea leaves, 2 ½ cups water, 2 tsp holy basil (dried), sugar to taste, 2 tsp lemon juice, crushed ice, lemon slices to garnish.
Make tea by adding leaves to boiling water. Drop in holy basil and remove from heat. Allow to cool and strain. Mix the tea infusion, sugar and lemon juice. Serve in tall glasses over crushed ice. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh holy basil leaf if available.
Incense – herbal blend for Mercury
09 May 2012 Leave a Comment
Equal amounts of cinnamon, storax, lemon peel, marjoram, verbena, mace and white sandalwood. Use in spells related to Mercury, or on a Wednesday to help draw the power of Mercury to your magickal work.
Source: Rowan Pendragon
Hawthorn ~ Crataegus laevigata
28 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Home Remedies, Remedies for the blood, Remedies for the heart, Trees ~ Hawthorn Tags: hawthorn
Common name: Hawthorn
Botanical name: Crataegus laevigata (or Crataegus monogyna)
Family: Rosaceae
Physical description: Hawthorn is a dense tree or shrub with small sharp thorns. It can grow to a height of 25 feet if left as a tree but is often pruned into a shrub. The flowers are small, white with five petals, which look rather like miniature wild roses, which is not surprising as Hawthorn belongs to the Rosaceae family. The leaves are small, flat and lobed and look rather maple-like, and are about 2 inches long. The berries (fruit) are bright red and round and about 1/3 inch in diameter with one large seed.
Habitat & cultivation: Hawthorn is mostly propagated by birds, who feast on its berries. It prefers normal alkaline soil but tolerates most soil conditions. It likes a sunny position or partial shade, although it can grow in denser wooded areas it will produce less flowers and berries. It may be grafted but cuttings and grafts do not always take, and transplanting seedlings is difficult. Leaves and flowers should be gathered in the spring on a dry day. Berries are harvested in the autumn. Any discoloured berries should be discarded.
Parts used in herbalism: Leaves, flowers, berries
Constituents: Flavonoids (rutin, quercitin), triterpenoids, saponins, polyphenols, coumarins, tannins, trimethylamine. Berries contain vitamins C, B Complex (all the B vitamins), choline, inositol, bioflavonoids and sugar.
Energetics: sour, sweet, slightly warm
Medicinal actions & uses: Hawthorn’s key actions are as a heart tonic, relaxant and antioxidant. It is used today to treat angina and coronary heart disease as it normalises the heart and circulation, lowering or raising blood pressure according to need. It is also a useful treatment for hardening of the arteries. However, it makes the body more sensitive to digitalis so should not be used with prescribed heart medicines. Higher concentrations of the active flavonoids are found in the flowers and leaves. Combined with Ginkgo it can be used to enhance poor memory by improving circulation to the brain. The flowers are also a safe diuretic and an infusion of flowers can also treat sore throats, diarrhoea and bloated stomach. The berries strengthen the digestion and improve appetite.
Magickal actions & uses: Gender – masculine; Planet – mars; Element – fire; Deities – Blodeuwedd, Cardea, Creiddylad, Flora, Hymen, Olwen, Thor. It is also a tree strongly associated with The Fae. Magical powers are protection, fertility, happiness although in the Ogham alphabet, hawthorn is also equated with fear – Huath means fearsome. However, through its herbal use we can see that hawthorn can relate to another kind of fear, that caused by pain in the heart, for which it is a great remedy. So Hawthorn has light and dark aspects to it, positive and negative like many things in life. To see a hawthorn growing near an oak and an ash tree is extremely fortuitous as these three trees guard the Other World and you just might see the Fae. In Morris dances, hawthorn is woven into the crown worn by the Green Man on May Day celebrations. The Hawthorn blossom’s around May and so its flowers are often incorporated into garlands and used in bridal bouquets because of its links with fertility and happiness. Carry hawthorn on a fishing trip to ensure a good catch of fish. It also protects against lightning. Hawthorns are commonly seen growing near holy wells. It is quite normal in England to see red cloths, known as ‘clooties’ tied to the branches of these trees to symbolise their prayers – as the cloth disintegrates, so do their ailments and problems.
Cautions: Do not use with existing heart medication. Low doses of hawthorn have no adverse effects. However in high doses it has the potential to cause hypotension and sedation. Use with care.
History & other notes: In the Language of Flowers, the hawthorn stands for Hope. The thorns of the hawthorn are so strong they can be used as a make-shift can opener on a camping trip, and are also reputed to be the thorns that made Christ’s crown when he was executed. Although hawthorn flowers signify happiness, they are also believed to be unlucky if brought into the home, except on May Day. The scent of the flowers is said to be harmful and to be the scent of death. This may have something to do with the trimethlamine present in the flowers – this substance is one of the first chemicals formed when body tissue begins to decay. The Mayflower was named after the tree to symbolise the hope of the pilgrims in their voyage to America. The legend of the Glastonbury Thorn, a miraculous tree that was said to flower eternally, arose from the belief that Joseph of Arimathea stuck his hawthorn staff into Wearyhall Hill and it immediately took root and blossomed. For the Celts the flowering of the hawthorn heralded the festival of Beltane, and the turning of the wheel of the year from winter to summer, a time of growth and fertility.. The cult of the Roman goddess Flora had hawthorn blossom as an erotic symbol. It is said that any woman who rises at dawn and washes her face in dew formed on the hawthorn tree will always be beautiful.
Recipes:
Hawthorn jelly
1 1/2 pounds hawthorn berries with stalks removed. Rinse berries and allow to drain. Place into saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour. Mash berries with a potato masher every 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain over night in muslin. For every pint of juice add 1 pound of sugar. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Bring mixture to the boil, stirring continuously until sugar has dissolved. Then rapid boil for 10 minutes until jelly reaches a setting point. Skim off any foam from top of jelly liquid and pour into sterilised jars. This jelly can be eaten straight away, with cold meats and/or cheese.
Hawthorn flower remedy
Gather hawthorn flowers in the morning when the dew has evaporated, but the flowers have not become too stressed by sunshine. Pour 1 litre of spring or mineral water into a clean glass bowl and sprinkle the flowers on the surface of the water until it is completely covered. Leave for three hours in direct sunlight in a safe place. Remove the flowers with something other than metal or your hand e.g. a stick and pour 50ml of fluid into a clean dark bottle. Add 50 ml of brandy. Label the bottle and date. Dosage is 4 drops of flower essence under the tongue or in water or fruit juice three times a day, or every half hour if the need is great.
Hawthorn Blossom Wine
4 pints of Hawthorn blossoms
2 Lemons
3.5 lbs. sugar
9 pints water
Yeast and nutrient
Optional – tin of white grape juice concentrate – add with the yeast.
Grate
the rind from the lemons, being careful to include no white pith, and boil with the sugar and the juice of one lemon in the water for half an hour.
Pour into a bowl and when it has cooled to 70 degrees F, add the yeast (and preferably, as with all flower wines, a good yeast nutrient). Add the white grape juice concentrate now if using it.
Leave for 24 hours, then tip in the flowers. Let the mixture stand for another eight days, stirring well each day.
Then strain through two layers of butter muslin into fermenting vessels and fit trap.
Rack for the first time when it clears and after a second racking about 3 months later, bottle in the usual way. This is a light and delicious wine.
Hawthorn Apple Tea
40g dried hawthorns
4 to 5 apples
30g sugar, or to taste
2 litres water
Yields about 4 to 5 cups
Wash dried hawthorns a couple of times. Cover them with 2 cm water and soak for about 15 minutes. Discard water and briefly rinse them again under running water.
Peel apples, core them and cut into large chunks. I simply made slices vertically off the apples cores.
Put both hawthorns and apples in a pot with about 2 litres of water. Bring them to a boil. Over low to medium heat, keep boiling for about 30 to 45 minutes till flavours are infused into the tea. Add rock sugar and simmer a few more minutes until it is dissolved. Serve hot, cooled, or chilled.
Hawthorn Flower infusion
Pick as many hawthorn flowers as you can along with the leaves around them.
Place in a saucepan along with 1 pint water.
Bring to the boil and reduce heat right down to gentle simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes
Strain off the plant material. Add honey or sugar to taste.
High Blood Pressure Tea
2 pints boiling water
1 teaspoon hawthorn berries
1 teaspoon hawthorn flowers
1 inch piece root ginger (grated)
Half teaspoon valerian root
1 teaspoon motherwort leaves
Add ingredients to water and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain herbs and drink at least 2 cups a day. You can also make these herbs into a tincture using the same proportions.
Daisy (common) ~ Bellis perennis
25 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Home Remedies, Plants A ~ D, Remedies for wounds & skin Tags: daisy
Common name: Daisy (Common)
Botanical name: Bellis perennis
Family: Asteraceae
Physical description: An evergreen perennial growing to 8 inches high by 8 inches wide. It flowers throughout the year and seeds ripen between May to October. The plant is self-fertile and pollinated by bees, flies, beetles etc. The daisy has a small, stout tap root with many rootlets. Stem and leaves are finely hairy, with the leaves being toothed and finely serrated, forming a flat rosette at the base of the plant. The flowers are white with a bright yellow centre. Flowers can also be pale pink.
Habitat & cultivation: A common plant of meadows, lawns and other grassy areas, it is very frequently found growing in lawns.
Parts used in herbalism: Flowers, leaves and roots
Constituents: Saponins, tannins, organic acids, essential oils, flavones, and mucilage.
Energetics: Bitter, cold, dry
Medicinal actions & uses: Anodyne, antispasmodic, antitussive, demulcent, digestive, emollient, expectorant, laxative, tonic. A popular traditional remedy for a wide range of conditions. An infusion of fresh or dried leaves and flowers is used in the treatment of catarrh, rheumatism, arthritis, liver and kidney disorders, as a blood purifier. Also can be used as a topical healer for wounds and it is a traditional remedy for bruises. The flower can be used in an ointment around the eyes to treat inflammation and bruising. Chewing the fresh leaves is said to be a cure for mouth ulcers. A strong decoction of the roots has been recommended for the treatment of scorbutic complaints and eczema, though it needs to be taken for some time before its effect becomes obvious. A mild decoction may ease complaints of the respiratory tract, rheumatic pains and painful or heavy menstruation.
Magickal actions & uses: Planetary ruler is Venus and it is a plant governed by the element of water – thus it is seen as a feminine plant. Associated deities are Alcestis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Belenos, Belidis, Freya, Thor, Venus and the Virgin Mary. The flower of innocence, purity and steadfast love, of survival and resilience due to its ability to survive despite being regularly trodden underfoot. The flower remedy is used for clarity and concentration. Associated festivals – Ostara, Beltane, Coamhain, Lughnassadh and Herfest but especially the equinoxes.
Cautions: Use sparingly as the presence of saponins can irritate digestive tract if used for a long time.
History & other notes: The simple daisy has a wide body of folklore surrounding it. To begin with, there are several theories surrounding the Latin name of Bellis, as some authors believe it is derived from the Latin word ‘bellus’ meaning ‘pretty’, whereas others believe that it derives from the word ‘bello’, which is Latin for ‘war’ – this association may be due to the plant’s long standing reputation as a wound herb, as well as the fact that it may well have been found growing on most battlefields. There is also the possibility that the name derives from the myth of the water meadow nymph named Belidis, who, being pursued by the lustful orchard god Vertumnus, turned herself into a daisy in order to escape. The plant’s name has also been associated with the Celtic sun God, Belenos. The name ‘daisy’ derives from the Anglo Saxon name for the plant, ‘daeges eage’, which means ‘day’s eye’, meaning the plant’s tendency to only open during sunlit hours. An old Celtic belief surrounding the flower dictates that the spirits of still born children were reborn as daisies. The folk name ‘bairnswort’ is thought to originate in Scotland and refers to the childhood pastime of making daisy chains.
Recipes:
Daisy Salve – 8oz daisy leaves and flowers; 8oz sweet almond oil (or another light carrier oil); 4oz beeswax.
Melt oil and beeswax in a bowl over boiling water. Add chopped flowers and leaves. Simmer for 2 hours, and then strain into dark glass jar or pot. Keep refrigerated and use within 2 months.
Gardener’s Relaxing Footbath
14 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Beauty & Bath, Home Remedies, Remedies for wounds & skin Tags: bay, lavender, lovage, rosemary, sage, thyme
2 quarts water
1/2 oz bay leaves
1/2 oz lavender flowers
1/2 oz rosemary
1/2 oz sage
1/2 oz thyme
1/2 oz lovage
Warm water in large saucepan, when water reaches boiling point add the herbs and remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan and allow to stand for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain off the herbs through muslin or a sieve and pour infusion into a large bowl. Immerse feet for at least 15 minutes. Add a little more hot water if infusion begins to cool.
Lovage ~ Levisticum officinale
14 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Plants L ~ N Tags: lovage
Common name: Lovage
Botanical name: Levisticum officinale
Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
Physical description: Lovage is a perennial growing up to 6 feet high and 3 feet wide in optimum conditions. It flowers from July to August and sets seed around the end of august to September. It has a long fleshy tap root, grey brown in colour and aromatic. Hollow stems that branch near the top. The flowers are set in clusters of small pale greenish yellow blooms. Leaves are dark green and aromatic, toothed and divided. The plant is self-fertile and is noted for attracting wildlife.
Habitat & cultivation: It grows all over Europe and is naturalised in Britain. It prefers a moist soil in sun or partial shade. It is often found in hedgerows, woodland edges or mountain pastures (Europe). Often found near rivers and streams. To grow Lovage sow seeds in late summer. Once established it will readily self seed. Root cuttings can be taken during spring or autumn. It is not suitable for growing indoors.
Parts used in herbalism: Flowers, leaves, root and seeds
Constituents: Volatile oils including phthalides, pinene, terpinene, angelic acid, coumarins, beta-sitosterol, resins and gum.
Energetics: Spicy, warm
Medicinal actions & uses: Carminative, emmenagogue, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, aromatic, antispasmodic, digestive, skin. Lovage is a warming and tonic herb for the digestive and respiratory systems. It is used primarily in the treatment of indigestion, poor appetite, wind, colic and bronchitis. Also a remedy for painful menstruation, kidney stones and cystitis. The root is used in the treatment of sore throats and ulcers. The essential oil from the seeds is used by aromatherapists to remove freckles and dark spots from the face.
Magickal actions & uses: Lovage is a plant of the Sun and the element of Fire, thus its gender is masculine, even though its main magickal power is that of attracting love. Carrying lovage or adding it to your bath water is said to make you more attractive to the opposite sex, and used often in a bath allows your inner beauty to shine through.
Cautions: Avoid during pregnancy and during active kidney infection.
History & other notes: Leaves and stems can be eaten raw or cooked, especially nice addition to salads, soups and stews. A strong yeasty tea can be made from the grated roots. Lovage was in fact used by the Greeks and Romans as a vegetable and it was also grown in Medieval monastery gardens for its culinary and medicinal uses. A cordial flavoured with lovage, tansy and angelica was often made as a refreshing and revitalising drink. Lovage was popular in the highlands of Scotland, where people used to eat it first thing to preserve themselves from infections during the day. The German Pennsylvanians made drinking straws out of its hollow stems and it was a very popular plant grown by New England Shakers.
