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Joe Pye Weed

Thu, 02/14/2008 - 15:25 — kitchenwitch
Botanical Name:

Eupatorium spp.

Zones:
3-7
Other Names:
Queen of the Meadow, gravel root, kidney root, mist-flower, snakeroot, purple boneset, eupatorium, Sweet Joe-Pye Weed, Hempweed, Joe-Pie, Jopi Weed, Trmpet Weed,

Joe Pye Weed is a Native American perennial member of the family asteraceae found in all parts of the US with the exception of the deep south and the far north.

Propagation:

Joe Pye Weed can be grown from seed, plant six weeks before the last frost and cover lightly so that sunlight can reach the seeds. Keep moist.
Or it can be grown from cuttings.

Joe Pye Weed generally prefers full sun and moist soil. Some varieties such as E. purpureum can tolerate less moisture and part shade conditions.

History and Folklore:

It is said that the plant was named after a Native American healer who used it to treat typhus.

The name Eupatorium comes from the name of King Mithridates Eupator who lived in Parthis from 120 to 63 BCE who is said to have discovered the medical effectiveness of the Eupatorium family, which includes the European native Boneset.

Joe Pye Weed was used by many Native American tribes for healing and magic. It was used as a diuretic, to treat colds and fevers, as a love medicine, as a poultice for wounds, as a wash to strengthen children and for joint pain and the flowers were used as good luck charms.

Harvesting & Storage:

Gather leaves anytime. Dig the root after a frost. Joe Pye Weed dries well.

Household Use:

Joe Pye Weed is suitable for butterfly gardens. It attracts Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Great Spangled Fritillaries, Pearl Crescents, Monarchs, and Tawny-edged Skippers

Magical Attributes:

Joe Pye Weed can be used in spells for love or respect. A leaf can be tucked into your cheek to ensure that words spoken to the opposite sex will be well-received. Gamblers can carry the plant on them to help bring them good luck. Carrying the plant with you will also encourage others to look upon you with respect.

Healing Attributes:

The entire plant can be used, with the root having the strongest effect. It can be made into a diuretic tea to stimulate the bladder and kidneys and to encourage sweating to break a fever. It is also useful for influenza.

Simmer 1 once dried root in 1 pint water for 30 minutes, strain and cool, take 1/2 cup 4-5 times per day
OR
Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 tsp leaves and flowers. Steep for 10 minutes, strain and drink 1-3 times per day.

WARNING: This herb can cause liver and kidney damage and severe intestinal problems if overdosed or used for long periods of time.

Culinary Use:

None

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

Joe Pye Weed is supertall, so it makes a great privacy hedge.

Mayapple

Mon, 01/07/2008 - 21:24 — DawnBlack
Botanical Name:

Podophyllum peltatum

Zones:
3-9
Other Names:
may apple, may-apple, American mandrake, umbrella plant, Devil's apple, hog apple, Indian apple, wild lemon, may flower

Mayapple is an American native member of the plant family Berberidaceae common to woodland clearings in the Northern and Eastern United States and Southern Canada.

Propagation:

Mayapple spreads from underground rhizomes to quickly form a colony that shades out smaller plants. It makes an excellent groundcover for unused areas and grows well in dappled shade. It likes light, loamy soil, shade, but not deep shade and plenty of space to spread out. You can gather seeds or rhizomes to plant or you might find a transplant in a native plant nursery. (I got mine from the local plant conservancy- they gather wild plants from construction sites and then sell them to the public.)

It's good to keep them moist, not wet, and free of weeds until established. Once they are established, they will spread like crazy and crowd out weaker plants. Remember that it will take a few years before they starti producing fruits.

History and Folklore:

According to lore, Native Americans used this plant for its healing attributes but also to commit suicide.

The botanical name Podophyllum peltatum comes from the greek "podos" and "phyllon" meaning "foot-shaped leaves" and "Peltatum" meaning "shield".

Harvesting & Storage:

The root (which is extremely dangerous to handle or ingest) should be dried away from sunlight. The effective constituents are not water soluble and must be dissolved in alcohol.

The fruit may be made into jelly or sliced thin and dried or dried whole for use in spells.

Make sure to wear gloves while handling the foilage or roots of this plant and wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face or eyes.

Household Use:

The poisonous rhizome can be boiled and used to kill insects on crop plants, especially potatoes. Make sure that the resulting potion is only sprinkled on the inedible (to humans) parts of the plants, such as tomato leaves and the aerial parts of potato plants.

Magical Attributes:

The powdered root is used in powerful protective magic. Mayapple is extremely irritating to the eyes and Mayapple root is used in spells to keep things (like diaries, books of shadows, etc.) hidden from prying eyes. The powder can be sprinkled around the storage area or on the object itself, or around the perimeter of an area where you do not wish to be disturbed. (Remember that Mayapple is a topical poison while doing this. Take care not to let the powder sit on your skin or come in contact with your eyes.)

The dried fruit can also be added to sachets and mojo bags to similar purpose, that is to allow the bearer to work in secret, or to allow his or her actions to not be revealed too soon.

The whole root can be tucked under the mattress to ensure the fertility and verility of the couple who sleep upon it.

Kept in a high place in the home, Mayapple root is said to draw prosperity to the home and protect it from bad luck.

This herb is commonly used as a substitution in spells calling for Mandrake (Atropa mandragora)

Healing Attributes:

Mayapple is listed as "unsafe" by the FDA and most experts agree that its action is too strong for self-medication even by experienced herbalists. Every part, excepting the ripe fruit, is deadly poison and can kill an adult human within 24 hours.

It was used by Native American tribes, who dried and powdered the root, as a laxitive and to remove worms and as a topical treatment for warts and skin cancer.

Modern medicine has found compounds in the rhizome that are useful against cancer and it is used in the treatment of genital warts and skin cancers in Asia. It is also under study for use against dropsy, dispepsia, biliousness, and various liver conditions.

Symptoms of mayapple poisoning are salviation, vomiting, diarrhea, excitement, fever, headache, coma, and death.

Culinary Use:

Only the ripe fruit or "apple" of the mayapple is edible. The fruit is ripe when it is yellow and slightly soft. Dispite its name, the flavor is more like lemon than apple. Mayapples may be eaten raw, but they are best cooked or made into jelly. They may also be juiced and mixed with sugar and water to make a beverage similar to lemonade(remove all seeds before juicing). These fruits should be eaten only in moderation and only when perfectly ripe. It has been known to cause technicolor diarrhea.

Here's an article from Mother Earth News about cooking with Mayapples. An excellent idea for your Beltane celebrations (assuming you've got some ripe, if not, hold off till Midsummer)

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

If you're using an old European spelli that calls for Mandrake, you can use this plant instead. But remember, both plants are very poisonous and substitutions of dangerous plants should never be made with other dangerous plants when you are making things that are to be administerd topically or ingested. I suggest using the fruit instead of the root as a much safer alternative. It is slower to action and not as intense, but it is still effective.

Bloodroot

Sun, 01/06/2008 - 19:03 — DawnBlack
Botanical Name:

Sanguinaria canadensis

Zones:
1-8
Other Names:
bloodwort, red puccoon root, pauson, tetterwort, sweet slumber, snakebite, indian paint, coon root

Bloodroot is an herbaceous flowering perennial native to the Eastern North American woodlands.

Propagation:

Bloodroot is a native american plant which can be found growing wild in hardwood forests throughout Eastern North America. However, because it is collected by many herbalists and magic-users and because of habitat loss, I do not suggest gathering this plant from the wild. Unlike many wildflowers, it is relatively easy to grow in a shady spot in your yard. You may be able to purchase plants from a plant conservancy or a native plant dealer in your area. Do not take bloodroot from the woods or from parks. Unless you have the permission of the landowner, this is illegal.

You can propagate bloodroot by seed or by cuttings or by division. It will spread by its rhisomes and its seeds forming lovely clumps.

Bloodroot likes a shady position in a well-drained, slightly acidic soil with high organic content. It likes to be grown with other plants, and black cohosh is a wonderful companion for bloodroot. It generally prefers to be kept moist, but is pretty forgiving. You'll want to mulch well with dead lives or woodchips to give it the feeling of being in the woods.

Don't worry if your plant seems to die in the summer. It does go dormant and will probably return in the spring.

The roots grow a bit bigger each year and are best harvested around the sixth year. You should divide your clumps every 4 years or so to keep them vigorous.

Bloodroot is very attractive to slugs. If they become a problem, fill a tuna can with beer and half bury it near the bloodroot.

History and Folklore:

Bloodroot is a native American wildflower that was used by the native population for red dye. It was apparently used as body paint as well, though it must have been cut with some other ingredient to prevent serious skin damage.

Bloodroot has enjoyed a long history of traditional medicinal use, but lately has come under fire due to its caustic nature. It has been used in toothpastes and most recently as an antibacterial agent in meat production in Europe.

Harvesting & Storage:

After harvesting, wash the roots thoroughly taking care not to bruise or break the skin. Lay on a screen to dry in a warm place with good air flow. Protect the roots from light and humidity. Roots are done drying when they have shrunk 1/4 of their original size and can be bent without breaking. The dried bloodroots can be stored in paper or cardboard away from heat, moisture or light for up to two years.

Household Use:

The red root sap yields an interesting but caustic red dye. It can be used to stain wood as well.

Magical Attributes:

Bloodroot is a popular protective hexi-breaker in Voodoo and Rootwork magic. It is also a marriage protector and aids in promoting harmony with extended family members, especially in-laws and helps prevent people from interfering in your marriage.

Bloodroots vary in color with the darker red to brownish roots being considered male or King roots and the lighter orange to pinkish roots being considered female or Queen roots. Combined in a single sachet of red flannel, these are used to encourage a healthy marital sex life by placing the sachet under the couple's mattress. Likewise, a bit of one of each root steeped in liquor, sometimes in combination with other herbs, is said to ensure sexual potency. After the herbs have steeped for several weeks, strain and drink a shot of the liquor to acheive the desired affect.

Place a bloodroot over your door to encourage anyone who enters to respect your marriage.

If you fear someone is trying to break up your marriage, sew some dried bloodroot into yours and your spouse's pillows.

Bloodroot can be carried or placed around the home (very high out of the reach of pets and children) as general protection from negative energy or spells or it can be burned to cleanse an area of negative energy.

Assuming you're not expected to eat it or rub it on your body, bloodroot can be used in place of blood in spells. Dried bloodroot can be pounded into powder and added to water to reach the desired consistancy.

Healing Attributes:

Most of the active constituents of bloodroot is stored in the rhizome. This sap is very toxic. It contains morphine like compounds and also destroys animal tissue. It is traditionally used in herbal medicine as a component to ointments designed to destroy abnormal skin growths such as malinoma, warts and skin tags. This is an extremely painful process and can result in serious scarring if not done properly. The FDA has investigated and prosecuted practitioners for carrying out this particular remedy.

However, the FDA has approved sanguinarine, a constituent in bloodroot sap, for use in toothpaste and mouthwash to help destroy plaque, though it has been linked to oral lesions.

Bloodroot has also been used for sore throats, the juice dropped onto lumbs of maple sugar which is then sucked. It is also said to have expectorant and emetic properties.

It is my opinion, however, that Bloodroot should only be used for its ornamental and magical values and should never be applied to the skin or taken internally and should not be handled by pregnant women. Long term use of bloodroot has been linked to oral cancer, glaucoma, edema, heart disease, miscarriage, fainting, collapse, vision changes and diarrhea.

Culinary Use:

None.
Bloodroot is poison.

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

Solomon's Seal

Sat, 12/29/2007 - 12:40 — DawnBlack
Botanical Name:

Polygonatum biflorum

Zones:
4-9
Other Names:
American Solomon's Seal, King Solomon's Seal, King Solomon's-seal, Small Solomon's Seal, Lady's Seals. St. Mary's Seal, True Solomon's Seal, Sow's Tits, Sow's Teats, Dropberry, Sealroot, He Shou Wu, Mahmeda, Meda, Sealwort, Yu-zhu

Solomon's Seal is a lovely woodland perennial with native varieties in North America, Asia and Europe. It can grow up to two feet tall.

Propagation:

Solomon's Seal prefers a light soil, a good mulch and a shady location. It can be grown by division or by seed. It will return year after year and spread itself. It is a lovely, delicate addition to a shade garden.

Some areas list Solomon's Seal as an invasive weed.

History and Folklore:

Solomon's Seal is named for King Solomon of Hebrew lore who was granted great wisdom by the Hebrew God and had a special seal that aided him in his magical workings, allowing him to command demons without coming to harm.

According to herbal lore, King Solomon himself placed his seal upon this plant when he recognized its great value. Those with imagination can see the seal on the root stock in the circular scars left by the stem after it dies back.

Solomon's Seal has also been traditional used to "seal" wounds.

You can estimate the plant's age by examining the rhizome. Each year the stem leaves on scar, or "seal" on the rhizome. Counting these will give you an idea of how long your plant has been alive.

Harvesting & Storage:

Although this plant is not currently listed as endangered, the usual warnings about responsible wildcrafting apply. Because this plant is so easy to grow in a shady garden bed, wildcrafting is usually not necessary.

Gather the rhisomes in the fall and lay on a screen to dry in a warm, dry location with good circulation free from humidity and sunlight. Once dry, store in a cool location away from light.

Household Use:
Magical Attributes:

Solomon's Seal aids one in making difficult decisions and accepting and seeking change. Helps in spellwork to aid changing/breaking habits and helps in smooth transitions for changes beyond our control. It is also used in love potions to amplify commitment between partners and to "seal" a spelli or a sacred oath or promise.

An infusioni of Solomon's Seal, or insense made of Solomon's Seal root can both be used to drive away negative vibrations and malicious spirits. It can also be used to summon helpful spirits and elementals.

The root can be carried as an amuleti to ward off malicious spirits and to increase wisdom.

Solomon's Seal is appropriate for use during Autumn Equinox rituals.

Healing Attributes:

The fresh root, pounded and applied topically helps fade bruising. (I have not tried this on a hicky, but it might work for that too.) A decoction can also be used as a facial rinse to help fade blemishes or for poison ivy and similar skin problems.

An infusioni can be used for profuse menstruation and internal bleeding, indigestion and other stomach and digestive complaints including ulcers, bowel problems and hemmorhoids. It is also said to speed the healing of broken bones. Used as a mouthwash, it is said to help strengthen gums.

Solomon's Seal root tea is a good tonic acting on the kidneys, heart and sexual organs as well as soothing the digestive system.

Oil infused with Solomon's Seal root is good to keep on hand for first aid treatment of sprains, strains and broken or bruised bones. (Not to replace, but to enhance traditional medical intervention.) Solomon's Seal root tea or tincture aids in the repair of broken bones and may be drunk after a doctor has set the break. It is also great for torn ligaments, disolcations and other issues with joints.

Culinary Use:

Young shoots harvested in early spring can be prepared and eaten like asparagus.

The roots should be boiled with three changes of water before being roasted and eaten.

Alli parts of the adult plant, especially the berries are poisonous and should not be consumed.

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

Solomon's Seal seem innocuous, but parts of it are poisonous. Seek out a personal consultating with a skilled herbalist before using internally for food or medicine.

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