Keeping Space for Healing: How To Organize Your Plant Profiles

Apparently, March has become the month that I write about plant profiles and materia medicas. So, at the risk of writing about increasingly niche topics on an already niche blog, I now want to talk about organizing your plant profiles as you start to write and/or collect them.

I know, I know what it sounds like. We're not heading into thrilling territory, but how you organize information that you need regular access to - whether that is as a community herbalist or a home herbalist - supports your ability to practice with ease as an herbalist. 

When I was a student herbalist, I was simultaneously thrilled by everything there was to learn and pretty overwhelmed by all the information on plants that I was studying. As with so many paths of study out there, I came to understand that the purpose of an herbalist was not to have memorized all the uses for all the herbs (though you'll certainly know many uses for many herbs through time and practice), but to learn what it is you need to know and how to seek it out. So when I have a client show up in clinic with a condition I've never heard of before, I've not already failed as an herbalist. Instead, my training helps me to ask the questions that need to be asked and listen deeply to what needs to be heard so that I can seek out the resources that'll support my client.

One of the most important tools in my kit is my collection of plant profiles and materia medicas. I've already written about plant profiles, why they're useful, and how to create your own, but now that you've got these useful plant profiles in your collection, how do you use them in a practical manner? In addition to the plant profiles I've written, I've got handouts from classes and workshops I've attended, a collection of herbal books both modern and historical, and lots and lots of notes. It took me a while to find a system of organization that worked best for me and if I can help some of you develop your own much sooner into your practice as an herbalist than I did, then this post will be a success!

Well-organized resources helps you to find the information you need efficiently which matters whether you're working one-on-one with clients in a time-constrained environment or as a home herbalist taking care of sick family members (and half the time being sick yourself). Hopefully, one or more of the suggestions below will be of use to you in your own practice or, at minimum, inspire thoughts of how to make your herbal practice feel more easeful and nourishing to you and those you serve.

image via @purejulia

Keeping It Accessible

I do much of my work on a computer where everything is digitally stored and organized, but when I'm working on a new recipe or sitting with a client, I prefer looking at paper than a screen. I like the physicality of being able to flip through books and scribble notes on a paper, plus having a screen free space, particularly within a client consultation setting, is an important part of how I am able to be present to the energy at hand. For me it's important to have non-digital reference material available, but you might prefer to have everything digitized. Figuring out how you want to access your plant profiles and other herbal tools is part of understanding how you're able to remain present and engaged, so if you're annoyed by having to pull books off the shelf every time you want to look up information about a particular plant and would much prefer being able to pull up that same book on your tablet of choice, make the switch! 

So much energy and concentration is needed to show up for others as an herbalist, whether clients or members of your family, which is why it's important to reduce any hassle or hindrance in your practice as much as possible. Make it easy for yourself, friends.

Questions to consider:

• What profiles, books, and other reference material do I want physical copies of?

• What profiles, books, and other reference material do I want digital copies of?

• Where will I keep my physical reference material (and herbal tools) for easy access?

Keeping It Together: Modes of Storage

How you choose to store your plant profiles and other tools of your trade is going to be deeply personal and informed by the space you have and your preferences. I like using physical materia medicas over digital ones so I always have my bookshelf within reach of my writing desk, but for those of you who keep everything digitized, you might not need this arrangement. Having a tablet stand equipped with ease for charging might be your priority instead. It takes time to figure out what works for you, but it is time well spent so that when your services are needed, what you need is organized in a way that makes the most sense for you to access. 

I hope the following suggestions help you to figure out how you organize your plant profiles, perhaps in a way you hadn't considered before.

Recipe Box

When I was making and selling remedies, the best way for me to store my recipes were on index cards in a wooden recipe box that I'd thrifted. They were organized alphabetically with dividing tabs because that made the most sense for me, but they could've easily been organized by body system, primary herb used, astrologically, and so on. While I also had my recipes written up and stored digitally, I didn't like having my computer around when making recipes because I did not want to risk spilling something on it and I worked in a very small space at the time and couldn't fit my laptop and remedy making supplies in the same area even if I wanted to.

You could store shorthand plant profiles in a recipe box, too (i.e. information about an herb that you use frequently such as herbal actions, energetics, indications, and contraindications). What I like about my recipe box full of recipes is that it is easy to add or subtract from, reorganize, and grab what I need (a index card or two) in a form that is not overly precious or takes up too much space. While you could organize your plant profiles alphabetically in a recipe box, there are a number of other ways that might be more useful to you and how you practice including by:

• Body System

• Energetics (traditional western energetics or otherwise)

• Disease or Imbalance (i.e. Prunella vulgaris for indigestion)

• Astrological Correspondence (i.e. the planets or by signs of the zodiac)

• Magickal Use

• Seasonal Herbs (i.e. what's in season in your garden and surrounding area throughout the year - check out my seasonal apothecary guides for inspiration)

• Seasonal Remedies (i.e. herbs organized by common seasonal imbalances such as a section for herbs for spring allergies and another section for cold and flu herbs for autumn and winter)

A recipe box system is great for students who can easily add a note card as they learn, expanding these cards into full profiles as they progress in their studies. It's a great system, too, for harried parents who want to know what plant will help this with the latest bug brought home from kindergarten without too much effort.

In the recipe box (or any of the following suggestions) you might keep a few cards with basic remedy making instructions and standard dosage guidelines (you can access my remedy making quick sheet for free as a member of Magick Mail).

image via @purejulia

Expanding File Folder

As someone who travels to teach, I don't have permanent storage set up within the classroom I visit, so I have to be mindful about how much stuff I carry around as well as being able to set-up a class quickly and in a way that doesn't leave me feeling scattered. One of my solutions is to use an expanding file folder to keep all of my class handouts organized which include any notes I'll be sharing, plant profiles, as well as one page medicine-making guides (i.e. a guide for making and taking tinctures). My file expanding file folder has become my traveling library full of resources that I can share with folks and it's made my ability to teach and share resources that much easier.

Side note: If you teach or work with clients, I highly recommend creating your own one page guides to hand students and clients, and when you keep them organized in something like an expanding file folder you always know what you have on hand or what needs printing.¹

Binder

For some printed resources, I really like having a three ring binder for them. In a binder is where I keep the plant profiles I've written myself or ones that I've received from classes and trainings I've attended. Some folks like using plastic page protectors so pages can be flipped frequently without tearing, but that's up to you. 

My binder is definitely reflective of my role as a community herbalist, but here's what a family herbalist binder might include to help you start to think about your own needs:

• A page for each family member summarizing allergies, medications, and other important information as well as a section to note remedies that work well for them. If you practice medical astrology, you can also include a birth chart here.

• The plant profiles you've written and/or collected.

• Seasonal guides to help you quickly determine a useful herb based on common seasonal conditions.

• Quick guides to ailments common to your household (i.e. steps for treating a fever with herbal recommendations). 

• Remedy making calendar (i.e. make elderberry syrup in August for the start of the school year). 

• A page of contact information for your family doctor, medical services, and so on.

If you're putting together a family herbal care binder ask yourself what would make your life easier when someone in your family is sick again. You can create a similar binder if you're a clinical herbalist and/or herbal teacher, asking yourself what would make your sessions or classes easier. 

Digital Storage

Whether on your own harddrive, cloud storage, or through an app like Goodnotes, having easy digital access to your plant profiles is a good option either exclusive of or in addition to paper storage. I created The Plant Ally Library not only because students and readers were asking for an easier way to access resources I've written but because I wanted an easy way to access all of the plant profiles I'd written over the years in one spot. There are so many digital storage options out there but the ones I prefer can be accessed anywhere on any device which not only  protects them from anything calamitous that might happen to my personal computer, but they need to be searchable (which is one of the biggest advantages of digital storage). 

The recipe box and binder idea can be translated into digital form through notes apps and other online options. If you choose a searchable option you've created a very useful and easy access resource. 

image via @purejulia

Keeping a Bird's Eye View

Regardless of how I store my plant profiles and various tools of the herbalist, I make sure to have a record of what I do have, don't have, and need. For me, this is a spreadsheet kept in an online drive where I keep track of what herbs I have in my home apothecary, what form they are in (i.e. whole plant, tincture, oil), what needs restocking, as well as my own correspondence charts (i.e. herbs in my home apothecary organized by body system and so on). If I could go back in time to my younger herbal student self I would tell them to start making this chart right away. A spreadsheet like this helps you to use what you have because you know you have it, prevent overstocking and potentially wasting herbs, and hopefully prevent the stress of searching through jars when you really need a plant but can't remember if you have it. Is my spreadsheet color coordinated? Yes. Is everyone going to get as excited about a spreadsheet like me? No, of course not, but if you sense that this might be useful for you, give it a try. And you can choose whatever pretty colors you like!²

Overview documents like this are especially essential if you are in any sort of community practice and working with other herbalists. Community work is hard enough without the stress of not knowing if you have the herb you need for clinic days or who has ordered what and when it is supposed to arrive. There is a reason that activist work is also referred to as "organizing" - that color-coded spreadsheet is a (very nerdy) revolutionary tool, use it.

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Creating your own system of organization for your plant profiles is an act of compassion by your present self for your future self by making what may come easier to manage with already prepared tools for your practice. If you're wanting to make your life harder as an herbalist, I've written about that, too. To support your nervous system and brain as you consider and implement your organizational options you might want to add Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and/or Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) to your tea. I find that connecting with your old self and future-dreaming self can be helpful, too. 

Finally, whether or not any of what I've suggested speaks to you, I do hope that you're feeling curious about the ways you can make it easy for yourself so you can do what you love with as little hindrance as possible: working with plants and people to create paths of wellness.  

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤ Thank you, friends. ❤

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Footnotes

1. It took me far too long to figure out this trick for my own classes, but when I did I felt so clever, ha! This is a great exercise for students, too, as part of your studies, and think of other one-page informational resources you can create for your clients. Creating resources like these are a practice in succinctness and accessibility as they should be to the point but also use language that is comprehensible to many types of folks. 

2. If you're curious, I've shared my spreadsheet and correspondence charts in The Plant Ally Library.

How to Write A Plant Profile (and create a materia medica you'll actually use)

There's a bunch of them on this site. You'll find them in all the herb books. They're handed out in classes and gatherings. Plant profiles are an essential way that information is shared in herbal communities and if you're reading this post you're probably interested in creating your own.

Perhaps you're just starting out on your herbal studies and are feeling overwhelmed by all the ways that herbalists record knowledge about herbs. Or perhaps you're an herbal practitioner trying to figure out how to create plant profiles that you'll actually reference in your work with clients. Maybe you're an herbalist who has never written a plant profile and don't know where to start.

If you've studied herbalism in any sort of formal classroom fashion, you've probably had to write at least a few plant profiles to complete your education. A lot of the time you're expected to use a format developed by your teacher or learning program - which is great! Humans are very good at learning through mimicry and following in the footsteps of herbalists before us when it comes to the format of our plant profiles makes a lot of sense. 

For some of us, after our formal herbal studies we don't write another plant profile because we don't really need to. While most herbalists keep notes of some sort, the actual writing of complete plant profiles doesn't happen. Which is just fine! It's not a requirement that every individual herbalist write their own plant profiles and doesn't indicate whether or not you're a competent herbalist. What happens though, is that some of us will get to a point where we realize we have all this knowledge and we want to record it in some way not only for our own benefit but for the benefit of our students, clients, and the generations to come. 

Other herbalists' herbal education did not happen in a classroom setting that required or expected written plant profiles. Herbalists are trained in all sorts of ways including through apprenticeship models and oral traditions where written records are not needed, expected or given high priority. It's essential to keep these forms of learning alive, too, and you might be interested in recording in writing the wisdom you hold. In addition to written forms of plant profiles, I'll talk about how you can record oral traditions and organize them in ways that make sense to you because these forms of herbal knowledge are vital.

Then there are also a lot of self-taught herbalists out there who haven't tried writing a plant profile of their own yet but you don't know where to start. Tenacious self-taught herbalists are one of the main reasons we have such a thriving traditional western herbal community today - these herbal elders kept alive traditions that they had to go out and find in books, through speaking with their elders, and from the plants themselves. So if you're a self-taught herbalist you're in good company and I'm excited that you're interested in learning one of the ways you can contribute to keeping our traditions thriving.

Maybe you fit into one of these categories or somewhere in-between. Maybe you have your own system of creating plant profiles but are a curious sort of creature and like to see how other folks create systems that work for them (I definitely count myself in this group). Maybe you got lost on the internet and found yourself here (hello, this is a nice slow place, enjoy yourself, have a cup of tea). Whatever reason you're here and are called to create your own plant profiles, I hope that you'll find the following tips of use!

deck shown is Dirt Gems Oracle

Figuring Out Your Why

The best place to start, with the making of something you hope will endure and enrich your practice for years to come, is to ask yourself why you want to do something like this in the first place. Here are three questions to get you started:

Why do you want to create plant profiles? 

What will you use them for (i.e. primarily for personal reference, to hand out to clients and/or students, to keep for the next generation)? 

What would it feel like to have a collection of your very own plant profiles created by you?

I recommend answering these questions out loud or writing them down (and then speaking them out loud if you want to be particularly thorough). The speaking out loud or moving in answer (such as through writing) is a way to help wake our brain-hearts up and get us engaged with the activity at hand.

How you answer these questions will also shape the structure of your plant profile. Profiles that you intend only for your own personal use can be as idiosyncratic as you want them to be - no one else needs to be able to decipher them or understand what's in them. They are purely for you to enjoy. Whereas profiles that you're creating with the intention of sharing them with others benefit from having a relatively clear and uniform structure that can be easily explained and act as a teaching tool. 

You don't have to know exactly what you want your plant profiles to look like and how personal versus communal you want them to be - you'll find your stride as you play around and experiment with structures and forms that work for you.

The One Thing Every Plant Profile Should Have

And recognizing that I just spent a bunch of time talking about making a plant profile uniquely your own, there is one part of a plant profile that I do find to be vital for everyone if you're planning on ever letting another person read it: latin binomials. Latin binomials are unique names assigned to different species that are (usually) unchanging and help folks to know that they are talking about the same plant across different languages. When you read a plant profile, mine included, most will list the name of a plant that many are familiar with (i.e. Sage) and then in parentheses and italicized you'll find the latin name (i.e. Salvia officinalis). The name "Sage" is known as a Common or Folk Name - these names change across languages, cultures, and regions. Common and Folk Names are an important part of herbalism as they preserve tradition, communicate ideas about plants often in an easy to comprehend way, and they are a living lexicon that is constantly being added to. Latin binomials help us to communicate across languages and regional differences. What someone calls Sagebrush in one region might be called Desert Mugwort in another and it's the unchanging Latin binomial (in this case Artemisia tridentata) which helps herbalists to identify what plant everyone is referring to.

You don't have to have Latin binomials memorized (though having familiarity with them is useful), but you should have them written down. Now, if you never plan on sharing your plant profiles with anyone else, including Latin binomials might not be a priority for you. That's fine, I just think it's useful and important to include them in plant profiles that someone else might see.

Ok, that's it for the strong suggestions - onwards to more choose your own adventure type ones! 

Styles + Structures

So what do you put in a plant profile? There are a few ways to help you figure this out. One is to start by copying the structure of your favorite herbalist. I've been using the same structure for years in my plant profiles (and you can find a printable template for the structure if you sign-up for my newsletter and access the member's only posts). My structure is a combination of my own needs with the plant profiles structures of my teachers and favorite materia medicas. Since I'm writing my plant profiles to be used as teaching tools, they are on the longer side, use language that is on the more accessible side of the spectrum (as opposed to relying too heavily on medical and scientific language), and include stories, personal anecdotes, and metaphor. I write my plant profiles in this way because I enjoy the structure I've created and this is a style that my international, multilingual student population connects to and expects.

The plant profiles that I most often reference as a practitioner, however, are usually very different from the ones I write. I appreciate brevity, quick guides and lists, and precise summaries, because when I'm sitting with clients I don't have time to read through a long plant profile to find the information that I need. Some of my most referenced materia medicas using this style are listed in the footnotes below. Your own needs as an herbalist might lean towards much more succinct than my teaching-focused plant profiles that you find on my site. That's good to know so you don't feel the pressure to write a full length essay for every plant profile you create.

While you'll find variations between plant profiles by different authors here are the basic components that appear again and again:

• Common and Folk Names

• Latin Binomial

• Parts Used (i.e. use the leaf versus the root of a plant)

• Herbal Constituents: the active phytochemistry the herb)

• Herbal Actions (i.e. a list of what the medicinal actions are of a plant using terms like anti-inflammatory, lymphatic, cholagogue, and so on)

• Main Uses (i.e. the internal and external medicinal uses of the plant)

• Dosage Recommendation

• Contraindications and Drug Interactions 

In addition to the above components, you'll find additional listings in a plant profile depending on tradition, diagnostic techniques, cultural need, and personal preference, including:

• Indications (i.e. a list of physical, emotional, and mental indications that a plant may be of use. For some folks this shows up in the Main Uses section of a plant profile while others list it out separately for quick reference.)

• Habitat (i.e. the places that the plant is found in uncultivated spaces)

• Growing Conditions and Collection

• Flavor or Taste

• Temperature

• Moisture

• Tissue States

• Doshas

• Personality Indicators (i.e. the "Chamomile Personality")

• Doctrine of Signatures

• Magical Uses

• Tarot Correspondences

• Elemental Correspondences

• Astroherbalism Correspondences (including zodiac signs, planets, and lunar correspondences)

• Combine With or Works Well With (i.e. herbs or therapies that the plant being written about works with)

• Recipes

• Emojis (a fun and modern shorthand for the emotional states that an herb best serves)

Here is where you get to pick and choose a structure to fit your needs. As a teacher, the long-form style of plant profile that I write is important for me: it helps me to gather my thoughts and experiences about a plant into some sort of cohesive narrative which I can then use as a tool and resource for my students. When I'm learning about a new plant in books, I appreciate longer profiles full of stories and some of my favorite herbal books don't follow any of the structures I've talked about but rely on personal narratives and mythology to convey a plant's healing qualities. As a practitioner my needs are slightly different which is why my short form plant profiles that live in handwritten form in my notebooks before they become (if they ever do) profiles I share with the public, emphasize actions and indications alongside the energetics of traditional western herbalism that I work with including the elements, tissue states, and astroherbalism. Knowing your needs and interests as an herbalist will guide your structure, so spend some time investigating them.

Once you've chosen your structure there are even more ways to personal how you write out a profile including whether or not your profiles are kept digitally or written down within a book or binder; using shorthand symbols or abbreviations (I do this for astrological information); and whether or not you include images with your profiles. For my studies, I rely on pen and paper, but all of my plant profiles are eventually typed up. I also keep an additional spreadsheet that has herbs categorized for quick reference, but that is something that I rely on primarily for keeping track of information as a teacher. But that is probably beyond the needs of most of you reading this, but if you like color coded spreadsheets, please know you can incorporate that into your herbal practice, too.

You can also create plant profiles that are less word-filled and more art-filled. Color, symbolism, and your choice of art medium (from painting to textile art and beyond) can convey all sorts of meaningful and intuitive information. Conveying information about herbs and healing practices through images with multifaceted meanings is an ancient form of communication and if that is the sort of plant profiles you feel called to create, go for it!

Adding Your Stories

Every herbalist has a unique relationship with the plants and I think that it's a useful and beautiful thing to include some sort of personal narrative or signature in your plant profiles. Even if you're primarily creating your plant profiles by collating information from the writing of others, I think that if you're going to the effort of creating a profile it benefits all who read it to understand your approach, interests in the plants and their medicine, and personal anecdotes.

Who I am and my relationship to our plant kin is interwoven into the structure of my plant profiles. As a traditional western herbalist practicing the full spectrum of what our tradition has to offer, I include standard profile components like herbal actions, constituents, growing conditions, and so on alongside magickal uses, astrological correspondences, and the tradition of writing about the personality signatures of plants that I was taught by my teachers. All of these components inform my practice and so I include all of them in my plant profiles. Talking about plants as living beings and not just allies but elders and teachers is another important aspect of my plant profiles because that is inherent not only to my herbal practice but my spiritual practice.

I also include personal stories and anecdotes from my years of practice as well as the stories shared with me by others. Many of these don't necessarily make it into my public plant profiles, but they are included in my own notes that I'll pass to my own family and those apprentices who study with me.

I am incredibly grateful for the scientific studies on plant medicine that help us to better understand the ways that plants work in our bodies and the environments we live in. I also think that it is so important for individual herbalists to record anecdotes and stories about our plant allies. These are teaching stories that keep plant medicine a practice of the people which will help it survive and thrive for generations to come. If you ever have the opportunity to go to a gathering of herb folk (or just get to spend time with a plant story filled person) and get to sit around listening to and offering stories of plants I hope you can experience what I have time and time again - the power of the story of a plant to heal, inspire, and guide. If it feels right to put a story experienced or gifted to you on paper, I hope you do.

Oral Traditions + Audio Recordings

There is something that is captured via audio or video that can't quite be held by the written word. Audio recordings also help us to record songs and rhythms gifted by the plants that would be difficult to translate to paper. So if you're called to record oral traditions and your plant profiles as audio files, I encourage you to. I dream of an herbal library that is full of all sorts of resources from audio recordings and books, paintings and soundscapes, documentaries and textile arts, and so on that help to convey the long relationship between plant and people. When we spend time making our own records we are helping to create a legacy for others to benefit from (and make it harder for these things to be forgotten or taken away). 

My tips for audio recordings are simple. Label your digital files and organize them. Do this upon recording so you don't have to manage a bunch of unlabeled or improperly labeled audio files later on (because sorting through audio files can be an arduous task - please make it easy for yourself). If having a searchable database is important to you, create a document or excel spreadsheet with the name of the plant and the key actions and other meaningful correspondences written down so you can easily search for them later.

Storing Your Stories

Finally, consider how your plant profiles will be stored. You want to be able to use these profiles with ease in your practice so make them easy to access. I spend much of my working day on the computer, so it makes sense for me to have a digital archive of my plant profiles that I can easily access. My handwritten profiles are stored in notebooks that I keep within easy reach on my bookshelf. Additional information is stored in binders as well as simple paper files. I'm currently working on creating a completely handwritten and illustrated herbal for my own joy as I've always been intrigued and inspired by the handwritten herbals and grimoires of old and hope to contribute to this art as a sign of gratitude. One day, I hope this'll sit next to my altar, opened to  a page showing a beloved plant ally.

Plant profiles are living documents, meant to be amended and added on to as the need arises. I used to feel that I had to get my plant profiles "right" on the first go around and now I enjoy reading through old profiles noticing what has evolved, changed, and stayed the same through my many years of practice. Let there be flexibility, patience, and play in your practice. And most importantly, listen to the plants all along the process. As Cree and Métis herbalist and ethnobotanist Mary Siisip Geniusz says, "Plants have so much to give us, all we have to do is ask." (1)

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If you're looking for some visual inspiration check out my pinterest board for creating your own herbal. Other sources of inspiration include historical herbals and journaling spaces like the bullet journal and art journal communitites. But remember, it's more important to go ahead and make a plant profile then try to be a "perfect" enough writer or artist to accomplish the task. 

Are you feeling inspired to create your own plant profiles? I hope so and I also hope that you  find the same enjoyment with your own growing collection of plant profiles.

May your work become a living book of green wisdom and to be of benefit to yourself and those you serve.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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Notes

(1) Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have To Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings by Mary Siisip Geniusz is a beautiful example of a plant-led and culture-centered book of stories and plant profiles. I hope you have the chance to read it.

The following are a few, though certainly not all, of my favorite materia medicas that I reach for again and again when I need information quickly (i.e. in a client setting): 

Dispensing with Tradition: A Practitioner's Guide to using Indian and Western Herbs the Ayurvedic Way by Anne McIntyre

The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine by Brigitte Mars

Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Thomas Bartram

300 Herbs: Their Indications & Contraindications by Matthew Alfs

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The Heart Deserves to Be Held: Motherwort Plant Profile

I’ve been planning on sharing this plant profile with you for a few months, corresponding with the release of my newest course, Solace: Herbs & Essences for Highly Sensitive People (which has been a joy to create and if you have a moment, please check it out). The time has arrived and I sit here writing this, heart-breaking, as the world moves closer to what seems like another wave of impossible horror that has become all too real again.

Sometimes it feels like there are too many wars, too many social and environmental battles, too many things which need to be fought, and too little hope that anything can be won.

That old and ancient part of my brain tries to calculate what it can do, singly, and with great effort, to turn the tide. Counting resources, making maps to find hidden answers, calculating transactions of courage and desperation. It’s a part of many of our brains that has been overactive for years now as the world seems to be coming undone over and over.

And yet, an even older part of myself, the most ancient heart and seat of primordial consciousness reaches out and finds a vast collective reaching back. It takes many hands to hold a heart throughout a lifetime, to support its growth, to mend its wounds, to tend to its spark of life. And I start to remember… It is not about moving beyond the collective to become something individually extraordinary, but to tend to the weave and weft of our community web so that when a need of any one of us arises, deft hands of support mend and repair, hold and affirm, strengthen and love.

So I continue to do what I am called to do alongside the new things which must be adapted to. I teach about plants and the ways they connect us to our humanity, to our experience of and being Land, and the ways we care for ourselves when it seems like we’re all having to learn to breathe underwater. Because the point is not to win and be right and righteous, but to live fully in the immensity of the collective during times that seek to make us feel divided and small.

Maybe Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) knew that they would be needed now and planted the seed in my mind to wait to write about them until this late winter season. It’s the sort of magick that Motherwort is known for. They are in so many ways one of the best allies to be offering insights about right now and I hope you’ll find some inspiration and comfort with the healing gifts they carry.

image source

Motherwort
(Leonurus cardiaca)

Common + Folk Names : Lion’s ear, lion’s tail, throw-wort, parentwort, niibiishikaabijigan

Element : Fire, Air

Zodiac Signs : Leo

Planet : Sun, Venus

Moon Phase : Full Moon

Parts Used : Aerial parts

Habitat : Native to Europe and western Asia, naturalized worldwide.

Growing Conditions : Partial shade to full sun with light, sandy soil.

Collection : Collect the flowering tops. 

Flavor : Pungent, bitter

Temperature : Cool

Moisture : Dry

Tissue State : Tension, Dryness

Constituents : Beta-carotene, calcium, potassium, flavonoids, citric and malic acid, alkaloids, bitter glycosides, caffeic acid, essential oil, phytoesterols, tannins, resin, triterpenes, leonurine, vitamin A. 

Actions : Antispasmodic, antifungal, antirheumatic, anxiolytic, cardiotonic, hypotensive, diaphoretic, hemostatic, hypotensie, astringent, bitter, parturient, emmenagogue, nervine, sedative, vasodilator, thymoleptic, immunostimulant, antiviral, antibacterial.

Main Uses

Motherwort is a classic heart tonic in the Traditional Western Herbalism materia medica. Look at its Latin binomial and you’ll get insight into the herb’s qualities as a “Lion Hearted” herb. Motherwort improves the condition of a weakened or out-of-sync heart including arrhythmia, angina, and a heart muscle that lacks tone. Signs to look for when considering Motherwort are heart palpitations (especially those caused by stress, nervousness or anxiety), shortness of breath, and those who need some “mothering” or compassionate parenting. The herb reduces high blood pressure, alleviates palpitations and hypertension, and generally strengthens the heart’s tone. It also reduces high cholesterol and atherosclerosis.

The herb’s connection to the heart is also closely linked to the uterus, making it an herb of the birthing room, helping to start labor, relieve the pain of childbirth, and prevent postpartum infections. Look for signs of emotional distress during labor where the birthing parent doesn’t feel like “they have the heart” to continue on with labor because they feel tired and worn down (the flower essence is especially useful in these situations, too). The herb and/or essence is also useful for midwives, birth assistants, and doulas to take while supporting labor and postpartum. After labor, Motherwort also helps with the birth of the placenta. It is a wonderful herb to include in postpartum blends to prevent and alleviate postpartum blues and depression. On an additional level, herbalist Karen M. Rose notes that Motherwort "teaches us to flow from the heart, addressing deep rooted ancestral trauma stored in the womb." (1)

Historical image of Motherwort from Theatrum Botanicum - source

As we’ll look at further in the Motherwort Personality section below, Motherwort is an ally that helps folks to connect with the energy of a nurturing parent who is unwavering in their love and kindness. It is one of my favorite plants to recommend to all folks who are going through the work of reparenting themselves and especially highly sensitive people who may have been rejected in some way by caregivers and/or peers because of their sensitivity. Listen for language that the inner child needs caring for.

The other medicinal reproductive qualities of Motherwort include helping to bring on delayed menses and to relieve cramp and back ache. The herb is good for PMS that brings on feelings of agitation, frustration, and anger, as well as other signs of heat, such as hot flashes and menstrual headaches. During perimenopause and menopause, Motherwort can act as an ally in these times of change both emotionally and physically (such as helping to alleviate hot flashes). Motherwort can also be used in a douche or vaginal steam for infections such as candida and bacterial vaginosis.

Motherwort is a useful herb for pain-relief and management, alleviating conditions such as neuralgia, sciatica, rheumatism, and postpartum pain. As an herb with powerful emotional uplifting qualities, Motherwort helps relieve depression and has been used in the treatment of bipolar conditions. The herb works on the sympathetic nervous system, bringing calm and soothing energy, which can help to alleviate nervousness, insomnia, restlessness, and general anxiety. It is especially useful for all of these reasons during menopause. Motherwort is like a hug in a tea cup and is an herb that shifts energy for the better faster than most other herbs I have encountered.

Digestively, Motherwort is a bitter with a side of joy. It is excellent for those whose digestion gets tied in knots because of anxiety and nervousness. Think of folks who would be best served by receiving some of their parent’s best home cooking. The herb stimulates digestion, awakens the metabolism, and helps with the absorption of nutrients. As a cooling herb it alleviates overly hot and acidic digestion which can lead to heartburn. 

Other uses of Motherwort include during times of fever, ‘flu, and cold when there is debility and exhaustion. It is especially good in the recovery period. The herb calms an overactive thyroid. In general, Motherwort is calming to many body systems, especially when there is a notable influence by anxiety or nervousness. 

Magickal Uses

Motherwort is protective in general but especially during pregnancy and childbirth. Keep as a charm in the home to bring about peace. Use to connect with the energy and wisdom of the Lion. The herb protects against harmful entities and spirits. I think it is especially useful in helping alleviate hauntings, whether emotional hauntings of the spirit and mind, or unwanted ghosts. Motherwort has a long folkloric tradition of being allied with those who identify as womxn. Herbalist Deb Soule has wise words to share about the connection between womxn-identified folk and Motherwort and what she writes is similar to the oral traditions that I was taught (2) about Motherwort, too:

Leonurus cardiaca means lion hearted. I think motherwort is strong medicine for women to put in dream pillows, to have in dried flower arrangements near our beds, by the telephone, in our workplaces, and to have growing in our gardens. We need courage to heal the various ways we have been wounded and have not been allowed to be the powerful, intelligent, wise women that we are. Motherwort gives us courage to be our true selves and to develop a strong heart, like the lion's heart. Strong hearts filled with courage are able to do anything. It takes a lot of courage to mother ourselves and children in a world that does not yet entirely value mothering, women, and children. (3)

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The Motherwort Personality

ARGH! The Motherwort person groans and shouts. They are impatient and snappish, letting folks know they are irritated and unhappy. Their heart races, there is redness in their face, and they can’t seem to rest and calm down. Motherwort folk are frustrated and agitated. Their heart feels heavy, over-heated, and wild. They may even be feeling heartbroken. Sometimes their anger is quiet and smoldering, but it is still burning them up. Motherwort is for the frustrated folks crying hot tears. The herb will help them cool off, calm down, and find their peace. Perhaps as children anger was the only way to feel heard and/or to feel safe, but now it is an overdeveloped force that needs to be balanced with other tools of emotional expression.

They will not find their peace by fighting their way towards peace and Motherwort will help them lay down the parts of their anger that is no longer serving them. Motherwort helps folk to connect with the energy of a nurturing parent who is unwavering in their love and kindness - sometimes it helps us to connect with an actual parent, but more often it helps us to reparent ourselves. In the end Motherwort teaches gentleness, especially gentleness towards themselves, by showing gentleness, so they may be gentle towards others and find the connection they are seeking in appropriate ways.

Contraindications : Do not use in cases of menorrhagia. Use only in the last part of pregnancy with supervision of an herbalist as it can start labor.

Drug interactions : None known.

Dosage : Standard Dosage, but drop dosage is a common recommendation for Motherwort, especially for emotional support: 1 - 3 drops (1:2 fresh or 1:5 dried 60% alcohol extract), 1 - 3 times daily.

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I hope this post finds folks who are need of the type of support that Motherwort can provide. And in the spirit of supporting the collective, here are a round-up of resources for supporting the people of Ukraine.

Let's continue to work for peace, share resources, and take care of one another.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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Footnotes

(1) Karen M. Rose, The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism: Transform, Heal, & Remember with the Power of Plants and Ancestral Medicine (Beverly, MA: Quarto Publishing, 2022), 110.

(2) I imagine the Deb taught teachers of my teachers somewhere along the line of feminists (particularly queer ones) reclaiming bodily autonomy and reconnection to land through working with plants. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Deb and the land she lives with, Avena Botanicals, and she embodies so much of what she teaches about Motherwort. She helped me see myself as an herbalist, as a dyke who loves the land, which carried me through what would be a very straight world for the first few years of my herbal studies and I am so grateful for that courage.

(3) Deb Soule, The Roots of Healing: A Woman's Book of Herbs (New York: Citadel Press, 1995), 120.

Sweet The Sting : Nettles Plant Profile

Often when I think of Nettles I am drawn back to a beautiful memory from my time living in Maine.

I was visiting Avena Botanicals when the herbalist and owner Deb Soule stepped out from the garden with a jar full of fresh Nettle tea. Deb glows with an inner radiance and she smiled commenting on how much she enjoyed her Nettles in the morning. We all agreed that Nettles was an abundant medicine that more folks would benefit from using. And then we went back to washing roots and enjoying the warmth of the growing morning light with the scent of Nettle tea in the air.

Now, I didn't grow up with Nettles in my backyard and didn't have to worry about falling into its sting when out on walks as a kid. When I think of Nettles I find myself drawn into feelings of gentleness. And while the sting of Nettles has left many wary of the plant, the affect of Nettles as an internal remedy is so nourishing that the simple act of drinking fresh Nettle tea can be a clear invocation of gentleness. Combine it with other herbs like Milky Oat (Avena sativa) and you're brewing up a hug in a mug (recipe below). 

I explore both the sting and sweetness of Nettles in my plant profile. What are your favorite ways to use Nettles? Let me know in the comments below. If you're looking for all my plant profiles click here and you can learn how to connect with any plant with the Plant Ally Project. Enjoy!

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Common + Folk Names : Stinging nettle, wild spinach, bee sting nettle, devil’s leaf, hidgy-pidgy, hoky-poky

Planet : Mars

Element : Fire

Signs : Aries (Guardian), Scorpio (Guardian + Remedy), Capricorn (Remedy), Pisces (Remedy)

Moon Phase : Waxing Quarter Moon

Parts used : Leaves, seeds, roots, and young tops

Habitat : Just about everywhere.

Growing conditions : Grow in wet, rich soil – think compost heaps and old manure.

Collection : Cut three to four inches off the early spring plants. Seeds can be collected in the early fall when plants are brown. 

Flavor : Salty, slightly bitter

Temperature : Cool

Moisture : Dry

Tissue State : Cold/Depression, Damp/Stagnation

Constituents : Amines (acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin), ascorbic acid, flavonoids, minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, silica, vitamin B, C, E, K, silicon, manganese, zinc, magnesium, chromium, protein, tannins. 

Actions : Alterative, antihaemorrhagic, antiallergenic, anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, blood tonic, circulation stimulant, decongestant, diuretic, expectorant, haemostatic, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, immune-stimulant, nutritive, vasodilator, thyroid tonic, antiseptic

Main Uses : Herbalist David Hoffman has a wonderful quote about Nettles that I heartily agree with: “When in doubt, Nettles.” A wonderfully nutritive herb, Nettles has a nourishing effect on the entire body with a broad range of uses. 

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Nettles has an affinity for the blood. It moves stagnant blood, improves circulation, and is a rich source of iron. The herb is also useful in reducing blood sugar levels and balancing blood pressure. Use in cases of anemia and general weakness and debility. The herb helps alleviate heavy and prolonged periods, nosebleeds, and to stops excess bleeding both internally and externally. Nettle also has a strong relationship with the kidneys, stimulating sluggish kidneys, moving stagnant water, and generally cleansing the fluids of the body.

During pregnancy, Nettles, in combination with other herbs such as Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus), is a wonderful daily multivitamin for parent and growing fetus. Use in postpartum, too, especially if there has been blood loss. Nettles has an amphoteric affect on the milk supply meaning that it increases milk if there is too little or reduces it if there is too much. 

For reproductive systems in general, Nettle root has been used to treat prostatitis, vaginitis, and vaginal discharges. If infertility is an issue, Nettles is almost always useful for nourishing and revitalizing the body attempting to conceive. If low libido, erectile dysfunction or general sexual anxiety is present, Nettles helps to resettle and center the nervous system (combine with Avena sativa for an especially nourishing brew). Use during menopause for nightsweats - take as a tea before bed combined with Sage (Salvia officinalis). The root reduces prostate enlargement.

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Nettles are a strengthening herb to use when a person’s constituent is weak or weakened – when anemia is present or with a weak digestive system and especially during convalescence. Helps increase energy and overcome fatigue. Restores a worn-down emotional system. Nettles strengthens the kidneys and adrenal glands, activates the metabolism, nourishes the liver and blood, and improves elasticity of veins. The diuretic and anti-inflammatory actions of Nettles are useful in treating rheumatism and gout. The herb enlivens the immune system and has been used traditionally in the treatment of cancer. Overall, Nettles are great spring medicine - they help to brush off the heaviness of winter and enrich our bodies with an injection of Vitamin C amongst other nutrients. Include the tea in your morning routine and cook the young greens like spinach for your spring green meals. 

As an anti-allergen, Nettles strengthens the outer membranes of cells which makes them less vulnerable to inflammation and allergic reactions. Nettles are used to treat eczema, hayfever, asthma, acne, and food allergies. Warm Nettle tea helps the body to release excess mucus from the lungs and colon and stops the cycle of mucous membrane hyperactivity.

Use externally as an oil or wash for bedsores, diaper rash, burns and wounds, brittle nails, and to treat the sting of Nettles itself. Traditional use includes hitting arthritic joints with fresh Nettles to alleviate pain and stiffness. Matthew Wood uses Nettles topically for muscle weakness of the inner thighs (especially for the middle-aged and older) to great success. I have found Nettles to be good (both internally and externally) for growing pains of all sorts, emotional and physical.

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"No plant is more useful in domestic medicine."
- Hilda Leyel -

Magickal Uses : Protective powers employed to reverse curses and return negative energy to the sender. Use as a protective powder around the boundaries of the house and to keep away ghosts. Tossed into a fire it averts danger and combined with Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) it turns away fear. As a “carnivorous” plant it is used in purification baths to eat harmful energies. Used in wash to consecrate athames.  Lucky for fishing. Silver Ravenwolf suggests an association with the Greek Goddess Hekate and the Egyptian Scorpion Goddess Selkhet.

The Nettles Personality : The Nettles personality struggles to live in the moment. They are often dazed, brain-fogged, and worn down. Many are simply going through the motions of their day, the little pleasant details of life are simply a blur, and pass by unappreciated. There can be a lingering feeling of sadness, wariness, and uncertainty. The blur and sameness of it all can make a Nettles person feel like they are boundary-less but not in an expansive and blissful sort of way. They can get walked all over by others and begin to feel resentful for not being appreciated. Fortunately, Nettles helps to bring us rapidly back to the moment (think about how their sting does just that when you accidentally stumble upon them). For the muddled and unmoored a healthy re-centering can go a long way in helping them to feel better. In addition to re-centering, Nettles also helps us to set boundaries with our selves which, in turn, allows us to set healthy boundaries with others. With the heat and stimulation of Nettles, the fog can lift and the excitement of life come rushing back in.

Contraindications : Do not take root during pregnancy. Nettle Seed can be too stimulating for some. Avoid overstraining the kidneys by using Nettles for 3 weeks on and 1 week off. 

Drug interactions : Use with caution with blood thinners.

Dosage : Leaf: 1 teaspoon per of 1 cup of water. 3 -  40 drops (1:5, 60% alcohol extract).

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Remedies + Charms

A General Sense of Wellbeing Tea | Alexis J. Cunningfolk

Combine equal parts of the following:

• Oats (Avena sativa)

• Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

Let steep for 20 minutes and then add in a generous amount of your milk of choice for a nourishing and relaxing brew.

Menopause Nightsweats Tea | Deb Soule
from The Roots of Healing

Combine equal parts of :

• Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• Nettles (Urtica dioica)

Prepare as standard infusion and enjoy 1 hour before bed.

Electuary of Nettles | Elisabeth Brooke
from An Astrological Herbal for Women

Beat some dried nettle leaves into a fine powder and pass through a hair sieve to remove any large particles. To 25 g (1 oz) of powder, add 75 g (3 oz) clarified honey and mix well in a mortar. Store in an earthenware pot.

Dose: 15 g to 25 g (1/2 to 1 oz) to purge the body of phlegm.

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To Ignite the Imagination : Angelica Plant Profile

It has been a while since I posted a full plant profile, but as part of the Plant Ally Project: Thirty Day Challenge, I wanted to share with folks what a full plant profile in my personal materia medica looks like. The following format is not only what I use for my personal materia medica, but is also the style of plant profile that I hand out to my students both online and offline. For ease of online reading I have changed the order of how I list information on my printed materia medica for those of you who are really curious. I also add additional space for notes at the end of my materia medicas for quickly jotting down thoughts and observations.

I love getting to look at other herbalist's plant profiles and how they organize information. I usually am inspired to add to or adjust my own plant profiles after viewing them. While the following plant profile of Angelica is my long form version, I do create two other styles of plant profiles. The first is my one page, at-a-glance form that I create when first meeting a plant and for easy reference later on. The second type is half-way between the short and long form and is my homage to herbals of antiquity where everything is drawn and written directly into one hard-backed book (unlike my long and short form plant profiles which I keep in three-ring binders) and is as much a Book of Shadows as it is an herbal guide or plantbook. I'll be posting a free ecourse on creating your plantbook in the future!

If you're just starting out on creating your own plant profiles, a few tips:

• It takes time and experimentation to figure out what works for you. You might love the style I've created below or find it doesn't have the flow you're looking for. It took me a few years to find a style that I really liked and wanted to use consistently.

• Write in your own words. I reference multiple materia medicas when creating my own plant profiles, in addition to recording my own personal experience with the plant. Instead of copying and pasting, I try and use my own voice and language. When I do copy passages, I cite the source so I can reference back to it easily (for those grammar nerds who are afraid I might not know that I'm not doing it correctly, you'll notice below that my citations below are my own hybrid style). You can check out my favorite herb books, including the materia medicas that I most often reference, on my LibraryThing.

• Have fun! Putting together plant profiles should be fun, not a chore. If it feels burdensome change the way you're doing it until it becomes a pleasure. Be creative as you like - these plant profiles are for you and your practice so don't worry about how well someone else might like them.

Other items that you might find in my personal materia medica would be poems and images (often cut out of magazines or postcards that I've found) that I tuck in with my plant profiles. I love being able to add as many avenues of storytelling when it comes to connecting with plant allies and helping others do the same. Be sure to check out the Plant Ally Project: Thirty Day Challenge for examples of plant-inspired poetry and how to put together your very own materia medica!

Common + Folk Names : Angelic herb, archangel, masterwort, holy ghost root, wild celery, choraka, ground ash.

Planet : Sun (particularly when placed in Leo), Jupiter, Moon

Element : Fire

Sign : Leo, Pisces

Moon Phase : Full Moon, New Moon (traditional)                       

Parts used : Root, leaf, stem, seed

Habitat : Native to Europe, North America. Enjoys swampy and marshy areas, including meadows.

Growing conditions : Enjoys deep, moist loam and partial shade. Grow near water if possible and keep soil damp.

Collection : Harvest from mature plants (2 or more years old). Maude Grieve, however, recommends harvesting the roots in the first year. Harvest stems in April and May and leaves before flowering. Harvest roots in the fall.

Flavor : Pungent

Temperature : Warm

Moisture : Oily, through some sources say Dry.

Tissue State : Dry/Atrophy, Cold/Depression

Constituents : Flavonoids, furanocoumarins, essential oils, coumarins, acids, caffein acid, citric acid, fatty acids, phthalates, sugars, resins, sterols, tannins, vitamin C.

Actions : Alterative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, anti-rheumatic, antiemetic, antispasmodic, aromatic, antioxidant, astringent, bitter, circulatory stimulant, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, hypotensive, hepatoprotective, nervine, rejuvenative, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, uterine stimulant.

Contraindications : Not for use in pregnancy and those with bleeding disorders, GERD, reflux, peptic ulcers, hypertension. Use with caution with diabetics as the plant can increase blood sugar levels. Large doses affect blood pressure, respiration, and can overstimulate the nervous system. Avoid in cases of heavy menstruation. Avoid a week prior to surgery. The fresh root of Angelica atropurpurea is said to be toxic and should only be used dried.

Drug interactions : Avoid with Warfarin, salicylates, and anticoagulants (McIntyre).

Dosage : 1 - 10 drops (1:2 fresh root or 1:5 dry root 75% alcohol extract), 1 - 3 times daily. As a tea, 1 teaspoon of root, soaked overnight, per cup of water.

Angelica archangelica by Kat

Main Uses

Angelica is a classic herb in the Traditional Western Herbalism materia medica with long uses for digestive complaints, fever (including typhus), and menstruation. As a digestive tonic, Angelica stimulates sluggish and cold digestion. Look for additional signs of gas, distention, and colic. Lack of appetite may stem not only from digestive complaints, but from sluggishness of the spirit and low vitality. Angelica is specific to hypochlorhydria, which is a condition of the stomach in which the production of hydrochloric acid in gastric secretions is low. The bitter content and sugars present in the herb help to stimulate the appetite and produce bile necessary for digestion. Angelica also helps clear toxins from the gut and assists with the metabolism of fats. Angelica should be used with caution for those with diabetes as it can raise blood sugar levels in the blood and urine through its stimulation of the adrenal cortex which releases cortisol in the system. The scent of the crushed leaves can alleviate nausea.

As a warming and oily herb, Angelica helps to move oils and fats through the body more effectively, including their metabolism and break-up of excess fluids. As an expectorant, Angelica is useful in cases of excess phlegm in the lungs. It is especially good when a respiratory complaint is worsened by cold or an illness has turned into a low-level chronic cough leading to exhaustion. The herb also works on the lymphatic system, clearing out congestion through its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory actions. Use in cases of sore throats, where the throat is raw, and for coughs, bronchitis, and asthma - especially if these conditions are made worse by cold. Angelica’s anti-inflammatory qualities can also be used in cases of arthritis and gout. The herb is also a diaphoretic, opening the skin and improving peripheral circulation. 

Angelica calms both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, finding balance between the two. The herb calms anxiety and helps to rebuild the protective sheaths of the nervous system as part of its ability to move oils effectively through the body. As a brain tonic, Angelica improves mental clarity, uplifts the mood, and stimulates the imagination. It can be a helpful part of someone’s herbal and healing regimen for depression.

Angelica is a useful herb for congested, cramping, and cold menstruation. The herb offers pain relief and regulates the cycle. It can help bring on delayed menses and is useful in the treatment of amenorrhea. After birth, Angelica has been used traditionally to expel the placenta and bring on milk. The essence of Angelica is excellent to have on hand for any type of life passage including death, birth, and initiations. It can also be used as a tonic to help the spirit return to the body after a traumatic or shocking experience.

In general, Angelica offers a reparative action throughout the body as a circulatory tonic. While I haven’t used Angelica for this yet, it is said to reduce the desire for alcohol which would make it useful for folks dealing with alcoholism. I think the herb would be good to use with those family members and partners who are affected by their loved ones alcohol abuse as well, as it is supportive of the nervous system and helps all parties imagine a new path forward and bring on optimism for recovery.

Externally, the oil of Angelica can be used in massage blends to relieve joint stiffness and pain. It can also be used in baths with the same effect. Brigitte Mars recommends using Angelica for victims of electric shock by giving them a Angelica sponge bath using gentle upward strokes (Mars, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, 33). Additionally, Angelica oil can be used in magickal salves for trance work. 

Magickal Uses

Angelica connects us to our spiritual nature, whether that is through our guardian angels, our guides or our ancestors. Furthering the plants connection to the imagination, in the language of flowers Angelica represents inspiration. Traditionally, Angelica was used in protection spells against poisoning, contagion, and malefic witchcraft. Culpeper recommends harvesting the herb when the Sun is in Leo.

The plant has a connected to the archangel Michael, where its latin binomial stems from, after being revealed to a monk in a dream during a time of plague. Additionally, the herb may be associated with Archangel Michael as the flower blooms around the day (May 8) of Michael the Archangel. The herb is sacred in Saami culture and is used as part of their religious ceremonies. I use the extract as a base for blends meant to enliven psychic centers of the body.

Angelica archangelica from Franz Eugen Köhler's Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen

Angelica Personality

The Angelica spirit has forgotten that they have a spirit. The world feels like a cold, sunless, and unkind place. They lack trust that they will ever feel better and part of that lack of trusts stems from an inability to connect with their vision for a brighter future. Generally speaking, a trauma has occurred and they have not yet dealt with its reverberations in their life. The spirit, in a sense, has been squeezed into a tight space. Self-medicating with drugs and alcohol may have become an unhealthy coping mechanism. Angelica helps reconnect them to their spiritual world, unfurls the spirit, and acts as a nourishing tonic for the imagination. It is an herb of transitions, too, so it not only helps them to imagine a new possibility for themselves, but then to transition towards their vision with ease. 

Remedies + Charms

Typhus Fever Syrup
Traditional from Maude Grieve

Pour a quart of boiling water upon 6 oz. of Angelica root cut up in thin slices, 4 oz. of honey, the juice of 2 lemons and 1/2 gill of brandy. Infuse for half an hour.

Tarot Elixir
Alexis J. Cunningfolk

I created the Tarot Elixir for students of my tarot class to enjoy before conducting readings. The Tarot Elixir awakens our psychic centers and helps us think creatively when engaging with divinatory tools. The essence is best made when the Moon is in Pisces.

To 1 ounce of Angelica Root extract add the following essences: 

• 3 drops Nuummite Gem Essence

• 3 drops Pink Yarrow Flower Essence

• 3 drops Angelica Flower Essence