Herbs - Warnings & Cautions

Hemlock aka "Water Parsley"

...oh the reasons to use scientific names.

Herbs is a term referring to a plethora of plants from around the world. An herb can be any type or part of a plant, to include trees, shrubs, leaves, roots, bark, stems, and flowers. The simplest definition of an herb is merely a plant which is useful. Uses for herbs range from medicinal to magickal. However there is a lot of misinformation floating around from people creating their own correspondences to correlate herbs with elements, various folk names and home remedies. The worst mistakes tend to occur when witches interested in using herbs don't do their research. Because plants can often survive in a variety of climates, the same plant may go by 10 or more different folk names. Before harvesting, burning, ingesting or using an herb in a poultice or oil, please find out the scientific name and insure it is not an irritant or poison.

An example of an irritant which is not recommended for home remedy use without careful research is St John's Wort. Luckily many in the magickal community label it as a poison thanks to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs listing it as such. Though in my recent herbal order it was not labeled with any form of warning or caution. It is easy to become confused because St John's Wort has gained popularity for its medicinal uses to alleviate depression and improve the mood. St John's Wort is an irritant which can cause skin rash, indigestion and have many negative side effects with medications. Do not prescribe that someone takes St John's Wort internally if you are not a certified herbalist and the patient has not consulted first with their medical doctor about possible drug interactions. Such a warning would be wise for that eBay supplier to include. I wonder if they would sell Bella Donna or Oleander without a warning as well? (Both are lethal poisons sometimes used in spellcraft.)

A less severe example is one I came across this week when trying to find the elemental correspondence to Arrow Root. A website I found had another folk name for Arrow Root as Yarrow. Completely different plants. According to the Smithsonian Handbook of Herbs, Yarrow (achillea millefolium) has a peppery flavored leaf, with the flower tops used as a diuretic and to reduce blood pressure. It can cause the skin to be overly sensitive to sunlight and shouldn't be ingested during pregnancy. Whereas Arrow Root (maranta arundinacea) is used as a culinary and cosmetic thickening agent, and can be eaten as a thin gruel for convalescing children. Though not a potentially lethal mistake, the plants are completely different with different uses, properties, growth climates and appearances. According to Cunningham Yarrow is sometimes called Arrow Root in folk magic, but is not the same as what is commonly referred to nowadays as Arrow Root. So always identify plants by their scientific names not their folk names!

Another quick example, I had ordered an herbal sampler which included "calendula". I had never heard of this herb and was excited to get it and research it. Upon receiving it I thought it looked and smelled awfully familiar. Turns out calendula officinalis is the scientific name for marigold. Odd the seller chose to use the name calendula when all the other herbs she labeled under their common names.

Folk Names are Fun for Spell Books,

Not for Official Identification of Plants