✾ The Witch’s Ingredient Index
𝓑 – Complete Magical Correspondence List
✧ Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila spp.)
Keywords: Innocence, purity, new beginnings
Uses: Used in handfastings and birth blessings; adds softness to love spells.
Common floral charm ingredient; symbol of youthful love.
✧ Balm of Gilead (Populus spp. buds)
Keywords: Healing, reconciliation, soothing grief
Uses: Anoint candles or add to spell jars to mend broken relationships or hearts.
Used in hoodoo and Christian folk traditions; associated with Biblical healing.
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✧ Balmony (Chelone glabra)
Keywords: Courage, healing, resilience
Uses: Added to charm bags for fortitude and recovery from illness or heartbreak.
Used in early American folk medicine.
✧ Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
Keywords: Purification, strength, endurance
Uses: Burn needles or resin for cleansing and grounding; great for Yule magic.
Sacred in North American and Northern European folk practice.
Keywords: Flexibility, resilience, prosperity
Uses: Used in prosperity and protection charms; strong symbol of spiritual endurance.
Sacred in many Asian cultures—avoid appropriating specific Buddhist or Taoist rituals.
Keywords: Fertility, attraction, pleasure
Uses: Used in sensual spells, especially related to fertility and sexual confidence
Used in Afro-Caribbean food and spellwork; symbol of abundance
Keywords: Longevity, ancestral connection, divine shelter
Uses: Used for spiritual protection and grounding; meditate under its shade for wisdom.
Sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism—avoid ritual mimicry outside those traditions.
✧ Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
Keywords: Protection, banishing, truth
Uses: Used to remove curses, expose lies, and keep away unwanted visitors.
Thorny—associated with sharp truth and boundaries.
Keywords: Abundance, fertility, sacrifice
Uses: Added to prosperity bowls and harvest offerings; represents sustenance.
Ancient grain used in Greek, Norse, and Babylonian rituals.
Keywords: Prosperity, love, protection, clarity
Uses: Brew into money or attraction baths; sprinkle around the home for luck.
Universal herb of blessing—common in Mediterranean, African, and South Asian folk magics.
✧ Bat’s Head Root (Orchis spp. variation)
Keywords: Shape-shifting, shadow work, power
Uses: Used in commanding, protection, or hex-breaking spells.
Used in hoodoo; roots shaped like animals are powerful curios. Endangered—use ethically.
Keywords: Protection, victory, manifestation
Uses: Write intentions on leaves and burn; wear for wisdom or prophecy.
Sacred to Apollo; associated with fire and the Sun.
Keywords: Wisdom, tradition, learning
Uses: Used in spells for knowledge, ancestry, and written magic; excellent wand wood.
Celtic Ogham tree; symbolizes continuity and storytelling.
Keywords: Spiritual protection, ancestor veneration
Uses: Burn or carry to communicate with spirits or protect sacred spaces.
Used in Indigenous smoke ceremonies—do not appropriate closed uses.
✧ Bedstraw (Lady’s Bedstraw) (Galium verum)
Keywords: Love, protection, feminine grace
Uses: Used in love sachets and blessing rituals for childbirth or marriage.
Traditional Midsummer flower of the goddess Freyja.
✧ Bee Balm (Monarda spp.)
Keywords: Vitality, joy, expression
Uses: Used to lift moods, inspire passion, and draw creative fire.
North American native plant; pollinator ally.
Keywords: Fertility, vitality, abundance
Uses: Sprinkle on altars for life force and manifestation.
Ethically source; sacred to bee and Sun spirits.
Keywords: Manifestation, purity, sacred creation
Uses: Base for candle magic, seals, and sigil work.
Represents the union of earth and fire through labor.
Keywords: Knowledge, structure, longevity
Uses: Carve runes or sigils into beech wood; used in wisdom and stability work.
Celtic ogham: “Phagos”—the tree of lore and the written word.
Keywords: Grounding, protection, blood magic
Uses: Used in spells tied to vitality, menstrual rites, or family lineages
Deep red color makes it a favorite for sympathetic magic
Keywords: Protection, caution, inner reflection
Uses: Planted to ward off negative energy or deceit.
Used in folk plant magic for discernment.
✧ Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) ⚠︎
Keywords: Trance, shadow, death
Uses: Used symbolically for spirit travel and shadow integration.
⚠︎ Highly poisonous; do not touch or ingest.
Keywords: Gratitude, communication, spiritual call
Uses: Placed on altars to call divine attention or to thank deities.
Associated with joy, fairies, and gentle spiritual presence.
Keywords: Purification, prosperity, spirit summoning
Uses: Burn for spiritual cleansing or to attract benevolent entities.
Southeast Asian origin; used in temple incense blends.
Keywords: Success, joy, confidence
Uses: Add to charm bags for personal power; use oil in money or courage workings.
Associated with the Sun and Fire element.
✧ Betel Nut (Areca catechu)
Keywords: Strength, endurance, binding
Uses: Used for vitality and determination spells.
Culturally sacred in South and Southeast Asia—avoid ritual mimicry.
✧ Betony (Stachys officinalis)
Keywords: Protection, purification, dream clarity
Uses: Burned or carried to drive away fear, nightmares, or intrusive energy
Traditional in Anglo-Saxon and medieval herb magic
Keywords: New beginnings, cleansing, feminine power
Uses: Birch twigs for sweeping away the old; tree used for protection and birth rites
Sacred in Celtic and Slavic traditions; symbol of the goddess and Yule
✧ Bistort (Polygonum bistorta)
Keywords: Strength, protection, fertility
Uses: Root used in defensive or fertility charms.
Used in medieval herbal magic.
✧ Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
Keywords: Banishing, strength, feminine power
Uses: Used in protection and power work; sacred to women’s mysteries.
Endangered; used in Indigenous and Appalachian traditions—source ethically.
Keywords: Prosperity, fertility, new year blessings
Uses: Used in luck spells and prosperity feasts (esp. New Year’s rituals).
Traditional in African American hoodoo and Southern folk magic.
✧ Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium)
Keywords: Protection, peace, womb healing
Uses: Used in spells for reproductive health or emotional grounding.
Used in African American and Appalachian herbal practices.
Keywords: Banishing, protection, aggression
Uses: Added to curses or protection mixes to repel negative energy.
Fire-aligned kitchen witch staple.
Keywords: Warding, banishing, protection
Uses: Sprinkled at doorways, around homes, or on ritual tools to remove unwanted energy
Not a natural salt—usually made with ashes, charcoal, or iron filings
✧ Black Susan (Black-Eyed Susan)
Keywords: Encouragement, confidence, clarity
Uses: Used for optimism, inner strength, and perseverance.
Native to North America; sunflower kin.
✧ Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Keywords: Banishing, boundary-setting, protection
Uses: Used in curse-breaking, defensive magic, and ancestral rites.
Thorny hedge plant sacred to Morrigan; Samhain plant.
Keywords: Protection, boundaries, underworld
Uses: Warding spells, hedge crossing, binding work
Sacred to Brigid; used in Celtic and British Isles folk practices
Keywords: Psychic power, protection, sea magic
Uses: Added to water spells, spirit travel, or divination tools
Used in Celtic sea rites and modern witchcraft
✧ Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus)
Keywords: Protection, strength, purification
Uses: Used in protection and exorcism spells; burned or carried.
Common in medieval witchcraft; associated with Mars.
✧ Blowball (Dandelion puff)
Keywords: Wishes, divination, wind magic
Uses: Blow the seeds to send messages or make wishes to spirits.
Simple and ancient form of air-element spellwork.
✧ Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Keywords: Protection, hexing, truth-telling
Uses: Used in spells to reveal lies, banish toxicity, or command attention
⚠︎ Toxic; handle with care; used in hoodoo and Appalachian folk traditions
Keywords: Truth, dreams, faery communication
Uses: Planted to protect homes; used in dream magic and faery rites
Endangered in some areas—never harvest wild
Keywords: Protection, mental clarity, calm
Uses: Added to spells for peace, focus, and domestic harmony.
Native to North America; sacred to some Indigenous cultures—use respectfully.
✧ Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Keywords: Feminine power, protection, new beginnings
Uses: Used in fertility and birth magic.
⚠︎ Endangered; sacred to Indigenous medicine—avoid cultural appropriation.
Keywords: Blessing, purification, sacred communication
Uses: Use in consecration or ritual blessing; gentle psychic enhancer.
Cross-cultural sacred herb.
✧ Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Keywords: Healing, protection, strength through pain
Uses: Healing rituals for chronic conditions or soul wounds
Used in American herbal medicine and witchcraft; bitter, handle with respect
Keywords: Courage, optimism, endurance
Uses: Drink as tea before challenges; add to success charms.
Keywords: Beauty, boundaries, resilience
Uses: Used for protection cloaked in charm or glamour magic.
Thorned flower—Venus and Mars energies combined.
Keywords: Immortality, protection, patience
Uses: Used in longevity and warding spells; wood for steady energy.
Keywords: Prosperity, health, grounded abundance
Uses: Used in kitchen witchery for success and physical vitality.
Sustainably source; endangered habitat species.
Keywords: Banishing, cleansing, fire, protection
Uses: Used to drive away negativity, curses, or unwanted spirits.
⚠︎ Toxic to inhale or burn in enclosed spaces; used in hoodoo and ceremonial magic.
Keywords: Purification, exorcism, change
Uses: Used to sweep away stagnant energy; associated with rebirth.
Celtic Beltane symbol; sacred plant of threshold rites.
✧ Buckeye (Horse Chestnut)
Keywords: Luck, protection, money drawing
Uses: Carried in the pocket for good fortune; used in gambling and prosperity magic.
Popular in Southern and hoodoo traditions.
Keywords: Boundaries, banishing, defense
Uses: Used in protection sachets and uncrossing powders.
⚠︎ Slightly toxic; use dried bark only.
Keywords: Prosperity, stability, boundaries
Uses: Scatter around home for wealth and food security.
Sacred grain of hearth witches.
Keywords: Protection, purification, persistence
Uses: Used to clear toxic ties, strengthen energy, and protect against psychic attack
Used in hoodoo and Western herbalism
✧ Burnet (Sanguisorba spp.)
Keywords: Vitality, healing, protection
Uses: Added to restorative or grounding spells.
A gentle healing herb used in medieval folk magic.
✧ Butcher’s Broom (Ruscus aculeatus)
Keywords: Protection, cleansing, courage
Uses: Used in uncrossing and energy clearing spells.
Linked to hearth and household wards.
✧ Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)
Keywords: Protection, transformation, release
Uses: Used in spells to ease transitions or break attachments.
⚠︎ Toxic if ingested raw; handle with care.
Keywords: Charm, brightness, illusion
Uses: Used for glamour or lighthearted joy spells.
⚠︎ Toxic; external use only.
✧ Butternut (Juglans cinerea)
Keywords: Letting go, endings, ancestral clearing
Uses: Used in rituals for release, death work, and grief
Used by Indigenous and Appalachian communities—respect lineage
⚠︎ Toxic: Belladonna, Buckthorn, Boxwood, Butterbur, Brimstone (inhalation), and Bat’s Head Root (endangered/orchid species)
Balm of Gilead (hoodoo/Christian folk)
Bearberry, Blue Cohosh (Indigenous)
Betel Nut, Banyan (South/Southeast Asia)
⚠︎ Endangered: Blue Cohosh, Bloodroot, Black Cohosh, Bluebell (wild), Bat’s Head Root
♀ Venus – Basil, Bay, Bee Balm, Bougainvillea
♂ Mars – Black Pepper, Blessed Thistle, Broom
♄ Saturn – Boxwood, Buckthorn
♃ Jupiter – Borage, Barley
☉ Sun – Bergamot, Beeswax
✾ Part of the A–Z Witch’s Ingredient Index • Follow for the next letter!