Sweetgum trees are quite prolific here. We have four in the parking lot alone and they're often considered a nuisance because of the spikey balls they drop in droves, they're actually the fruit of the tree but they look and feel like tiny wooden maces.

Naturally I've been researching any plants I can obtain for free for their magickal properties to incorporate them in my craft so I had to look these trees up. What I found was that sweetgum balls are often referred to as witches burrs/balls in hoodoo and considered to have strong protective properties, which makes a lot of sense based on their makeup.

What I couldn't find were properties for the trees and leaves themselves for whatever reason, usually there's more info on this kind of thing. Probably safe to assume they would hold the same meaning as their fruit but what I've noticed is many witches coming up with their own meanings for things based on their experience and the energy they feel from the plant/gem/object, this tends to vary a lot from person to person and is perfectly valid (part of why I love this stuff).

See the rest of the Localizing Magic series.

If you live near a sweetgum tree, no doubt you’ve seen these spiky little balls by its trunk. They’re all over my backyard--I could practically swim in them. While most people consider them a nuisance, they nevertheless have both magical and medicinal properties. 

Sweetgum seed pods, also known as witches’ burrs, are frequently used in hoodoo/conjure magic, which makes sense, since they’re uniquely American. In hoodoo, witches’ burrs are primarily used for protection. Hung over a doorway they can protect a home from witches. They’re also used to repel enemies or to incite someone to repay a debt. Now, I will be the first to admit I am almost completely ignorant of how hoodoo works, and I am respectful of its history as a means for African Americans to establish personal power in the face of systemic racism. I’m presenting these correspondences merely as inspiration for an eclectic magical practice, not as a how-to of hoodoo.

Contemporary American witches may use these pods to ward evil from the home. Used as an altar offering, they can increase the efficacy of spells.

The magical association with protection seems to have a basis in science. Green or unripe seed pods are high in a substance called shikimic acid, which is used as an antiviral both in herbal medicine and in commercial drugs like Tamiflu. The brown seed pods also have a bit of shikimic acid, but nowhere near as much as the green ones do.

If you’re interested in working with witches’ burrs, you can buy them on Etsy. Alternatively, if you live in the South, just ask if any of your friends has a surplus of them in their yard.