Pagan Pages: A Witch’s Cupboard

Building a proper witch's cupboard can be a lengthy process for beginners. How do you know which herbs you need? And in what quantity? You see spellwork on social media platforms and think that you could never be able to do a spell like that because you lack the proper materials. For baby witches there is SO MUCH information out there, it is difficult to know where to begin. So this post will be a breakdown of 5 of the ingredients that I use the most often for spellwork and cooking.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) - A couple of the common names for mugwort include Felon herb, St. John's Plant, sailor's tobacco, Artemis Herb, Naughty Man, and Old Uncle Henry. Its leaves are green on the top, white on bottom, with pointed tips and purplish stems. Practical uses of the herb include burning it as an incense, smoking it, or drinking it as a tea to help with divination work and to aid with protection during spellwork. It is feminine in nature, and sacred to the Goddesses Artemis, Diane, and Hecate (Hekate). It can also be used in dream satchels to enhance prophetic or lucid dreaming. As a topical, the antifungal and antifungal properties can assist in relieving common skin ailments and remove warts with continued topical application. Over time, mugwort has been used to terminate unwanted pregnancies in Europe, treat painful menstrual cycles and prevent miscarriages in China, and put in the shoes of Roman soldiers to protect their feet from getting tired. Do not ingest in large quantities or for an extended period of time.

Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita) - Roman chamomile or German chamomile work very much the same, it just depends on where you live as to which will be easier to find. Roman chamomile is a perennial (lives more than 2 years), reaches up to 12 inches tall, with daisy-like petals and an apple scent. German chamomile is an annual (dies and drops seeds each year), grows up to 20 inches high, and has a daisy-like scent. For the Anglo-Saxons, chamomile is one of their 9 sacred herbs. In spellwork, chamomile is associated with the element water and the sun Gods Ra, Lugh, and Cernunnos. It is used in spells focusing on love, money, peace, tranquility, and letting go of the pain. It can be infused into a tea to assist with the throat chakra, stomach ailments, muscle spasms, and insomnia. Additionally, it can be added to a bath to help cleanse before a ritual.

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) - Bay laurel, or bay leaf, is one of the first herbs I ever added to my collection. You can find it at your local grocery store as “bay leaves”, or at your garden center as “laurel”. It has shiny, dark green, oval-shaped leaves with a lighter bottom. It will blossom yellow flowers in the spring, followed by dark berries on the female plants. It can grow up to 10 feet tall outside of its native area. The bay laurel is sacred to Apollo, and a wreath of laurel was used to crown important figures in both ancient Greek and Roman history. Garlands of laurel were given to the winners of Pythian and Olympic games in ancient Greece. In spellwork, bay leaves are masculine, ruled by the sun (Leo) and the element fire, along with being sacred to the Gods Apollo, Aesclepius, Ceres, Zeus, Fides, Hermes, and Cerridwen. They can be added to almost any spell to enhance psychic abilities, burned in a smudge to banish an area of unwanted energies, or written and burned to make a wish come true. It can also be carried in a wallet to attract money. Made into an oil, laurel can alleviate arthritis pain, bruises, and other common skin ailments. As a tea, it calms nerves, aids in digestion, and cleanses your body of impurities.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) - A member of the mint family, sweet basil has a square, fuzzy stem and white, pale pink, or purple flowers and a spicy aroma. It is masculine in nature, sacred to Vishnu, Tulasi, and Erzulie, and associated with the planet Mars along with the element fire. In African history, it was taught that basil would keep scorpions at bay. European folklore states it is an herb of “Satan”, and one must curse the ground before planting it to ensure its success. It was also believed that witches used to drink basil tea before they would fly on their brooms. In spellwork, it is used to attract love, money, happiness and to keep your mind clear. It’s also been stated that carrying a leaf of basil in your wallet will protect you on trips outside of your home. Basil oil is high in antifungal and antibiotic properties and can be used to treat common skin irritations. It can also be drunk as a tea to help calm nerves, headaches, upset stomachs, and to prevent flatulence.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) - As one of the best-known ingredients in a witch’s cupboard, lavender can be used as an oil, ground up, or as the whole flower. As a member of the mint family, it holds a sweet scent on its tall stalks of purple, white, or blue flowers. Over time, we have come to discover that the Roman soldiers used lavender in their bathwaters, to wash their clothes, and burned as incense. To this day, there remain cultures that continue the tradition of burning lavender to ward off “evil” spirits on St. John’s Day or during a solstice. Lavender is masculine in nature and associated with the element air, planet Mercury, and Virgo sign. The dried flowers can be used in dream satchels to aid in sound sleep. The oil has a very calming effect and can be added to bathwater to relax and help cleanse away unwanted energies. The dried flowers can be braided together and burned to aid in sleep or to clear the mind.

One thing to remember, it can take time to build the witch’s cupboard you want. Specific ingredients can be difficult to find if you cannot grow them or they are out of season. That’s okay. Begin with the plants and herbs that you can find easily and will serve multiple purposes. Eventually, you will have everything you need at your fingertips, but that will not happen overnight. These are only 5 of the infinite amount of ingredients you can keep. All I have shared comes from my personal studies and experiences. Do not ingest anything without speaking to a medical professional. Any oils should be diluted before applying to the skin and may cause adverse reactions to some. Do your own extensive research before you try something new to ensure the best outcome.

Photography by: @solovvitch Pagan Pages by: @solovvitch