~G~
Common Names: Garlic
Latin Name: Allium sativum
Parts Used: Bulbs
Cultivation: Plant cloves in spring or the fall for a fall harvest. Garlic likes rich, dry soil in full sun to part shade.
Arcane Uses: Garlic is used in protection, exorcism, and healing. Hang a garlic braid over your door to repel jealous people. Place a clove beneath your child's pillow as a protection charm.
Medicinal Uses: Scientists are finding many of the old folk tales about garlic's healing powers to be true. The active ingredient in garlic, allicin, which is produced when the bulb is crushed, has an antibacterial action similar to that of penicillin, and is in fact more effective than penicillin in treating typhus! It is also effective against staph and strep germs, yeast infections, influenza, cholera, and dysentery. Garlic helps to lower blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and inhibits blood clotting and clooging of the arteries. It even seems to have some effectiveness in treating stomach cancer! It can be used externally to treat ringworm and threadworm.
Common Names: Ginger
Latin Name: Zingiber officinale
Parts Used: Roots
Cultivation: Ginger is a tropical plant only hady to zone 9. It is a perennial, and prefers fertile, moist, well-drained soil in part sun.
Arcane Uses: Eat ginger before doing a spell to increase its power. Grow ginger near your home or sprinkle dried ginger in your pocket or wallet to attract wealth.
Medicinal Uses: Ginger is used to soothe indigestion and treat motion sickness. It is a diaphoretic and promotes peripheral circulation. Gargle with an infusion of ginger to treat a sore throat. Use it as a poultice to treat muscle spasms.
Common Names: Ginseng, Sang, Wonder of the World Root
Latin Name: Panax quinquefolius
Parts Used: Roots
Cultivation: Ginseng is a hardy perennial. It likes rich, well-drained loam. It is quite difficult to grow as it needs to be pampered!
Arcane Uses: Ginseng is carried to attract love and guard health. Ginseng tea is said to be an aphrodisiac. Ginger root, because of its gnarled shape, can substitue for mandrake.
Medicinal Uses: There are many claims made for ginseng's healing properties. It is used to treat exhaustion, depression, and debility. It increases vitality and physical and mental performance.
Common Names: Goldenseal, Eye Balm, Eye Root
Latin Name: Hydrastis canadensis
Parts Used: Dried leaves and stems, rhizomes
Cultivation: Goldenseal is a hardy perennial woodland plant. It is very difficult to cultivate.
Arcane Uses: Goldenseal is used in money spells and healing rituals.
Medicinal Uses: Goldenseal has mild antiseptic, sedative, and muscle relaxant properties. Extracts of goldenseal seal to lower blood sugar levels. GOldenseal eyewash is especially effective against staph aureus and reduces inflammation.
~H~
Common Names: Hawthorn, May Bush, Thorn
Latin Name: Crataegus laevigata
Parts Used: Ripe fruit (haws)
Cultivation: Hawthorn is a small tree or large shrub. It is hardy, and grows best in rich, moist, alkaline soil in full sun to part shade.
Arcane Uses: Hawthorn bouquets are used at weddings to ensure health, happiness, and fertility. It is the "Thorn" referred to in "Oak, Ash, and Thorn," the combination of trees where you might find faeries. Hawthorn protects against lightning and damage from storms.
Medicinal Uses: Hawthorn dilates the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. It works directly on the heart muscle to help it work more efficiently.
Common Names: Hazel, Coll
Latin Name: Corylus
Parts Used: Nuts and twigs
Cultivation: Hazel trees grow best in deep, alkaline soil.
Arcane Uses: Hazel nuts bring luck, and can be eaten to increase wisdom. Twigs of hazel placed in the window frames will guard your house from lightening. Hazel wood makes excellent magick wands, and the forked twigs are often used by dowsers.
Common Names: Hops, Beer Flower
Latin Name: Humulus lupulus
Parts Used: The conelike female flower
Cultivation: Hops are hardy perennials, growing in well-drained humous-y soil in full sun.
Culinary Uses: Hops are the main flavoring and preservative agent for beer.
Arcane Uses: Hops are used in healing sachets and incenses. Stuff a pillow with hops to bring restful sleep.
Medicinal Uses: Hops are used successfully in the treatment of insomnia. They ease tension and anxiety. Hops have a mild anti-septic action and can be used externally to treat ulcers and inflammations.
Common Names: Horehound, Soldier's Tea, Marrubium
Latin Name: Marrubium vulgare
Parts Used: Leaves and flowers
Cultivation: Horehound is a perennial, which prefers well-drained, sandy soil in full sun.
Arcane Uses: Horehound is named for the Egyptian god Horus and can be nurned as incense in rituals designed to honor him. Use it in protection sachets, especially against sorcery. Drink horehound tea to help clear your mind.
Medicinal Uses: Horehound can be used a a cough soother and expectorant. Horehound tea will aid the digestion. Use it externally to help speed the healing of wounds.
Common Names: Hyssop
Latin Name: Hyssopus officinalis
Parts Used: Shoots, leaves, and flowers
Cultivation: Perennial. It prefers light, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade.
Arcane Uses: Hyssop is a widely used purification herb. Sprinkle an infusion of hyssop around your home or over your person to cleanse it of negative influences.
Medicinal Uses: Use a poultice of hyssop to help heal wounds and bruises, including black eyes. It has mild germ-killing attributes. It is an anti-spasmodic and mild expectorant, and can be used to treat colds and coughs.
~I~
Common Names: Iris
Latin Name: Iris
Parts Used: Flowers and rhizomes
Cultivation: Iris are swamp perennials which prefer moist soil in full sun. Iris grown from seed can take three years to flower; they are usually propagated by root divisions or rhizomes.
Arcane Uses: Iris flowers have long been used in purification; place fresh flowers in the area to be cleansed. The three points of the flower symbolize wisdom, faith, and valor. Iris is named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
Medicinal Uses: Blue Flag Iris is very useful in the treatment of various skin diseases, including eczema, spots, and blemishes. In can be used as part of the treatment regime for psoriasis.
Common Names: Ivy
Latin Name: Hedera
Parts Used: Whole plant
Cultivation: Ivy prefers moist soil in full shade. Many species are evergreen.
Arcane Uses: Ivy brings good luck to women, and is often carried by brides for this reason. It is used in love and fidelity charms, and guards against negativity and disaster.
