Botanical References S - Z

Safflower
Mix with jinx incense to cause destruction to an enemy (not recommended!). Rub on the inside of the knees to attract exciting sexual encounters.

Saffron    
Aphrodisiac, love, healing, happiness, wind raising, lust and strength. Burn, wear, or carry for healing and strengthening psychic awareness. Commonly used in love magick, healing spells, and to control the weather. Wash hands with water and saffron or keep saffron sachets in your home to bring happiness.
Also Called: Kum Kuma, Zaffran, Kesar, Autumn Crocus, Spanish Saffron, Dyer's Saffron, Thistle Saffron, Bastard Saffron, American Saffron, Parrot's Corn

Sage    
Used for self purification and dealing with grief and loss. Carried to improve mental ability and bring wisdom. Used in healing sachets & incense. Promotes spiritual, mental, emotional & physical health and longevity. Removes negative energy. Place near a personal object of a person who is ailing when performing healing spells or rituals. Write a wish on a sage leaf and place it under your pillow for 3 nights -- if you dream of your wish, it will come true; if not, bury the leaf in the ground so that no bad will come to you.
Also Called: Garden Sage, White Sage, Red Sage, Sawge

Salt Petre
For women who do not want their partners to have outside relationships. Stops sexual tension.
Also Called: Salt Peter, Petre Salt, Saltpetre, Salt Peter

Sandalwood
Scatter sandalwood powder around the home to clear it of negativity. Burn during protection, healing, and exorcism spells. Use the wood for healing wands. Write your wish on a chip of sandalwood and burn it in the censer or cauldron while visualizing your wish to make it come true. Helps in healing by aligning the chakras for better energy flow. Good for meditation, healing, and manifestation. Facilitates concentration.
Also Called: Sandal, Santal, White Saunders, White Sandalwood, Red Sandalwood, Yellow Sandalwood

Sanicle    
Used for safety in travel.
Also Called: Sancile, American Sanicle, Black Snakeroot, Wood Sanicle, Pool Root, Butterwort, Alum Root

Sarsaparilla
Sexual vitality, health, love and money. Mix with sandalwood and cinnamon and sprinkle around home or business to draw money. Alleged to prolong life, hinder premature aging, excite passions, and improve virility when worn or carried.
Also Called: Black Creeper, Sariva, Kalisar, Dudhilata, Sugandhi, Red Sarsaparilla, Tu Fu Ling, Dwipautra

Sassafras
Magickal uses include health, money and overcoming addictions. Placed in wallet or purse to attract money and make the money you have go farther. Used as a prosperity incense. Added to sachets for healing.
Also Called: Ague Tree, Cinnamon Wood, Saxifrax, Saloip

Savoury    
Sensuality, sexuality, and passion; great for sex magick!
Saw Palmetto Berries    Magickal uses include healing protection, exorcism, passion and spiritual openings.
Also Called: Dwarf Palm Tree, Cabbage Palm, Sabal, Sabal Serrulata

Scullcap    
Worn by women to keep their husbands faithful. Used in sleep pillows for relaxation & peace. Used to bind oaths and consecrate vows & commitments (handfasting, initiations, etc.). Used in bath magick to clam the aura of tensions and stress. Burned for relief of disharmony and disruptive situations. Place a pinch in a lover's shoes to keep then from being affected by charms of others.
Also Called: Skullcap, Scullcap, Hoodwort, Quaker Bonnet, Helmet Flower, European Skullcap, Greater Skullcap, American Skullcap, Blue Skullcap, Blue Pimpernel, Hoodwart, Hooded Willow Herb, Side-Flowering Skullcap, Mad Dogweed, Mad Weed, Madweed, Helmet Flower, Hoodwort

Sea Salt
Uses include cleansing crystals, purification, grounding, protection magick and ritual. Used on the altar to represent the Earth. Used with water for asperging, sea spells, consecration and casting circles. Used with garlic and rosemary to banish evil.

Senna    
Magickal uses include all matters of lust and love. Enhances tact & diplomacy. Bathe with your mate in an infusion of senna to ensure faithfulness.
Also Called: Senna Pod, Rajavriksha, Fan Xia Ye, American Senna, Locust Plant, Wild Senna, Fan Xie Ye

Sesame
Money, lust, and passion

Shallots    
Add an infusion of shallots to the bath for luck.

Shave Grass    
Magickal uses include snake charming & fertility. Place in the bedroom to increase fertility.
Also Called: Scouring Rush, Equisetum, Pewterwort, Corncob Plant, Bottle Brush, Horsetail, Dutch Raisins, Paddock Pipe

Sheep Sorrel
Carry to protect against heart disease. Place in sickrooms to aid in recuperation from illnesses and wounds.

Shepherd's Purse    
Healing
Also Called: Mother's Heart, Shepard's Purse/Heart, Cocowort, Pickpocket, Toywort, Pick Purse, St. James' Weed, St. James' Wort, St. Anthony's Fire, Pepper Grass, Case Wort, Permacety

Skunk Cabbage    
Legal matters

Slippery Elm
Magickal uses include protection and halting gossip. Tie a knotted yellow thread around slippery elm and throw it into a fire to cease all gossip about you.
Also Called: Red Elm, Moose Elm, Sweet Elm, Indian Elm

Snapdragon    
Protection, exorcism, and purification

Snowdrop
Passing of sorrow

Solomon's Seal Root    
Magickally used for protection and cleansing. Used in offertory incense. Used to bind magickal workings and keep sacred oaths & promises forever binding. Carry in an amulet or sachet for all-purpose protection. Use in protection magick to exorcise spirits and ward off negative influences and demons. Keep on altar to promote success in all rituals. Sprinkle an infusion of the root to drive away evil.
Also Called: Lady's Seals, St. Mary's Seal, Sigillum Sanctae Mariae, Scean de Solomon

Sow Thistle
Increases strength & stamina, repels witches, and provides invisibility from enemies.

Spanish Moss    
Protection, opening blockages, and dispelling negativity

Spearmint    
Healing, love and protection while sleeping. Burn for healing magick, especially of respiratory conditions. Carry for healing. Use in ritual baths for strength and vitality. Write a wish on paper and wrap it in spearmint leaves; place in a red cloth and sew with red thread, then keep in a safe and secret place -- by the time the scent is gone, your wish should have come true.
Also Called: Garden Mint, Mackerel Mint, Our Lady's Mint, Green Mint, Spire Mint, Lamb Mint, Yerba Buena, Sage of Bethlehem, Fish Mint

Spiderwort    
Love

Spikenard    
Wear in a sachet around the neck to bring luck & ward off illness. It is said that wetting a picture of a loved one in an infusion of spikenard will keep them close to you.
Also Called: Spignet, Life of Man, Pettymorell, Old Man's Root, Indian Root, Bitter Root, Nard, Nardo

Squaw Vine
Magickal uses include all matters of fertility & childbirth. Pregnant women can add an infusion of squaw vine to bath water once a week to protect the unborn child from jealousy.
Also Called: Squawvine

Squill Root
To draw money, place in a container with a dime, a quarter and a dollar and say a prayer for prosperity.

St. John's Wort
Worn to prevent colds & fevers. Placed under pillow to induce prophetic, romantic dreams. Protects against all forms of black witchcraft. Place in a jar in a window or burn in a fireplace to protect from lightning, fire and evil spirits. Used for banishing, protection & blessing. Carry to strengthen courage and convictions or when confronting nasty situations. Burn to banish spirits and demons. Used in divination for the care of crystals. Note: Can be poisonous, use with caution.
Also Called: Saint John's Wort, Goat Weed, Herba John, Kalimath Weed, Tipton Weed

Star Anise
Burned as incense to increase psychic awareness & abilities. Placed on the altar to increase the power generated. Carried to bring luck.
Also Called: Chinese Anise, Anise Star

Straw    
Image magick and luck

Straw Flower
Luck, longevity, and protection. Use in magick to get the effects to last. The flower of Samhain, signifying the transition from one type of life to another. Note: Poisonous, use with caution.

Strawberry    
Attracts success, good fortune, and favorable circumstances. Served as a love food. Leaves are carried for luck. Pregnant women carry a packet of the leaves to ease the pain of pregnancy and childbirth.

Sugar    
Love spells, sex magick

Sugar Cane
Love, lust, and sympathy

Sulfur Powder    
Dispels or prevents a hex on you; destroys an enemy's power over you.
Also Called: Brimstone

Sunflower
Energy, protection, power, wisdom, and wishes.

Sweet Bugle    
Crush and place under the mattress to attract love and marriage prospects.

Sweet Pea
Attracts friends and allies; Draws the loyalty and affection of others.

Sweet Potato    
Image magick

Sweetgrass    
Peace, unity, and calling spirits
 


Tamarind    
Love

Tangerine    
Promotes energy, strength, and vitality. Awakens joy and dissolves negativity.

Tansy    
Health, invisibility, immortality, longevity; keeps evil out of the home. Place a small amount in the shoe or add an infusion of tansy to the bath to keep the law away.

Tarragon    
Healing in abuse situations, compassion magick for others. Use for consecrating chalices.

Tea Leaves    
Use in talismans for courage or strength. Use as a base for lust drinks. Burn leaves to ensure future riches.

Tea Tree    
Eliminating confusion and increasing harmony

Thistle    
Healing, protection. Use in sachet or amulet to aid in speedy recovery from surgery or illness. Hang in the home to ward off thieves and unwanted visitors.

Thyme    
Attracts loyalty, affection, and the good opinion of others. Wear a sprig to ward off unbearable grief or provide strength and courage when needed. Burn or hang in the home for banishing, purification, and to attract good health for all occupants. Use in cleansing baths prior to working candle magick. Use in dream pillows to ward off nightmares and ensure restful sleep. Add a thyme infusion to the bath regularly to ensure a constant flow of money. Place in a jar and keep in the home or at work for good luck.
Also Called: Garden Thyme, Common Thyme

Toadflax
Protection and hex breaking

Toadstool
Rain magick

Tobacco    
Promotes peace, confidence, and personal strength. Also used for banishing. Mix with salt and burn with a black candle to win a court case.

Tomato    
Love spells

Tonka Bean    
Magickal uses include rituals and spells for love, wishes and courage. Worn to gain prosperity & courage. Carried to grant luck & protect from disease and/or to attract love. Promotes the accomplishment of goals. Keep on the altar when performing love magick to enhance intent. Carry in a red flannel bag to attract good fortune and financial success, especially when attending business negotiations or job interviews. A favorite hoodoo good luck charm to make wishes come true.
Also Called: Tonqua, Tonqua Bean, Tonquin Bean, Wish Beans, Coumaria Nut

True Unicorn Root    
Hex-breaking, uncrossing, and protection against evil & malevolent magick.

Tuberose
Sensuality, serenity, and calming nerves. Brings peace to the mind and heart, enhances the capacity for emotional depth. Add to sachets designed to increase psychic ability. Use in love magick to awaken erotic feelings and attract romance. Wear or carry to attract inspiration.
Also Called: Mistress of the Night

Turnip    
Ending relationships
 


Uva Ursi 
Magickal uses include increasing intuitive and psychic powers. Great in sachets for this purpose. American Indians used Uva Ursi in religious ceremonies. Note: Can be poisonous, use with caution.
Also Called: Bearberry, Bear's Grape, Foxberry, Crowberry, Hog Cranberry, Kinnikinnick, Mealberry, Arberry, Mountain Box, Mountain Cranberry, Sandberry, Uva Ursa, Universe Vine
 


Valerian 
Dream magick, reconciliation, love, and harmony. Placed in sachets for love & protection and used in sleep pillows. It is said that having Valerian Root nearby will settle an argument between a couple. Used to purify sacred space. Used as a substitution for graveyard dirt/dust in spells. Use in protection baths. Burn for reconciliation in ailing relationships, but only with the permission of all parties involved in the relationship. Wear to calm the emotions.
Also Called: Valerian Root, All-Heal, Garden Heliotrope, Graveyard Dust, Phu, Setwell, Vandal Root

Vanilla Bean    
Magickal uses include love, lust, passion, and restoring lost energy. Carried to increase energy & strengthen mental abilities.

Venus Flytrap
Love and protection

Vertivert    
Draws money and prosperity, love, and attraction; Overcomes obstacles, breaks hexes, and repels negativity. Place a small amount in cash registers to increase business. Burn to overcome evil spirits.
Also Called: Khus-khus

Vervain    
Protection, purification, money, youth, peace, healing, and sleep. Bury in the yard or keep in the home to encourage wealth, protect from lightning & storms, and bring peace. Put under the pillow to prevent nightmares. Use as an incense to end unrequited love. Use in prosperity spells. Carry to prevent depression and/or bring creativity. Use in cleansing baths and rituals before working magick. Use in amulets, sachets, dream pillows, and baths for all-purpose protection of home sand people (especially children).
Also Called: Verveine, Verbena, Brittanica, Enchanter's Plant, Enchanter's Herb, Herba Sacra, Juno's Tears, Holy Wort, Lemon Verbena, Van-Van, Herb of Grace, Herb of the Cross, Pigeon's Grass, Pigeonwood, Simpler's Joy

Vetch    
Fidelity

Vinegar    
Banishing, binding, averting evil.

Violet    
Calms the nerves, draws prophetic dreams and visions, stimulates creativity, and promotes peace & tranquility. Violet leaf provides protection from all evil. Violet crowns are said to cure headaches and bring sleep. Carry or give to newly married couples or new baby & mother to bring luck to the bearer. Keep a spray of violets on the altar to enhance night magick. Wear the leaves in a green sachet to help heal wounds and prevent evil spirits from making the wounds worse.
Also Called: Sweet Violet, Blue Violet, Wild Violet
 


Walnut 
Access to divine energy, bringing the blessing of the Gods, wishes

Watercress
For lunar magick and sex magick.

Wheat    
Inducing fertility and conception, attracting money

White Sage
Use as an incense, for smudging or for purification.

White Willow Bark
Brings blessings of the moon into one's life and guards against negativity & evil forces. Used in healing spells.

Willow    
Used for lunar magick, drawing or strengthening love, healing, and overcoming sadness. Willow is considered a sacred wishing tree. Wear a sprig of willow when facing the death of a loved one. Place on the altar for lunar magick and divination work. Keep a piece of willow in home or business to protect against evil.
Also Called: Osier, Pussy Willow, White Willow, Witches' Aspirin, Withy, Tree of Enchantment, Saille, Salicyn Willow, Saugh Tree

Wintergreen
Add an infusion to your children's bath to bring them good fortune and luck throughout their lives. Sprinkle an infusion of wintergreen around an area for purification.

Wisteria
Raises vibrations, promotes psychic opening, overcomes obstacles, and draws prosperity.

Witch Hazel
Magickal uses include chastity and protection. Carry to ease grief over a lost love. Use in a sachet to reduce passions. Use in love spells and spells to ward off evil.
Also Called: Winter Bloom, Striped Alder, Spotted Alder, Hazelnut, Snapping Hazel and Tobacco Wood

Witches Burr
Adds great power to spells & rituals. Presence of witches burr is said to defeat any kind of evil force.

Witches Grass
Happiness, lust, love, and exorcism. Sprinkle around the home for seven consecutive days to overcome depression and dispense of petty spirits. Reverses hexes.
Also Called: Couch Grass, Rhizomes, Twitch Grass, Scotch Quelch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass

Wood Aloe
Protection, consecration, success, and prosperity.
Also Called: Lignaloes, Lignam Aloes

Wood Betony
Magickal uses include purification, protection, and the expulsion of evil spirits, nightmares, and despair. Excellent for magickal healing and protecting against dark fears of the emotions & imagination. A good addition to dream pillows. Carry in an amulet to draw love and strengthen the body. Burn to banish disharmony in a relationship. Pass through the smoke of burning wood betony at Midsummer to purify the body of ills and evils. Burn with any uncrossing incense to defeat witchcraft.
Also Called: Betony, Bishopswort, Stachys Betonica, Lousewort

Woodruff    
Victory, protection, and money. Place a pinch in your left shoe before a game and your team will be victorious.

Wormwood    
Used to remove anger, stop war, inhibit violent acts, and for protection from the evil eye. Carry in vehicle to protect from accidents on dangerous roads. Use as incense for clairvoyance, to summon spirits, or to enhance divinatory abilities. Can be sprinkled in the path of an enemy to bring them strife and misfortune (not recommended, remember the law of threes). Note: Can be poisonous, use with caution.
Also Called: Absinthium, Green Ginger, Absinthe, Old Woman, Crown for a King
 


Xanthan
Gum Incense bonding agent
 


Yarrow Flower
Uses include healing, handfasting & weddings, and divination. Draws love. Carry as a sachet or amulet to banish negativity, ward off fear, and promote courage, confidence, and psychic opening. Frequently used in marriage charms and love sachets. Said to keep a newly married couple happy for seven years by keeping their love alive and preventing upsetting influences from entering the relationship. Place in a yellow flannel bag with a piece of parchment on which you have written your fears, carry with you to overcome them.
Also Called: Bloodwort, Death Flower, Devil's Nettle, Lady's Mantle, Soldier's Woundwort, Thousandleaf, Millefoil, Carpenter's Weed, Knight's Milfoil, Sanguinary, Arrow Root, Thousand Seal

Yellow Dock
Fertility, healing and money. Sprinkle an infusion of yellow dock around a place of business to attract customers.
Also Called: Curled Dock, Curly Dock, Sour Dock, Narrow Dock, Garden Patience, Rumex

Yerba 
Mate. Fidelity, love and lust. Worn to attract the opposite sex. Spill an infusion of yerba mate on the ground to break off a relationship.
Also Called: Mate, Mate Leaf, Green Mate

Yerba 
Beauty, healing, psychic powers and protection. Carry or use in bath magick to obtain beauty from within and make your body more desirable. Wear around the neck to ward off illness and prevent wounds. Use the leaves in healing or protection incenses. Use in bath water if you feel your sickness has been caused by a hex.
Also Called: Consumptive's Weed, Gum Plant, Gum Bush, Bear's Weed, Bear Weed, Mountain Balm, Tar Weed, Tarweed, Holy Herb, Sacred Herb

Yew    
Raising the dead, protection against evil, immortality, and breaking hexes.

Ylang Ylang    
Increases sexual attraction and persuasiveness. Also used for peace, love, and faery magick. Promotes calm, peaceful relaxation and relieves anxiety and depression.

Yohimbe Bark
Love, lust, virility and fertility. Curing impotency. Cursing. Used in Pagan rituals of union.

Yucca    
Transmutation, protection and purification. A cross of yucca fiber placed on the hearth protects the home from evil. Use an infusion of yucca to cleanse and purify the body before magick. Repeat this cleansing afterwards if performing spells to remove curses, hexes, or illness. Rub a slice of yucca root all over your body once a day for seven days to remove jinxes and hexes.
Also Called: Yucca Stalk, Yucca Root