Fire Herb Correspondences (South)

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Magical Uses: Lust and virility, excitement, new ideas, protection from evil spirits. Non-Magical Uses: Can ease pain, especially backache; reduces itching; usually the seeds are added to a cream or oil and applied to the skin; chili is also effective when eaten in food. Spell: To spice things up in the bedroom, rub a red candle with chili oil from the base to the top, then light it. 

Magical Uses: Love and lust, power, success, knowledge. Non-Magical Uses: Cinnamon is an astringent, a stimulant, and an antiseptic; sipping warm water with a cinnamon stick swirled in it can help stop vomiting; the oil is antibacterial and antifungal; a few drops of oil mixed with some mashed up banana can help relieve gas and diarrhea; can help with high cholesterol and reduce blood-sugar levels. Pregnant women can eat cinnamon flavored foods during pregnancy, but you shouldn't eat whole spoonfuls or use the essential oil at that time. Spell: To attract a new mate, sprinkle some cinnamon on a heart cut out of red paper. Fold the paper three times and keep the cinnamon in the folds. Leave somewhere safe until you have started a new relationship.

Magical Uses: Lust, overcoming obstacles, seeing the positive, helping children. Non-Magical Uses: Dill aids digestion, so add some dill seeds to a heavy dish or serve dill leaf tea after a big meal. It is great for relieving colic and the associated stomach upset, even in small children. Chew dill seeds to clear your breath after eating garlic, or just to freshen your breath. Dill rubbed on the skin promotes healing. Spell: Add dill to a warm bath before meeting your date and taking your relationship to the next level.

Magical Uses: Fertility, strength, protection from magic. Mandrake also strengthens the energy of any magic when placed on the altar during a ritual, or when working a spell. Non-Magical Uses: The leaves are cooling and can be used in poultices to reduce fever or ease sunburn. The root and bark are toxic and should not be ingested. Spell: Sleep with a whole mandrake root under your pillow when trying to conceive.

Magical Uses: Love and sexuality magic, telling the truth, self-confidence, health. Non-Magical Uses: When ingested, it will ease constipation and is said to lower fever; roughly ground and mixed with a carrier oil, it can be rubbed on arms and legs to increase circulation. Spell: Want to spice up your relationship in the bedroom? Take eight red peppercorns and put two in your lover's food, two in your food, two under his pillow, and two under yours, then have fun.

Magical Uses: Success, knowing the future, wisdom. Non-Magical Uses: Dried leaves and bay oil are used in cooking and have a mild stimulant effect; antifungal, and an extract of bay (3½ oz of the herb to around 13½ oz of Vodka) can be used to treat athlete's foot and similar problems. Spell: In the kitchen, only the dried leaf is used but in magic, the beautiful reddish-blue berries are also used. If you feel that the previous occupant of your newly purchased home has left negativity, or you are unsure about the intention of a house guest, place some bayberries in a small white bowl. The berries will turn black within a few days if negativity is indeed present. If they are still red a week later, no bad feelings are around.

Magical Uses: Protection, healing, curse breaking. Non-Magical Uses: Nettle leaves are full of iron and potassium, so a nettle tea or salad is great for treating anemia and is safe even in pregnancy (boil the leaves briefly before eating to take out the sting). Drinking nettle tea and eating the leaves is also said to be helpful in the treatment of asthma and to help regulate blood sugar levels (in conjunction with traditional Western medicine, of course), and a nettle infusion rubbed into the scalp will reduce the oiliness of hair. The root, boiled and drunk, can ease common allergies. Spell: Sew a large nettle leaf into your clothing, stinging side facing out, to protect yourself from physical harm, to send any curse aimed at you right back.

Magical Uses: Protection, curse breaking, removing curses. Non-Magical Uses: Chewing cloves, or drinking them in tea, can help with digestive issues, especially bloating and cramping; can help kill internal parasites, such as worms, and ease allergy and hay fever symptoms as it has mild antihistamine properties. If you have toothache, bite down on a clove to ease the pain until you can get treatment from a dentist. Spell: Put a drop of clove oil onto the sole of each shoe in the morning to protect yourself from magical and spiritual assaults.

Magical Uses: Banishes negativity and nightmares, cleansing and purifying, protection, memory spells. Rosemary is often burned to cleanse an area. Non-Magical Uses: A rosemary-and-oil rub is said to help slow down hair loss by boosting circulation; it tones the scalp to avoid dandruff (wash your hair, massage in the rosemary oil, leave for a few minutes, then wash again). Rosemary contains a lot of iron and vitamin C, making it a great tea for the cold months. While it is fine to eat rosemary-flavored foods during pregnancy, you shouldn't eat whole spoonfuls or use the oil at that time. Spell: If you have a child who has nightmares or fears the monster in the wardrobe, cast a circle of protection around his or her bed by sprinkling some dried rosemary, in a clockwise circle, starting at the head of the bed. Let the child do it themselves if they are interested in magic.

Magical Uses: Psychic awareness, protection. Non-Magical Uses: Used to treat minor bladder and kidney problems, as well as indigestion, gas, and water retention. Usually the juniper berries are added to a carrier oil and applied to the skin, which boosts circulation; the berries taste good in vinegar used for pickling vegetables or fish, to flavor game and stuffing, or even coleslaw. Don't eat juniper berries or use the oil during pregnancy. Spell: Burn juniper berries on a charcoal disk and inhale the smoke before doing a visualization, deep meditation, or trying to see otherworldly entities such as fairies and spirits.

Magical Uses: Luck, fortune-telling, money. Non-Magical Uses: Nutmeg used in foods will stimulate the appetite, especially after an illness, as it can help prevent nausea; will help prevent gas by moving food along the intestinal tract; used to treat minor morning sickness, the oil or a strong nutmeg infusion can also ease toothache and skin complaints such as dermatitis and eczema. Spell: Rub your resumes with nutmeg before sending them out for extra luck getting a job.

Magical Uses: Money, prosperity, fortune-telling, inner strength. Non-Magical Uses: Rubbed on the skin as crushed leaves, or oil diluted in a carrier oil, can alleviate stress-induced skin issues, such as contact dermatitis; when taken in food, it encourages digestion and helps ease stomach cramps; drinking a tea when exhausted promotes relaxation and sleep. Basil should not be used by pregnant women. Spell: Fry some basil in batter before asking for a raise or seeing your bank manager about a loan; the combination of gold and green colors, and the basil, will draw money to you.