Saving medicinal plants

Hydrastis canadensis image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

All the warm weather we've had lately has given me a full-blown case of Spring Fever. During the workday, it's hard to keep myself from staring out the window and daydreaming about plans for my garden. And all weekend I poured over catalogs looking at plants and garden ornaments, making lists of those I’d like to add to my perennial and herb beds. 

One of the things I’m keeping in mind this year as I choose plants is something I recently read in Rosemary Gladstar’s “Family Herbal“ book. In this amazing guide to natural therapies and herbal remedies the author discusses the work of United Plant Savers, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and cultivation of native medicinal plants and their habitats. 

UpS has compiled “at risk” and “to watch” lists of herbs that are endangered; though the author notes that, in some cases, an “at risk” plant could be abundant in one of its native bio-regions and rare in others. I’ve listed the “at risk” herbs below, though the list dates to 2001 when the book was published. There may very well be more plants on the list by now. If you'd like more information, write to United Plant Savers at PO Box 98, East Barre, VT 05649.

AT RISK:

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racenose)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Echinacea (Echinacea spp.)

Eyebright (Euphrasia spp.)

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)

Helonia root (Chamaelirium luteum)

Kava-kava (Piper methysticum)

Lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium spp.)

Lomatium (Lomatium dissectum)

Osha (Ligusticum spp.)

Peyote (Lophophora williamsli)

Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)

Sundew (Drosera spp.)

Trillium (Trillium spp.)

True unicorn (Aletris farinosa)

Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula)

Virginia snakeroot (Aristolochia serpentaria)

Wild yam (Dioscorea spp.)

Lilacs in bloom!

Lilac is a deciduous shrub or small tree with heart-shaped leaves and showy panicles of small purple or pink flowers that bloom in spring. The perfume extracted from the flowers is used commercially, and its scent is said to symbolize the first emotions of love.

 

Magickal uses of lilac, which is associated with the element of water, include peace, clairvoyance, divination, creativity, harmony, exorcism, protection, psychic awareness and reincarnation.

Lilac may be used in spells and formulas related to matters of Venus and the zodiac sign of Libra, such as beauty, compassion, fidelity, friendship, happiness, love, luck, meditation, pleasure, reconciliation, and youth.

Lilac shrubs drive away evil wherever they are planted. Fresh lilac blooms can be placed in a haunted house to clear it. Lilac wood wands are good for illusion magick and divination.

Growing basil from seeds

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons



This weekend I started basil plants from seed. I grew basil fairly successfully last year from plants I bought at the nursery, but I never seemed to have enough of it to make the pesto sauce my family loves and have enough leftover for magical workings. This year I want to have lots of basil plants! Because I'm a tightwad and don't want to fork over the dough for a dozen or more nursery-raised plants, I decided to grow basil from seed.

I went to my local garden shop and picked up a neat little kit that includes a tray with 36 compartments, a plastic lid and potting mix pellets that expand when you soak them in water (which reminded me of those magic fish things they used to sell when I was a kid... “Just add water and watch them grow to 400 times their original size!”). I moistened the soil pellets, put a few seeds in each compartment, covered them gently with soil, placed the plastic lid over the tray and set it in an area away from direct sunlight. 

In about a week or two, I should have seedlings. At that point, I need to remove the plastic cover, put the tray in a sunny window and keep the soil moist. Once they’re about 1.5” tall, I have to thin them out. And I’ll plant them outdoors around Mother’s Day. In addition to basil, I planted some seeds for parsley, which I use a lot in cooking, and sweet alyssum for filling in blank spots in my perennial gardens. Now the waiting begins…

Basil is useful in both cooking and magic. Perhaps its best-known magical use is for attracting money and success. For this purpose, place a basil leaf in your wallet, or soak a handful of leaves in water for three days and spray the basil water in your home or office. To bring harmony and balance to your home, place a basil plant near your home’s entrance. Other uses are for purification, protection, and love spells.