Magical Herbs, Fruits, & Veggies: The A's

Curious about what types of herbs, fruits, and veggies you should be using in workings and in kitchen witchery? I've got you! In this series, you'll find all you need to know about magical uses and properties of herbs according to traditional witchcraft and folk magic. Here are the A's... (Check the bottom of the article for links to the other letters!)

Acacia - Protection, psychic and spiritual enhancement, money, platonic love, and friendship. Use to anoint candles & censers and to consecrate chests or boxes that hold ritual tools. Use in incense to promote a meditative state.

Also Called: Gum Arabic, Arabic Gum

Aconite - Use aconite as a magickal wash for ritual tools & space. Wear as an amulet for protection from vampires and werewolves. Note: Poisonous, do not consume.

Also Called: Wolfsbane, Monkshood

Acorn - Good luck, protection, wisdom, and personal power. A dried acorn is an excellent natural amulet for keeping a youthful appearance.

Adam & Eve Root - Principally used by lovers; one lover carries the Eve Root & the other lover carries the Adam Root. This keeps your lover true to you & discourages rivals. Carry both roots in a small bag at all times for attraction, to bring a love to you, or for a marriage proposal.

Adder's Tongue - Stops gossip and slander, promotes healing. Sacred to serpent goddesses. Used in divination, healing magick, lunar magick, and dream magick.

Also Called: Dogtooth Violet

African Violet - Spirituality, protection, and healing. Wear in an amulet for protection. Keep in the home to increase spirituality. Frequently burned as incense during the spring Equinox sabbat.

Agar Agar - Promote joy and success, attract opportunities and blessings to the household. Mix with Fast Luck powder and rub on hands before playing bingo or other games of chance.

Agrimony - Overcoming fear & inner blockages; dispelling negative emotions. Also used for reversing spells. Sew into a dream pillow with Mugwort for best results. Use as a wash or oil to increase the effectiveness of all forms of healing rituals. Wards off evil entities and poison.

Ague - Protection, hex breaking. Used in amulets to protect against evil. Mix with incense and burn to break a hex that has been placed on you.

Also Called: Ague Root, Ague Weed

Alder - Associated with divination, music, poetry, wind magick, weather magick, teaching, and decision making. Also used in rituals of death & dying to provide protection for the deceased.

Alfalfa - Money, prosperity, anti-hunger. Put a small jar in the cupboard or pantry to ward off poverty and hunger. Burn in a cauldron and use the ashes in amulets for protection from hunger and poverty.

Also Called: Lucerne, Buffalo Herb, Purple Medic

Alkanet - Purification, prosperity. Protects from snakebites and helps ease fear of snakes. Burned as an incense to replace negativity with positive influence.

Also Called: Anchusa, Dyer's Bugloss, Orchanet, Spanish Bugloss

Allspice - Money, luck, healing, obtaining treasure. Provides added determination and energy to any spells and charms. Burn crushed allspice to attract luck and money. Use in herbal baths for healing.

Also Called: Jamaica Pepper

Almond - Wisdom, money, fruitfulness, and prosperity. Invokes the healing energy of the deities. Provides magickal help for overcoming dependencies & addiction. Associated with Candlemas and Beltane. Carry, wear, or use as incense to attract abundance.

Also Called: Greek Nuts, Shakad

Aloe - Protection and luck. Place on the grave of a loved one to promote peaceful energy. Thought to relieve loneliness and assist with success. Hang in the home to attract luck and protection for those who live there. Grow in the home to provide protection from household accidents. Burn on the night of a full moon to bring a new lover by the new moon.

Also Called: Burn Plant, Medicine Plant

Althea Root - Burn or place in a sachet to bring protection, calm an angry person, and aid psychic powers. Keep on the altar or burn on candles to attract good spirits.

Alyssum - Protection and moderating anger, protection.

Amaranth - Healing, summoning spirits, healing broken hearts, protection from bullets, and invisibility.

Amber - Protection from harm, outside influences, and psychic attacks. Mental clarity & focus. Transforming negative energy to positive energy.

Ambergris - Enhancing dreams and psychic ventures, attracting men.

Anemone - Healing and Protection

Angelica - Very powerful protection herb - protects against negative energy and attracts positive energy; creates a barrier against negative energy. Use in healing & exorcism incenses; scatter for purification, protection, and uncrossing. Add to incense to promote healing or to the bath to remove curses, hexes, or spells. Also thought to promote temperance. Sprinkle ground herb in the shoes to prevent tiredness and weakness. Sprinkle around the outside perimeter of the home for protection and exorcism. Burn to bring a lost love back to you.

Also Called: Masterwort, Archangel, Garden Angel, Angelica Root

Anise - Used to help ward off the evil eye, find happiness, and stimulate psychic ability. Fill a sleep pillow with anise seed to prevent disturbing dreams. Use to invoke Mercury and Apollo. Great for aromatherapy. Use in purification baths with bay leaves. A sprig of Anise hung on the bedpost will restore lost youth. Use in protection and meditation incenses.

Also Called: Aniseed, Anneys, Anise Seed

Apple - Love, Garden Magick, Immortality, Friendship, Healing. Place seven apple seeds in a bag with Orris Root to attract sexual love. Use in rituals to give honor to gods and goddesses of fertility. Considered the food of the dead, which is why Samhain is called the 'Feast of Apples'. Symbolizes the soul and is burned at Samhain in honor of those who will be reborn in the spring. When doing a house blessing, cut an apple in half -- eat half and put the other half outside of the home as an offering.

Also Called: Fruit of the Underworld, Fruit of the Gods, Silver Brough, Silver Branch,

Tree of Love

Apricot - Love. Add leaves and flowers to love sachets or carry apricot pits to attract love.

Arabic Gum - Protection, psychic and spiritual enhancement, money, platonic love, and friendship. Use to anoint candles & censers and to consecrate chests or boxes that hold ritual tools. Use in incense to promote a meditative state.

Also Called: Acacia, Gum Arabic

Arnica Flowers - Increases psychic powers

Arrow Root - Purification and healing; can be used as a substitute for graveyard dust.

Ash (tree) - Sea spells/magick/rituals, image magick, invincibility, protection from drowning, general protection, and luck. Burning an ash log at Yule brings prosperity. The leaf of this plant is used for travel safety. Place one tablespoon of ash leaves in a bowl of water in the bedroom overnight, then toss out in the morning -- doing this daily is said to prevent illness.

Asofoetida - Protection and banishing negativity. Be forewarned that this herb is powerful, but has an awful smell when burned.

Also Called: Devil's Dung, Food of the Gods

Asparagus - Male Sex Magick

Aspen - Eloquence, clairvoyance, healing, and anti-theft. Plant in your garden for protection against thieves.

Aster - Love

Also Called: China Aster, Michaelmas Daisy, Starwort

Astragalus Root - Protection and energy

Avocado - Love, lust and beauty. Also used for sex magick.

Also Called: Ahuacotl, Alligator Pear, Persea

Azalea - Happiness, gaiety and light spirits, first love. Note: Poisonous, do not consume.Bachelor ButtonsLove

Also Called: Devil's Flower, Red Campion

**Please note: while this is an inclusive list, there may be herbs that are not listed here. But I constantly update this, so check back often.