Andor's Tome of Stuff : )

Plant, Herbs, and Dark Magick

It was believed that witches made a pact with Satan, and many plants and herbs were considered evil, especially if they had a name associated with the Devil. There are plants believed to bring about evil or bad luck, especially if they are planted near the home or bloom out of season. A bunch of primroses or daffodils numbering thirteen was believed to affect the fertility of chickens and geese. Blossoming blackthorn brought into the house is the harbinger of illness or death, broom brought into the house will bring bad luck. Bad luck is brought into the home with any plant, tree, or shrub that blooms out of season, in particular fruit-bearing ones. Yew should never be brought indoors, as according to folklore, it would result in the death of a family member and if it was brought into the home at Christmas a family member would meet their death before the following Christmas. If parsley is given as a gift it will bring with it bad luck, and if a hydrangea is planted near the house or brought indoors, daughters will remain unmarried. It is said that cutting down a healthy tree, especially an oak tree (sacred to the ancient Druid priests), is the most unfortunate thing to do and bad luck will follow.

To those who wish to protect themselves against malevolence, they wear or carry a mojo bag filled with one or more protective herbs. The protective herbs are – lavender, castor beans, henna, angelica, anise (aniseed), betony leaves, pennyroyal, sage, rue, lime tree twigs. These herbs can also be sprinkled around the home, they can be hung in window sills or doorways, be placed under the bed or under the pillow. Many involved in occult practices believe in the evil eye and herbs can be used to combat the power of the evil eye. The evil eye was known as the mal occhio, the belief is that someone is born with this power over others. There are certain plants with the name of the Devil, and the use of these plants magically and medicinally by witches, most of whom were healers, automatically linked them with the Prince of Darkness.

Alaskan ginseng – devil's club

Alstonia scholaris – devil's tree

Asafoetida – devil's dung

Bachelor's buttons – devil's flower

Belladonna – devil's cherries

Bindweed – devil's guts

Cassytha spp – devil's twine

Celandine – devil's milk

Colicroot – devil's bit

Datura – devil's apple

Dill – devil away

Dodder – devil's guts/devil's hair/hellweed

Elder – devil's eye

Elephant's foot – devil's grandmother

Fairy Wand – devil's bit

False hellebore – devil's bite/devil's tobacco

Fern – devil's bush

Field convolvulus – devil's weed

Grapple plant – devil's claw root

Hedge bindweed – devil's vine

Henbane – devil's eye

Hieracium aurantiacum – devil's paintbrush

Indigo berry – devil's pumpkin

Jimsonweed – devil's apple/devil's trumpet

Lambertia formosa – mountain devil

Mandrake – Satan's apple

Mayapple – devil's apple