HERBS OF MERCURY

The activity of herbs attributed to Mercury is quite multifaceted and diverse, mirroring the ways that the energies of Mercury tend to perform in magick, but a common thread runs through them. Mercury is the connector, the communicator and the messenger, representing the bright intelligence and the free flow of nervous energy. Mercury governs both the nervous and respiratory systems and is intrinsically involved in matters of conscious perception. Like the Mars herbs, the action of stimulation is principal amongst Mercurial herbs though they are of a somewhat gentler and more precise nature than the Martian herb stimuli. Mercury energy is about communication & comprehension - communication by electrical impulse in the brain as well as the verbal and written word. Mercury energies are those of the orator, writer, computer programmer and actor. The herbs associated with this planet are often spices which act to excite the nervous system and the brain through the sense of taste. Cinnamon, licorice and star anise are noted examples of this function.

Gum Mastic exemplifies the interconnecting messenger function of Mercury. Though it is a fixative and binder, it provides the medium in which a multiplicity of elements may blend (communicate). Mercurial herbs seem as a group to act to relieve respiratory difficulty, hoarseness and headache due to stress. Mullein taken as a tea relieves respiratory conditions as well as coughs, hoarseness and bronchitis, while inhalation of the steam serves to break up congestion in the chest. Application of a mullein fomentation, on the other hand, is said to relieve skin inflammation, itching and warts. Licorice also relieves sore throat, hoarseness and bronchial conditions as well as calming nervous ulcers.

Lavender is excellent for relief to the skin when applied directly as a flower infusion or as an essential oil for insect bites and is an aid in relieving headache when massaged into the temples. It is also a beneficial herb to use in a sleep pillow to help focus and quiet the rambling thoughts of the mind in preparation for rest. Drinking a tea of equal parts cinnamon and lavender flowers is also very helpful before studying to help focus the mind in order to retain the information.

Mercurial herbs facilitate clear thinking and conscious understanding. They aid in business success and excite and vitalize the nervous receptors throughout the body. They help to facilitate quick recovery from illness. Mercurial herbs enable the conscious mind to communicate more easily with the subconscious mind, thus aiding psychic work with the Tarot or any other divination method which visually incorporates symbols and requires memorization. Herbs traditionally associated with Mercury include Cinnamon, Dill, Ephedra, Lavender, Licorice, Gum Mastic, Marjoram, Mouseear, Mullein, Star Anise, Thyme and Woodruff.

--Karen Charboneau-Harrison, copyright 2003  Do Not Reprint without Permission

 

HERBS OF THE MOON

The energies of the Moon effect the activities of the subconscious, the intuition, dream work and the emotions. The plants attributed to the Moon act principally on the major fluids of the body and on the stomach (attributed to Cancer, ruled by the Moon). Their fluidic action is primarily regulatory and eliminative. Much of the digestive activity seems also to influence the individual's moods - the emotional effect of stomach action being well known so this dual action of several of the herbs makes a great deal of sense.

Several herbs bear marked resemblances to the Moon in her various phases, both in color and shape of plant, fruit and flower. The white fruits of fennel grow in pairs of curved oblong shapes that seem to represent the waxing and waning lunar crescents. The lily, long an associate of Lunar Goddesses, has round, bell-shaped flowers that are frequently bright white and it bears oblong to crescent shaped leaves. The fruit of the almond generally is also pure white and oblong to crescent shaped.

Those herbs that deal with fluidity generally act upon water and blood most specifically even as the Moon herself controls the tides and the flow of blood. Cucumber helps eliminate excess water from the body and is an anti-constipatory diuretic, particularly effective in dissolving uric acid accumulations such as kidney stones. Fennel and lily are eliminatives, laxatives and diuretics and while the lily acts as a digestive antispasmodic, fennel is commonly used to stimulate the flow of milk in nursing mothers. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is particularly apt in its lunar attribution in that in addition to its digestive and purgative qualities, a decoction can be used quite effectively to regulate the flow of menstrual blood.

Several Lunar herbs act on other fluids of the body (generally to eliminate excess) as well as acting as digestives. Camphor, by reducing fluid accumulation in the lungs and pleural sac, is an excellent remedy for whooping cough and pleurisy. Bitter almond is used as a cough remedy while sweet almond is used internally as a soothing syrup and externally as an emollient. Meanwhile, white sandalwood is used to reduce inflammation of mucosal tissue as well as being a diuretic - a decoction of the wood can also be used for indigestion.

Myrrh and Sandalwood share both astringent and stomachic properties, but along with jasmin and bitter almond, they share qualities ascribed to the Moon that surpass the simply medicinal. Bitter almond and jasmin both have sedative effects, calming the nerves and allowing a more intuitive, psychic lunar mode of brain function to manifest. It is probably also this aspect that has earned jasmin its reputation as an erotogen, the resultant intuitive empathy credited with aphrodisical properties and the ability to overcome inhibition. Almond, jasmin, sandalwood and myrrh seem when used in incense to also possess the ability to trigger olfactorily the subtle, lunar mode of perception that is so effective in work of intuition, psychism and pathworking.

Magickally speaking, herbs of the Moon affect the subconscious mind. They are a very good aid in the development of the intuition and of psychic abilities as well as in remembering dreams. As they have such a primary effect on the subconscious, they can be used to successfully influence it to break old habits and to recall past lives. Traditional Lunar herbs include anise, cabbage, camphor, cucumber, iris, jasmine, lettuce, lily, poppy, violet, willow, lotus, moonwort, mugwort, pumpkin and white sandalwood.

--Karen Charboneau-Harrison, copyright 2003  Do Not Reprint without Permission

HERBS OF THE SUN

Herbs have been used for thousands of years in all cultures for both medicinal and magickal purposes. In this series of articles, herbs will be considered from both perspectives based on the western model codified by the herbalogist/astrologer/philosopher Paracelsus, planet by planet. Let us begin by considering the medicinal and energy properties of the Solar Herbs.

In medicinal terms, the Sun could be considered the Great Restorative. Even as the returning sun allows plant life to flourish on the earth, the herbs attributed to the Sun act, each in their own fashion, to restore metabolic vitality and to stimulate and balance a system suffering from either excess or deficiency. Many of the plants, of course, may be considered Solar simply on the basis of appearance. Chamomile, Celandine, St. John's Wort and Calendula all produce bright yellow flowers, many of which blossom around the Summer Solstice. The Sunflower follows the path of the Sun during the day, facing the east as the Sun rises and bending its head to the west as the Sun sets. Saffron produces the bright yellow-gold dye that may be considered Solar in effect.

It is in healing, however, that the Solar herbs exemplify their beneficial attributions. The effects of solar herbs restore equilibrium to the entire physical system, often serving as tonics to the heart and in the promotion the free flow of vital energy. The heart is commonly considered the solar center of the body (the organ ruled by Leo with the Sun as the planet attributed to Leo) and many effects of solar herbs center around this organ. Angelica relieves circulatory conditions, such as gout, when used as a compress, as well as fever, inflammations and headache (all conceivable symptoms of excess heat or high blood pressure). St. John's Wort relieves headaches while Chamomile and Celandine reduce fever. Chamomile, Celandine, Juniper and St. John's Wort also relieve swellings, inflammations and rheumatic conditions which tie in with the use of Eyebright and St. John's Wort to relieve symptoms due to colds (the application of restorative, solar heat on rheumatic joints and congested lungs). Angelica and St. John's Wort also have restorative properties that

Mistletoe, parasite/symbiote to the oak, attributed in a wide variety of cultures to solar deities, produces a drastic and often fatal action on the heart and circulatory system. The berries are never used but the leaves and twigs can be made in a weak infusion to reduce bleeding by lowering blood pressure, and it can be used to reduce uterine bleeding after parturition. As one of the few spots of green in the forest in the dead of winter, the mistletoe is often viewed as a symbol of the sun and returning life.

Because the Sun is seen in astrology and magick as the planet of the ego or personality, the magickal/energy effects of the Solar herbs are to promote self confidence and personal success. The energies of Sun herbs are represented and expressed by people in the public eye - rulers and authority figures, as well as people in successful endeavors that give them much pleasure by personal self-expression. Sun herbs impart a sense of purpose and a strong will. Used in solar incenses, ritual oils, philters and other herbal formulas used in ritual, Sun herbs give vitality, health, creativity, dignity, success and authority. Traditional herbs of the Sun include Angelica, Ash, Bay, Chamomile, Celandine, Eyebright, Frankincense, Juniper, Mistletoe, Rosemary, Saffron, Safflower, St. John's Wort, Sunflower, Tormentilla, and Walnuts.

--Karen Charboneau-Harrison, copyright 2003  Do reprint without permission