Ye Olde Herbal Names

One Eye of Newt, A dash of Sleepwort, pass the Bloody Fingers? I must finish this brew! Ever hear anything like this, and wonder just where and what people were talking about? Well would you be surprised to know that the things stirred into witches brews of old are still used to this very day?

The "code" words for many herbs were used for different reasons. As we all well know Witches were hunted not so very long ago. Unfortunately because of this hysteria many innocent people were hung or burned as witches, JUST for what they had growing in their own gardens. For example growing or using Foxglove could get you branded a witch, so many people because of this, began calling the herbs what they most resembled to the naked eye.

Below you will find a few �Old Herbal�?names, Craft name (underlined) comes first, followed by the common name for that herb/flower/root.

Blood - Sap of Elder Tree * Bloody Fingers- Foxglove
Candlemas Maiden - Snowdrop * Candlewick Plant - Mullein
Crown for a King - Wormwood * Dew of the Sea - Rosemary
Dragonwort - Bistort * Earth Smoke - Fumitory
Elfwort - Eclampane * Enchanter's Plant - Vervain
Eye of the Star - Horehound * Eyes - Aster Daisy
Five Finger Grass - Cinquefoil * Joy of the Mountain - Marjoram
Lad's Love - Southernwood * Little Dragon - Tarragon
Love in Idleness - Pansy * Love Parsley - Lovage
Loveroot - Orris * Maiden's Ruin - Southernwood
Master of the Woods - Woodruff * Masterwort - Angelica
May Lily - Lily of the valley * Mistress of the Night - Tuberose
Password - Primrose * Queen of Meadow - Meadowsweet
Ram's Head - American Valerian * Seven Year's Love - Yarrow
Sleepwort - Lettuce * Sorcerer's Violet - Periwinkle
Star of the Earth - Avens * Starflower - Borage
Starweed - Chickweed * Starwort - Aster
Thousand Seal - Yarrow * Thunder Plant - Houseleek
Unicorn Horn - True Unicorn Root * Wax Dolls - Fumitory
Witch Herb - Mugwort * Witches Asprin - White Willow Bark
Witches Bells - Foxglove * Witches Briar - Briar Hip
Witchgrass - Dog Grass * Witchwood - Rowan

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