Druids Keep Pagan & Wicca Supply

Magickal uses include health, invisibility, immortality, longevity; keeps evil out of the home.

The name Tansy is probably derived from the Greek Athanaton (immortal), says Dodoens, because it lasts so long in flower or, as Ambrosius thought, because it is capital for preserving dead bodies from corruption. It was said to have been given to Ganymede to make him immortal.

Tansy was one of the Strewing Herbs mentioned by Tusser in 1577, and was one of the native plants dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  

Parkinson grew Tansy amongst other aromatic and culinary herbs in his garden.

It is connected with some interesting old customs observed at Easter time, when even archbishops and bishops played handball with men of their congregation, and a Tansy cake was the reward of the victors. These Tansy cakes were made from the young leaves of the plant, mixed with eggs, and were thought to purify the humours of the body after the limited fare of Lent. In time, this custom obtained a kind of symbolism, and Tansies, as these cakes were called, came to be eaten on Easter Day as a remembrance of the bitter herbs eaten by the Jews at the Passover. Coles (1656) says the origin of eating it in the spring is because Tansy is very wholesome after the salt fish consumed during Lent, and counteracts the ill-effects which the 'moist and cold constitution of winter has made on people . . . though many understand it not, and some simple people take it for a matter of superstition to do so.'

'This balsamic plant,' says Boerhaave (the Danish physician), 'will supply the place of nutmegs and cinnamon,' and the young leaves, shredded, serve as a flavouring for puddings and omelets. Gerard tells us that Tansy Teas were highly esteemed in Lent as well as Tansy puddings.

Also known as Common Thyme, Mother of Thyme, and Garden Thyme. A Druid sacred herb, culinary Thyme aids the digestion of fatty foods and is part of bouquet garni and Benedictine liqueur.

Thyme will increase your ability to see the Sidhe - separate from humans and who have powers to move quickly through the air and Shape-Shift at will. The Sidhe are a huge part in the lives of the Celts. Druids considered this one of their sacred herbs, used to repel negativity and depression. Thyme was among the 3 or 4 herbs upon which Mary and the Christ bedded in Bethlehem of Judea, and so it has become an herb to be in the gardens of Holy places.

Thyme is burned in incense to purify an area. A place where wild thyme grows will be a particularly powerful energy center on earth. A magical cleansing bath can be produced by pouring a tea made with thyme and marjoram into the bathwater. A pillow stuffed with thyme cures nightmares. When attending a funeral, wear a sprig of thyme to repel the negativity of the mourners.

Use as incense for: Health, Healing, Purification, Clairvoyance, Courage, Love, Psychic Awareness, Energy, Power, Strength. Thyme is often burned prior to magical rituals to cleanse the area.

Carried and smelled to give courage and energy.

In Biblical times, turmeric was often used to make perfume, a comment on its rather exotic fragrance.

Scatter on the floor to protect a magick circle, or mix with salt water and sprinkle to purify a larger area. Turmeric has been used from antiquity as a condiment, a dye, and medically as an aromatic stimulant.

Turmeric is listed in an Assyrian herbal dating from about 600 BC. In Malaysia, a paste of turmeric is spread on the mother's abdomen and on the umbilical cord after childbirth, not only to warn off evil spirits, but also for its medicinal value. Both the East and the West have held its medicinal properties in high regard.

Also known as Garden Heliotrope, Vandal Root, and St. George's Herb. Valerian has compound leaves with a fresh pea pod scent, and clusters of honey scented flowers in midsummer. Both have unpleasant fetid undertones. Their musky root is used in stews and perfumes and unskinned root is a tranquilizer.

Although the root of the herb has a strong pungent scent, some cats love it more than catnip.

A sprig of the plant pinned to a woman's clothing will cause men to 'follow her like children'. Valerian Root is added to Love Sachets. Put in pillows to promote deep rest.

Utilise in spells for: Protection; Purification; Harmony; Peace; Happiness; Love; Creative Work; Money and Riches. Love, calming, sleep, purification or relaxing baths. Use in spells of love, also to get fighting couples together. Used in a Purification bath sachet.

Also known as Enchanters Herb, Holy Herb, Verbena, Blue Vervain, and Holy Wort. A Druid sacred herb, common in their many rites and incantations, This hardy perennial has deeply cut lower leaves and smooth upper leaves with small dense spikes of pale lilac-pink flowers. An ancient sacred herb of purification, visions, and love potions, it was included in liqueurs and aphrodisiacs. Vervain was so highly regarded by the Druids that offerings were placed on altars. "Vervain" is a derivative of the Celtic fer (to drive away) and faen (stone).

Vervain is a profoundly magickal herb belonging to the sphere of Venus. Roman priests and priestesses used it as an altar plant - it was tied in bundles and used to ritually "sweep" and purify the altar. Druids placed it in water that was sprinkled on worshippers as a blessing.

Vervain was picked at the rising of the Dog Star, at the dark of the moon, just before flowering. It was taken from the earth with the sacred sickle and raised aloft in the left hand. After prayers of thanksgiving were spoken the Druid or Druidess left a gift of honey to recompense the Earth for her loss. 

It is used in the bath as a protection from enchantments and to make dreams come true. Wearing or bathing in vervain places one under the influence of Diana. After washing your hands in the infusion, it will be possible to engender love in the one you touch. 

Vervain is worn as a crown during Druidic initiatory rites and as protection for those who are working magic. Sprinkle throughout the home for protection and to bring peace. Keep some in the bedroom to bring tranquil dreams. Keep it in the home to attract wealth and to keep plants healthy. Sprinkle some on the garden as an offering to the elementals and other nature spirits.

Drinking the juice of fresh vervain is said to cut sexual desire. Burn it to banish the pangs of unrequited love. Vervain is worn to recover stolen articles. Tucked into a child's cradle, the plant brings joy and a lively intellect. When burned, Vervain is powerful for warding psychic attack, but it is also used in spells for love, purification and attracting wealth. It is a powerful attractant to the opposite sex. Use for Anointing; Banishing; Gather and burn at Litha; Altar Offering; Creativity; Energy; Strength; Power.

Vervain should be in every Magickal Cupboard; It is a charm for love, protection, safety, good fortune, and protection from temptation, headaches, and the evil eye. It is the herb of Thor and averts lightning. It is placed above the bed, in a barn, or added to a MoJo bag that is worn around the neck. Practitioners of Black Magick used Vervain to empower the "Hand of Glory". Vervain is used for Sabbats of Imbolc, Ostara, Midsummer, and Lughnasadh. It is considered an Aphrodisiac; used in Sex Magick. Vervain is said to give men firm erections - used in love potions, charms, talismans and amulets. Vervain is said to attract good company and for good fortune for an entertainer.

Horehound is a woolly herb with a faint scent of wormwood, crinkled hairy leaves, and flowering stems with whorls of small white blossoms.

Use in protective sachets and carry to guard against sorcery and fascination. Also scattered as an exorcism herb.

Horehound, when mixed with ash leaves and placed in a bowl of water, releases healing vibrations, and should be placed in a sickroom.

Also known as White Willow, European Willow, Tree of Enchantment, and Witches Aspirin. One of the Seven Sacred Trees of the Irish. A Druid sacred tree, the willow is a Moon tree sacred to the White Lady. It's groves were considered so magical that priests, priestesses and all types of artisans sat among these trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills, and prophecies.

Willows are commonly found near ancient British burial sites. The willow is a guardian tree, said to protect from evil influences. The willow tree has a healing aura that blesses all it touches. All parts of the willow guard against evil and can be carried or placed in the home for this purpose. Burn bark with sandalwood for divination and love. Magical brooms, especially Witch's brooms, are traditionally bound with a willow branch.

Knocking on wood referred specifically to the Willow to avert evil.

Willow can be added to love sachets and charms to increase their potency and are especially appropriate in spells to attract new love into your life.  Aligned with the Moon and the element of Water, this herb is strong in healing energy and can be added to all baths and other preparations to heal both the body and soul.  Women know that there are times when you feel you need a really good cry, and having a bath with some willow is a positive way to release this energy. Scott Cunningham suggests mixing willow with sandalwood and burn at the waning moon to conjure spirits.

A Druid sacred tree, chips of the wood or bark were burned at Celtic festivals especially Sabbats. Also known as Black Cherry, or Chokecherry (P. virginiana). 

Ruled by the Sun and element Air magickal uses include removing obstacles, favors, frugality, & invisibility, creativity, healing, long been used to attract love. Cherry juice is used as a substitute for blood in old recipes.

Great on the BBQ, Too!

Magickal herb of chastity, love, divination, protection and sleep.

May have import restrictions in some countries please check with your customs before ordering. The juice of the plant is poisonous.

Also called Spotted Alder, and Winter Bloom, Witch Hazel, a distillation from the leaves and flower-bearing twigs, is included in skin products for its disinfectant and astringent properties.

Witch hazel is added to any spell where one is trying to find their way in the world.

Witch hazel has long been used to fashion divining rods, hence the common name. The bark and twigs & leaves are also used to protect against evil influences. If carried, witch hazel helps to mend a broken heart and cool the passions.

Also known as Bishop wort, Betony or Purple Betony. Wood betony has fairly pungent, scalloped, hairy leaves and spikes of pale magenta summer flowers. A Druid sacred herb. Wood Betony was an Anglo-Saxon protective charm

This was a very powerful herb to the Druids as it has the power to expel evil spirits, nightmares and despair. It was burned at Midsummer Solstice for purification and protection. Sprinkle around or near all doors and windows to form a protective barrier. If troubled by nightmares fill a small cloth pillow and place it under your pillow. Betony is added to purification and protection mixtures and incenses.

Aside from the healing properties of Betony, this herb is believed to be high in protective energy, and it has been said that wearing this herb protects not only the wearer's body, but their soul also.

Unlike many of the other herbs available that induce psychic visions and prophetic dreaming, Betony is thought to have the reverse affect and if placed beneath the pillow will shield the sleeper from visions and dreams, as it protects one from the demons and fears that arise out of one's own psyche.  An old writer, Apelius, says:
"It is good whether for the man's soul or for his body; it shields him against visions and dreams...."

This can be good if you are suffering from night time visitations or disturbing dreams. 

It is traditional to throw Betony on the midsummer fire and jump through the smoke to purify your body. 

Scatter Betony around the doors and windows of your house to create a protective seal and keep out all harmful energies.

Also known as Absinthe. A Druid sacred herb, Wormwood is very magical and sacred to Moon deities. Wormwood is a bitter herb used to flavor vermouth and the liqueur absinthe.

The scent of wormwood is said to increase psychic powers. Burned with incenses on Samhain to aid evocation, divination, scrying and prophecy. Especially good when combined with Mugwort. Strengthens incenses for exorcism and protection. Hung from a rearview mirror, wormwood protects vehicles from accidents on treacherous roads.

Use in spells for: Binding; Psychic Awareness; Evocation; Love; Clairvoyance.

Burned as incense to Conjure, Divine, Scrying, Exorcism and Protection.

Burn in incenses to raise you to a higher level for divination and clairvoyance, mix with sandalwood for a particularly potent incense.  Cunningham claims that when wormwood is burned with sandalwood in a graveyard the spirits will rise and talk.  Wormwood is an extremely potent herb full of power, and it has a strong connection with the spirit world.  It can be used in rituals performed with or for those that are dying to ease their transition and enable them to let go.

Wormwood is the primary active ingredient in the making of Absinthe. This is commonly achieved by steeping wormwood in vodka. The drink Absinthe, has a very long and controversial history. It enjoyed its greatest popularity in late 19th century Europe, when Aleister Crowley, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Ernest Hemmingway and Oscar Wilde were among its most ardent fans. It was an inseparable part of artistic life during that period of time. It is said to have inspired fine literature and great paintings.

On a lighter note "An Egyptian Herbal" gives the following use for Wormwood.... A pain in the anus of demonic origin was treated with: wormwood 1/8; juniper berries 1/16, honey 1/32; sweet beer 10 ro; is strained and drunk for four days.

Also known as Seven Year's Love, Milfoil, and Woundwort.

Large patches of yarrow growing in a field indicate a very grounded energy spot. Sit there to center and relax. Yarrow is used to exorcise evil and negativity from a person, place or thing. A bunch of dried yarrow hung over the bed or yarrow used in wedding decorations ensures a love lasting at least seven years. Use in spells for: Divination; Love; Happy Marriage; Wards Negativity; Defense; Protection; Gather at Litha; Psychic Awareness; Banishing; Releasing; Clairvoyance.

Worn for protection and courage; hung over the bed ensures long lasting marriage; used in love spells and sachets; drunk to improve psychic powers.

The name Yarrow is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon name for the plant - gearwe; the Dutch, yerw.  It is thought that the genus name stems from the legend of Achilles, who was said to have used Yarrow during the Trojan war to stem the bloodflow of wounded soldiers.  It has also been called Herba Militaris (the Military herb) and it is probably this history that has led to Yarrow being used as a herb of courage and strength.  You can wear it to ward off fear and it can grant the wearer the courage to face the truth of a situation, and bring illumination. 

It has a long history of use in magick and divination, and is considered by folk herbalists as a sacred plant with special spiritual powers to offer protection.  This herb is often used in rituals to protect from evil, and can be used to cast your circle or strewn across your threshold. 

A visionary herb, Yarrow is a good ingredient in dream pillows and for divinatory teas and incense blends.  Carry to open the conduit between your physical and spiritual, allowing inspiration, insight and enlightenment to shine through.

Use in love sachets and include in gifts for couples about to handfast or marry, it is said that the gift of yarrow will ensure 7 years of happiness.  This herb has often been used in spells and dream pillows to help the seeker discover the identity of a future lover, and it can be used in spells where one is trying to discover if they are truly loved by another.   There is an old rhyme that attests to it's use in this manner.  It was believed that by tying an ounce of Yarrow in flannel and placing it under your pillow after repeating the following verse would lead to visions of your future love.

'Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree,
Thy true name it is Yarrow;
Now who my bosom friend must be,
Pray tell thou me to-morrow.'

It has also been said that if there is someone that you would like to call upon you, a distant relative or friend that you haven't spoken to for a while, hold some yarrow whilst thinking of them.