Submissions Wanted for Herbology Guide

General Discussion
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If you don’t already know, I am forming an Herbology 101 guide for my occult based blog which I have already started on. I already have a page formed for the guide and have added one herbal entry so far but I realized this is going to be a very tedious project and I would like to get some help if possible.

If anyone here has some experience with herb based magick and would like to submit entries for my Herbology database either respond to this post or send me a PM if you feel more comfortable discussing this in private. You do not have to be an advanced or master herbologist, but I am looking for others who have had personal experience with herb based magick or have deeply studied into plants and their magickal uses.

The content I am looking for is mainly magickal associations, what types of magick a particular plant, herb, or flower can be used for (i.e. protection, love, money, prosperity etc.) or any known medicinal uses if you know of them (if there are any for that plant), also what planet, element and deities that herb or flower is associated with. Those are the main things I am looking for but anything else useful you can provide me with like color or astrological associations will also be taken into consideration. If you have any photos I could use those too but please tell me what website or book the photos came from so I can cite the original photographer and/or author.

Anything you choose to submit please make sure it is written in your own words, I do not want to publish things taken verbatim from someone’s book as I want this database to be creative and a little different from all others. If you do contribute a small amount of material from a website article, blog, or book that is fine but PLEASE PLEASE tell me the original author’s name and website or book. I do not want to get sued out of the blue for having content that belongs to someone else on my blog because I did not give them a proper citation.

If you can submit a small handful of plants or flowers I will give you full credit along with any authors names you cite to me somewhere within your entry (probably at the top next to the plant name). If you choose to provide me with a ton of content, I can list your name at the top of the Herbology database as a top contributor too. So you will be given credit for your time and effort. I just realized that I have a lot more knowledge of herbs than what I originally thought, my list of personal contributions to this database is rather lengthy and with the other projects I currently have going, I really could use some help to get this database off of the ground in a timely manner.

Even if you submit a plant that I was already planning to write about that is okay, I will add your findings in with mine but I will separate mine from yours so others can plainly see who wrote what content. This database will be very well organized. And one more thing, if you suggest a plant or flower that is poisonous in any way (cannot be eaten, cannot be touched without gloves) please let me know this as all plants that are unsafe in any way will be color coded in red with a warning message. I have a “use at your own risk” message on my database, but you can never be too careful when relaying information to others that involves something harmful.

2 Likes
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I’ve been looking forward to you doing this, after the help you gave me with succulents. I don’t have any herbology info that you don’t already have, but I’ll keep an eye out for anything quirky I might come across for you. Excitedly looking forward to reading your finished guide! Bon fortuna!

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Thank you Salpinx, just keep in mind, this is going to be such a large guide it will take me several months to complete it so this will be something I will just add to every few days until I get it completed.

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When I get around to it I’ll send a submission your way.

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I can’t really help with magickal associations, but I know a fair amount about the psychoactive properties of certain plants like wild lettuce, deadly nightshade, etc., as well as a 13th century flying potion recipe. Let me know if that fits the bill.

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I have been doing some work with Asafoetida. Hope this entry helps.

Ancient Herbs:“Cyrenian silphium” - Current Status: Believed to be exitinct due to over harvesting.

Modern Equivalent: “Asafoetida” - a.k.a. Hing or “Devils Dung”.

Asafoetida is an extract from a plant that is presented as a gum resin

Asafoetida is a modern day version and direct decendant from the plant known as silphium which grew only in the region of eastern Libya known as Cyrenaica.

“Cyrenian silphium” was widely popular in Greece and Rome from the 6th century bc to the 1st century of the common era.

Most asafoetida on grocery shelves is a powdered compound with added artificial gums, various flours and even trace acids.

Bulk asafoetida is bought and sold by spice traders the world over.

Available to purchase in fist-sized lumps of gray and brown hued clumps of resin. Good quality typically is a tad sticky and dense. Most known for a revolting smell— barn yard feces and sulfur blend.

The smell is overpowering and seemingly finds its way into everything it touches.

Ironically this is used a base ingredient in a few traditional Roman and Greek recipes, as it’s taste is not that of its smell and is appealing to many in limited doses as a base seasoning.

What is interesting is that it possesses a magical purpose as well. E.A. Koetting mentions the use of Asafotida in ritual as found in his book “Baneful Magic”, in combination with powdered Magnesium to form a nine foot circle in summoning King Belial and his armies in the performance of dark works.

Alchemical notations do not reveal a specific symbol or sigil to represent this plant based resin, however it does have a symbol by which Greek and Romans knew it. This plant was an original alternative in selections of birth control and widely used as such. Thus the shape of the seed itself became the symbol for the substance.

This shape became so widely known that it was stamped on the coinage of the empire, as it was said that the plant and it’s derivitives were “more valuable than silver.” The shape became known as an overture for sex, romance, lust and of course the most delicate of human emotions… love. This seed is in the shape of course of what we know as the modern day Valentines Heart.

I have adopted the symbol in the notations of my works where needed and placed in a upside down fashion with the stem of the seed indicated.

(Would post a pic but says file too large)