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Herbal Definitions & Uses
•A•B•C•D•E•F•G•H•I•J•K•L•M•N•O•P•R•S•T•V•W•
~ A ~
Angelica - Archangelica angelica
Magickal Uses: "In the event of some kind of troublesome misfortune,
gather the root with care during the descent of the lion's cub and hang
it around your neck. It will drive away cares and cause a merry heart."
- Syrenius (1540 - 1611)
Medicinal Uses: In Russian, the seeds were made into a tea called
"angelic water". It was used for stomach ailments and as an
antispasmodic. An infusion of the roots and rootstocks was more often
used. It taken to treat hysteria, insomnia, epilepsy, all respiratory
ailments, rheumatism and lower back pain, to eliminate runny noses and
hangovers and to expel intestinal worms. A syrup made of the roots
boiled in honey or wine was said to draw out toxins.
Arnica - Arnica Montana
Medicinal Uses: A decoction of the flowers or rootstock was used to
treat stomach problems resulting from poor digestion, including ulcers,
spasms and cramps. It was also effectively used for podagra, epilepsy,
colds, influenza and bladder problems. Arnica was also given to control
uterine hemorrhaging during childbirth.
Unknown to most of the Slavic world, Arnica was mostly used in Ukraine,
Belarus and the Karpatskie Mountains.
~ B ~
Barberry - Berberis vulgaris
Medicinal Uses: A 16th century Russian manuscript describes Barberry's
ability to cure diseases that cause infertility in women. The Princess
Xenia of Pskov supposedly used this extract to help her conceive . A
decoction of the root is also used as a remedy for liver and gallbladder
ailments including gallstones and jaundice as well as colitas and
urinary tract infections.
Barley - Hordeum vulgare
Medicinal Uses: Barley water was used to treat bladder and urinary tract
disease, kidney stones, hemorrhoids, reduce swelling and tumors and
treat jaundice. A Barley malt bath was used to treat just about any skin
ailment imaginable including pimples, psoriasis and baldness.
Basil, Sweet - Ocimum basilicum
Medicinal Uses: It's smell alone was thought to stop a runny nose. It
was taken internally to bring dreams to those having trouble sleeping
and as a diuretic.
Beet - Beta vulgaris
Magical Uses: Beet leaves were wrapped around eggs and boiled to give
them the red color used to denote beauty, prosperity and as a symbol of
the Sun-God.
Medicinal Uses: Honey and vinegar were added to a tea made of grated
beets and used as a gargling agent for sore throats and colds. Beet
leaves were applied to the head to draw out pain. Warm beet juice was
dropped into the ear to stop buzzing and was boiled with sage as a cold
and sore-throat remedy.
Belladonna -Atropa belladonna
Magickal Uses: Found chiefly in the Carpathian region of Poland, his
plant was always associated with Witches and evil. It is hallucinogenic
and listed as an ingredient in most old flying ointment recipes, but
highly toxic and very deadly.
Bellflower - Campanula trachelium
Magickal Uses: In Poland, children suffering from consumption were
bathed in the herb. If their skin darkened during the bath, it was taken
as a sign that they would live. If their skin did not darken, it meant
they would die.
Medicinal Uses: The flowers were boiled in a covered pot then left to
steep. The resultant tea was used as a wash for ear problems. The roots
of this plant were steeped in strong liquor for several hours. This was
then taken in small quantities for stomach pains.
Betony - Betonica officinalis
Medical Uses: An infusion or decoction of its aerial parts was used for
various lung and bronchial conditions including asthma and tuberculosis
and to improve appetite. It is sometimes used as a nose-drop for
arthritis.
Birch, white - Betula alba
Medical Uses: An infusion of fresh birch leaves may be used to treat
edema, various bladder and kidney ailments and poor circulation. It is
also said to prevent the formation of kidney stones. Birch sap is used
to strengthen the immune system and as a general tonic. It is also used
for nearly all skin ailments including dandruff and to speed hair
growth. Birch tar is wonderful for skin diseases and to help wounds
heal. An infusion of birch buds is used to remove skin spots.
Folklore: The birch is considered a feminine tree and is often
associated with the rusalki and wily. The spirits of dead ancestors
often take residence within the birch. The great world tree, according
to many Slavic traditions, is a white birch.
Bryony, white - Bryonia alba
Magickal Uses: It was believed that anyone who dug up this herb would
destroy their own happiness. For this reason, many folks fenced in any
bryony plants they found in their yard. For Witches, this plant was said
to grow anywhere, even in pots without dirt. Witches supposedly kept
bryony hidden on their person.
Medicinal Uses: The boiled root was used to heal any wound on a horse's
hoof.
Burnet Saxifrage - Pimpinella saxifrage
Medical Uses: Steeped in strong alcohol, the roots and leaves were an
effective treatment for dysentery and cholera (perhaps the two sisters
in the following story):
Magickal Uses: This plant was called "the herb which breaks" because the
touch of this plant was said to break up metal by its touch alone. To
gather it, mown grass and crops were thrown into water and the saxifrage
would float to the top. This herb was considered most powerful when
gathered at Kupalo.
Folklore: (Poland) There were once three scythe wielding goddesses who
dealt death and did so quite generously. One of these sisters hurt her
leg and could not keep up with the others. No matter how much she begged
for them to wait, they were too obsessed with their blood lust to take
any pity upon her and they left her in their dust. Angered by the
abandonment of her sisters, the lame death crone limped through the
villages calling to the people, "Eat and drink saxifrage and you will be
safe from death!" The people listened and the saxifrage stayed the
scythes of her two sisters.
The two sisters were enraged and fell upon their lame sister in a fury.
The lame sister used her scythe to block them, and one sister fell upon
it dying. In the tumult, the second sister fell upon the other's scythe,
leaving only one death, Marzana, for whom there is no remedy.
~ C ~
Carraway - Carum carvi
Magickal Uses: A pan of caraway seed in boiling water was placed beneath
the crib of any child who was thought to be plagued by demons.
Medicinal Uses: Chewed caraway seeds were smeared upon the face and
hands upon going to sleep to protect one from mosquitoes.
~ M ~
Meadowsweet - Filipendula ulmaria
Medicinal Uses: A decoction of the flowers and shredded roots was used
to treat nervous disorders such as hysteria and neurosis, hypertension
and difficulties urinating. A decoction of the flowers and leaves is
used for colds and other nasal and respiratory ailments. It was also
used for ulcers, and other stomach problems and to treat inflamation of
the kidneys or liver.
Folklore: (Russia) Kudryash was the strongest and bravest knight in the
village, but one day he awoke with an awful terror of his own death. He
was so afraid, he could no longer fight. When a band of thieves began to
threaten the village and the people looked toward him for help, Kudryash
became filled with shame. He wandered down to the river intent on
drowning himself when who should arise, but a beautiful water maiden who
gave him a garland of meadowsweet flowers. She told him to wear it in
battle and he would not be harmed. He later wore the garland fearlessly
into battle against the thieves and easily defeated them. Kudryash was
proclaimed hero of the village and his courage was celebrated throughout
the land.
Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris
Magickal Uses: Mugwort picked from 9 different fields was a powerful
amulet against infertility in women. Girls would stare at the bonfire
through a wreath of mugwort to strengthen the eyes. Effective protection
against evil, mugwort was often carried or tucked into the eaves to
protect a home from unclean spirits.
~ P ~
Purple Looststrife -
Magickal Uses: This plant was considered most powerful when gathered at
Kupalo. One could control demons and troublesome spirits with the root
if the following words were chanted over it before a sacred image:
Tear-weed, tear-weed
You have wept long and much but gained little.
May your tears not drown the open field
Nor your cries sound over the deep blue sea.
Frighten off the demons and the witches!
If they do not submit to you, then drown them in your tears!
If they run from your glance, throw them over cliffs or into pits!
May my words be firm and strong for hundreds of years!
~ W ~
Willow, White -Salix alba
Magickal Uses: The willow is a symbol of fertility. Every Egorij day,
the cattle and women are whipped with pussy willow branches to ensure
their ability to bear offspring. Afterward, the branches are thrown into
the fields to ensure a good harvest. A pussy-willow bud was eaten to
guarantee health and prosperity for the coming year.
Medicinal Uses: Willow bark was used for fever, cough, headache,
rheumatism, diarrhea, pain-relief...after all...it is aspirin. A
poultice of the bark was placed on puss-filled wounds or taken
internally as a tea.
Folklore: (Poland) A cruel farmer was angered by the arrival of his
cat's litter. Feeling he already had too many mouths to feed, he stuffed
the kittens in a sack and threw them into the river to drown. The
distraught mother sat on the riverbank mewling and crying for her little
ones. A nearby willow tree heard her cries and took pity upon her. The
tree dipped her branches into the water and pulled the sack out, but
alas, most of the kittens had drowned. Since that time, willows
everywhere burst into kitten like bud each spring in honor of the mother
cat and her drowned children.
Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium
Magickal Uses: Wormwood was carried to protect one from the Rusalki.
Medicinal Uses: As a tea, wormwood was used to increase appetite and
treat stomach disorders. Dogs were bathed in wormwood to kill fleas and
bouquets of the herb were hung in homes and barns as an insect
repellant.
Folklore: (Russia) A group of girls was returning from picking herbs in
the forest when they accidentally happened upon the rusalki. The water
women asked them "What do you have there?"
"Wormwood, yes, wormwood" they all answered except for one very young
inexperienced girl who laughed and said "not I, I picked meadowsweet!".
The rusalki all fell upon her and she was never seen again.
Bibliography
Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. London:
Dorling Kindersley Ltd., 1996
Knab, Sophie Hodorowicz. Polish Herbs, Flowers & Folk Medicine. New
York: Hippocrene Books, 1995
Zevin, Igor Vilevich. A Russian Herbal: Traditional Remedies for
Health and Healing. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1997
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