Magickal Folk Names for Herbs
Having knowledge of herbs and plants (either magically or medicinally) during the Middle Ages, often was reason enough to accuse a woman of being a āwitch,ā so there is no doubt some of the country folk at the time took these herbal folk names literal.Ā Chances are, these names were used merely as descriptors to help remember them easier.Ā Most plants were given names descriptive of their uses and others were given names for something they generally resembled. Spells written by witches in ancient times were often written with such descriptors, which personally i believe to be a form of secret coding.
Here is a small list ofĀ āwitchyā herb names (most of these are already floating around the community) that you can use in your craft when you create your spells.Ā This list could be a great addition to any Grimoire and i hope you find them as useful as i do.
Enjoy ~~~Ā Cannawitch
Plants
Aaronās Rod - Goldenrod or mullein stalk Absinthe - Wormwood Adderās Fork - Adderās Tongue Fern or Bistort Adderās Tongue - Dogās Tooth Violet (or Adderās Tongue Fern Ague root - Unicorn root Alison - Sweet Alyssum Angel Food, Archangel - Angelica Angelās Trumpet - Datura Assās Ear - coltās foot or comfrey Assās Foot, Bullās Foot - coltās foot Auld Manās Bells, Old manās bells - wood hyacinth, Hyacinthoides hispanica
Bad Manās/Devilās Oatmeal/Porridge - hemlock Bad Manās/Devilās Plaything - Yarrow Bastard - false Dittany Bat flower - tacca Batās Wing - Holly leaf Batās Wool - moss (which moss?) Bearās Foot - Ladyās Mantle Bearās Grape Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bear Paw - ramsons Allium ursinum or the root of male fern Dryopteris Felix-mas Bear weed - Yerba Santa Eriodictyon californicum Beard of a Monk - Chicory Beggarās Lice - Houndās tongue Beggarās Buttons - Burdock Birdās Eye - Speedwell Veronica officinalis Birdās Foot - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum (Also birdās foot violet and birdās foot trefoil) Birdās Nest - carrot, Indian pipe Bishopās Wort, Bishopās Elder - Wood betony Stachys betonica Bitter Grass - Ague Root Aletris Farinosa Black Sampson - Echinacea Blazing Star - liatris Blind Eyes - Poppy Blood from a head - Lupine * Blood from a shoulder - Bearās breech * Blood of a Goose - Sap from a mulberry * Morus nigra Blood of an Eye - Tamarisk gall * (probably the tannin extracted from) Blood of Ares - purslane * Blood of Hephaestus - wormwood * Blood of Hestia - Chamomile * Blood - sap of the elder or bloodwort Bloody butcher - Valerian Bloody Fingers - Foxglove Blue Bottle - Bachelorās buttons Boyās Love, Ladās Love: Southernwood Brain Thief - Mandrake Bone of an Ibis - buckthorn * I am not sure if this is Rhamnus cathartica or sea buckthorn Hippophae spp If I can find a recipe containing this, I will know for sure by comparing its purpose to their very different qualities Bread and Cheese - Hawthorn Bride of the Meadow - meadowsweet Bullās Blood - beet or horehound Burning bush - false dittany, also a modern name for species of Euonymus Cowās Horn - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum Bride of the Sun - calendula Brown Dragon - wake robin Buttons - tansy
Calfās snout - Snapdragon Candlemas Maiden - snowdrop Candlewick - mullein, the flower stalk Caponās Tail - valerian Carpenterās Herb - bugleweed Lycopus europaeus Carpenterās Square - knotted figwort Carpenterās weed - Yarrow Cat - catnip Catās foot - white balsam, black cohosh, ground ivy Catās herb - valerian Chameleon star - bromeliad Cheeses - marsh mallow Chocolate flower - wild geranium (I donāt buy it) Christās eye - wild clary Salvia verbenaca Christās ladder - centaury Christās spear - adderās tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum Church steeple - Agrimony Clear eye - clary sage Cleavers - bedstraw Click - goosegrass Clot - great mullien Cocklebur - Agrimony Cockās comb - amaranth Coltās Tail - fleabane Craneās bill - wild geranium Crowās foot - wild geranium, or wood anemone bulbous buttercup (verified) Crowdy kit - figwort Cuckooās bread - common plantago Cucumber tree - magnolia Cuddyās lungs - great mullein Crown for a king - wormwood
Dagger flower - blue flag Daphne - bay laurel Dead manās bells foxglove Death angel - fly agaric Amanita Muscaria Death cap - fly agaric Amanita Muscaria Death flower - Yarrow Deathās Herb - Belladonna Delight of the Eye - rowan Devil Plant - basil Devilās Apple - Mayapple or Mandrake Devilās beard - houseleek Devilās bit - false unicorn root Devilās cherries Belladonna berries Devilās plaything - yarrow Devilās dung - asafoetida Devilās ear - wakerobin Devilās eye - henbane or periwinkle Devilās flower - bachelorās buttons Devilās fuge - mistletoe Devilās guts - dodder Devilās herb - belladonna Devilās milk - celandine Devilās nettle - yarrow Devilās Shoestring: Various varieties of vibernum, esp Black Haw, cramp bark, hobblebush Dew of the Sea - Rosemary Dog Berry - wild rose hips Dogās mouth - snap dragon Dogās tongue - houndās tongue Doveās foot - wild geranium Dragon - tarragon Dragon Flower - blue flag (really, wild iris? not an arum or a Antirrhinum?) Dragon wort - bistort Dragonās blood - calamus
Eagle - ramsons Allium ursinum Earth apple - potato Earth smoke- fumitory Elfās wort - Elecampane Enchanterās plant - vervain Englishmanās fruit/ White manās foot - common plantain Everlasting friendship - goosegrass Eye root - goldenseal
Fairy smoke - Indian pipe Fairy fingers - foxglove Fat from a Head - spurge * Felon herb - Mugwort Five fingers - cinquefoil Foxās Clote - burdock Frogās foot - bulbous buttercup From the belly - Earth-apple. * potato?? Did the writers know about potatoes? When was pgm written? From the foot - houseleek * From the loins - chamomile *
Goatās foot - morning glory Goatās Horn - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum Godās hair - hartās tongue fern Goldenās star - avens Goslingās wing - goosegrass Graveyard dust - mullein (and sometimes itās just graveyard dust)
Hagās taper - mullien stalk Hagthorn - hawthorn Hair of Venus - Maidenhair fern Hairs of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Seed * Hareās beard - mullein Hawkās Heart, Old Woman - Wormwood Artemisia absinthium crown or seed head * Hindās tongue - hartās tongue fern Holy herb - yerba santa Holy rope - hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum Horse tongue - hartās tongue fern Hundred eyes - periwinkle
Innocence - bluets
Jacobās Staff - Great Mullein Joy of the Mountain - Marjoram Jupiterās Staff - Great Mullein
Kingās Crown: Black Haw vibernum Knightās Milfoil - Yarrow Kronosā Blood - sap of Cedar *
Ladyās glove - foxglove Lambās ears - betony but more likely lambās ear Stachys byzantina Lionās Hair - The extra little roots that stick out of the turnip bulb or the base leaves Brassica rapa * Lionās tooth - dandelion Little dragon - tarragon Love in idleness - pansy Love Lies Bleeding - amaranth (Not so ancient, a modern ornamental variant) Love Leaves - burdock Love man - goosegrass Love Parsley - lovage Love root - orris root
Maidenās Ruin - Southernwood Manās Bile - Turnip Juice * Manās Health - Ginseng Master of the Woods - Woodruff May Lily - Lily of the Valley May Rose - Black Haw viburnum May - Black Haw viburnum Maypops - Passion Flower Mistress of the Night - Tuberose Mutton Chops - Goosegrass
Nose Bleed - Yarrow
Old Manās Flannel - Great Mullein Old Manās Pepper - Yarrow Old-Maidās-Nightcap - Wild Geranium
Password - primrose Peterās Staff - Great Mullein Poor Manās Treacle - Garlic Priestās Crown - Dandelion leaves
Queen of the Meadow Root - Gravelroot Queen of the Meadow - Meadowsweet Queen of the Night - Vanilla Cactus
Rats and Mice - Houndās tongue Ramās horn - valerian Ring a Bells - bluebell Robin run in the grass - goosegrass
Scaldhead - blackberry Seed of Horus - horehound See bright - Clary sage Semen of Ammon - Houseleek * Semen of Ares - Clover * Semen of Helios - White Hellebore * Semen of Hephaistos - Fleabane * Semen of Herakles - arugula * Semen of Hermes - Dill * Seven Yearās Love Yarrow Shameface - Wild Geranium Shepherdās Heart - Shepherdās Purse Silver Bells - Black Haw viburnum Snake Root - black cohosh Soapwort - Comfrey or Daisy or maybe Soapwort Sorcererās Violet - Periwinkle Sparrowās Tongue - Knotweed St. Johnās Herb - Hemp Agrimony St. Johnās Plant - Mugwort Star Flower - Borage Star of the Earth - Avens Starweed - Chickweed Sweethearts - Goosegrass Swineās Snout - Dandelion leaves
Tail of a Pig - Leopardās bane * Tannerās bark - toadflax Tartar root - ginseng Tears of a Hamadryas Baboon - Dill Juice * Thousand weed - yarrow Thunder plant - houseleek Titanās Blood - Wild Lettuce Lactuca virosa * Torches - mullein flower stalk
Unicornās horn - unicorn root or false unicorn root Urine - dandelion or maybe urine
Wax dolls - fumitory Weasel - rue Weasel snout - yellow archangel Winter wood - wild cinnamon Canella alba White - ox eye daisy Witchās Asprin - white willow bark (this is ancient?) Witchās brier - wild brier rose hips Wolf claw - club moss Wolfās foot - bugleweed Wolfās milk - euphorbia Woodpecker - herbLpeony Worm fern- male fern Dryopteris Felix-mas
Yerba Santa Maria - epazote
Plant Parts/Body Parts
Blood - Sap or juice Eye - The disc of a composite flower, or a seed Foot - Leaf Guts - Roots, stalks, tangly bits Hair - Very stringy roots (sometimes silk or tangly stems) Head - Flower head or seed head Tail - Stem Tongue - Petal, sometimes stigma Toes - leaf or bud Paw - sometimes bud, usually leaf Privates - Seed pod Worm - stringy roots Wool - Moss
Minerals
A Snakeās Ball of Thread - soapstone * Blood of a Snake - hematite * Crocodile Dung - Soil from Ethiopia * A Physicianās bone - sandstone *
Animal Parts
A Snakeās Head - A leech * Blood of a Hyrax - A rock badger, * small weasel-like/rodent-like (but actually neither) creature native to Africa and the Middle East Blood of a Hamadryas Baboon - Blood of a spotted gecko * Bullās semen - the egg of a blister beetle * Lion Semen - Human semen * Kronosā Spice - Pig Milk *
* From Ecloga ex Papyris Magicis: Liber I, V, xxvi
More Sources for verification -
Galen - De succedaneis, Claudii Galeni Opera Omnia, v 19
Paulus Aegineta, Corpus Medicorum Graecorum IX/2 vII
Dioscorides De Materia Medica
Witchipedia
Lady Raven
Tryskelion





















