A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, berry, bud or vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants used for flavoring or as a garnish.1
Herbs and spices are powerful magickal ingredients and tools as they can be used in spells on their own, with other tools, or an an ingredient.
Herbs can typically be grown in gardens depending on your geographic region and climate. Many can also be grown in pots indoors as well. If you have an altar, potted herbs can be used to represent the earth element. Herbs and spices are also readily available at retailers and online stores. Some spices can be found in both whole form (berries; seeds; etc.) and in powdered form. For magickal purposes, whole spices are best, unless a spell specifies another form.
Herbs that you grow yourself in your garden or potted indoors are best for working magick, whether fresh or dried. If this isn’t possible, you should purchase organic herbs which are often available at produce stores and better grocers. Also, bulk food stores and health food stores often carry dried organic herbs.
The below herbs are by no means an exhaustive list of those used in magick. Rather, these are some that may be grown and/or are readily available for purchase fresh and/or dried in Canada.
HERBS & SPICES & THEIR MAGICKAL PROPERTIES
ALLSPICE: Achievement; business; compassion; courage; efficiency; good luck; job interview success; spiritual, emotional, and psychic healing; repel negative energy; success; winning job competitions; winning in general; workplace efficiency; workplace happiness.
BASIL: Abundance; aphrodisiacs; attraction; balance; banishing; business; calming; clairvoyance; communications; concentration; dispelling; divination; emotional strength; fertility; financial gain; focus; friendship; good luck; harmony; home protection; honesty; intimacy; libido; mental clarity; money; passion; peacefulness; prosperity; protection; purification; repelling; romantic love; self-discipline; sensuality; stamina; success; trust. [Known as Witch’s Herb]
BAY LEAF: Banishing; business; clairvoyance; confusion; curse removal; lucid dreaming; meditation; money; negative energy dispelling; positive energy attraction; prophesy; psychic ability; purification; success; victory.
BLACK PEPPERCORN: Banishing; binding; home cleansing; home protection; repelling; separation; warding.
BORAGE: Attract business; courage; creative inspiration; fortitude; psychic ability; protection.
CARAWAY: Calming; illness prevention; infidelity; meditation; repelling; stress reduction.
CARDAMOM: Aphrodisiacs; courage; finances; financial gain; fortitude; friendship; good luck; libido; love; mental clarity; money; persuasion abilities; prosperity; sensuality; sexual love.
CATNIP: Animal magick; appearance; attraction; beauty; enhancement; friendship; happiness; joy; love.
CAYENNE: Banishing; curse breaking & protection; hex breaking & protection; libido; lust; negative energy dispelling; negativity; passion; sexual love; spell reversal; temper; warding.
CENTAURY: Remove & repel negative or malevolent energies, people & spirits.
CHAMOMILE: Animal magick; anxiety; calming; children spells; curse breaking & protection; divination; emotional protection; happiness; healing; health; hex breaking & protection; lucid dreaming; magick repelling; meditation; nightmare prevention; peace of mind; peacefulness; psychic protection; relaxation; soothing; sound sleep; spiritual clarity; stress relief.
CHERVIL: Afterlife transitioning; connection with the divine; creativity; inspiration; mental stimulation; past-life recollection; spiritual renewal; spirit communications. [also called French parsley]
CHICORY: Decision-making; depression; happiness; joy; uncertainty.
CHILI PEPPER: Aphrodisiacs; libido; lust; passion; sensuality; sexual stamina; virility.
CHIVES: Habit-breaking; mental stimulation; positivity.
CILANTRO / CORIANDER: Alertness; aphrodisiacs; attraction; awareness; communications; creative success; creativity; encouragement; imagination; intelligence; libido; lust; mental acuity; mental clarity; passion; sexual desire.
CINNAMON: Attention attraction; business acumen; business success; creativity; financial gain; fire magick; intellectual stimulation; libido; lust; knowledge; money; power; prosperity; sexual love; success; winning.
CLOVES: Achievement; business success; comfort; compelling; creativity; curse removal; debt repayment; encourage action; financial success; intellectual stimulation; money; perceptions; prosperity; protection; safety.
DILL WEED: Healing children; love; obstacle removal; passion; positivity; protection of children; sensuality.
FENNEL: Communications; confidence; courage; earth magick; emotional strength; female fertility; financial creativity; fortitude; grounding; mental clarity; motherhood; passion; repelling; sexual desire; stamina.
GARLIC: Accident prevention; bad luck; banishing; good luck; illness; jealousy; male fertility; negativity; physical protection; psychic protection; sleep protection; virility.
GINGER: Balance; commitment; desire; good luck; grounding; healing; invigoration; inspiration; lust; nightmare prevention; optimism; physical energy; protection; self-defense; sexual energy; stamina; stimulation.
GINGKO BILOBA: Aphrodisiacs; attention span; chastity; guarding; influence; intellect; longevity; order; strength of character; tranquility; virtue.
GINSENG: Aphrodisiacs; physical healing; male sexual stamina; vitality.
HOLY BASIL: Adapting; balance; blessing; calming; consecration; concentration; emotional balance & healing; focus; grounding; longevity; mindfulness; protection; purification; soothing; spiritual healing; spirituality; stability; stress relief. Also called Tulsi, Tulasi, or Thulasi.
HORSERADISH: Fertility; male sexual endurance; protection; sexual satisfaction; virility.
LAVENDER: Anger; anxiety; balance; calming; cleansing; clearing; concentration; courage; depression; dispelling negative energies; emotional balance, healing & protection; fidelity; focus; friendship; grounding; happiness; harmony; heartbreak; joyfulness; insomnia; inspiration; lover attraction; loyalty; magickal ability; magickal power; mental clarity; nurturing; peace of mind; psychological healing; purification; romantic love; soothing; stress reduction; unrequited love; wisdom.
LEMON BALM: Healing; repelling; stress relief.
LEMONGRASS: Acceptance; clairvoyance; emotional clarity; intellect; intuition; knowledge; mental acuity; precognition; psychic abilities; sensuality; sexual exploration.; studying ability.
LOVAGE: Gender confusion; intellect; solidify new relationship; soulmate attraction.
MARJORAM: Depression; emotional strength; familial happiness; familial love; grief; low mood; transitioning after death.
MINT: Adversity; appetite (all types) reduction; calming; clarity; creativity; fears; grief; happiness; healing; intellectual stimulation; jealousy; lust; meditation; mental acuity; prophetic dreams; protection; purity; relationship healing; renewal; repel negative energies & spirits; sexual endurance; sorrow.
MUGWORT: Aphrodisiac; astral projection & travel; banishing; blessing; clairvoyance; clarity; consecration; dispelling; divination; fertility; love; lucid dreaming; negative energy & spirit repelling; prophesy; prophetic dreams; protection; psychic abilities; purification; spirituality; spirit communications; truth.
MUSTARD: Acceptance; alertness; awareness; courage; emotional strength; fortitude; memory enhancement.
NUTMEG: Generosity; good luck; intuition; money; success; winning games and lotteries.
OREGANO: Astral projection and travel; health; happiness.
PARSLEY: Banishing; calm restless spirits; clearing; cleansing; dispelling; fertility; spirit communications; spiritual renewal; truthfulness.
PINK / RED PEPPERCORN: Paler pink berries: Emotional pain; fear reduction; fidelity; friendship; inspiration; longevity; physical pain; psychic pain; self-acceptance; self-esteem. Deepest red berries: Jealousy; libido; lust; passion; sexual confidence; sexual desire; sexual fidelity; sexual love; sexuality. *These may be sold as either pink or red peppercorns but they are the same spice – simply separate them by colour depending on the magick you are working.
ROSEMARY: Blocking negative spells; breaking negative spells; clairvoyance; cleansing; clearing; dispelling; divination; healing; intellect; memory; mental clarity; mental energy; nightmare prevention; protection; purification; school grades improvement; studying ability; water magick.
SAGE [Common/Garden]: Balance; honesty; grounding; longevity; mental clarity; truthfulness; wisdom.
SPEARMINT: Calming; intelligence; meditation; memory; mental clarity; psychological healing; relaxation; stress reduction.
STAR ANISE: Air magick; appetites decrease; clairvoyance; consecration; curse removal; good luck; happiness; meditation; money; nightmare prevention; prosperity; protection; purification; weight loss.
SUMMER SAVORY: Confusion; mental acuity; mental clarity; memory.
SWEET WOODRUFF: Agriculture; balance; change; escape; garden magick; growth; male fertility; money; prosperity; protection; success; wealth.
TARRAGON [French]: Self-confidence; self-esteem.
THYME: Awareness; cleansing; concentration; focus; gentleness; insight; memory; psychic healing; purification; spiritual renewal; understanding.
TURMERIC: Air magick; altar consecration; banishing; binding; privacy; purification; secrets; spiritual strength; tool consecration.
VANILLA BEAN: Appetites; charisma; emotional balance; comfort; happiness; home magick; libido; lust; passion; peace of mind; sexual desire; sexuality.
WHITE PEPPERCORN: Courage; emotional strength; fortitude; health; self-confidence; truthfulness.
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