An Invaluable Herbal Grimoire Reference Guide

By Graphia, The Wordsmith Witch

No matter what your spiritual path looks like, every Witch can benefit from possessing a thorough, comprehensive Herbal Grimoire. Many practitioners include such contents as a guide for the magical correspondences of different herbs, a list of various herbal substitutions for spellcrafting, and last, but not least – a reference section that lists commonly found baneful herbs and their toxicity levels.

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This herb correspondence chart is the culmination of years of research. We hope this reference guide will help you to understand the magical properties of herbs, roots, flowers, barks and resins. It is our goal to provide others with accurate sources of information to enrich their lives and their Craft. What are some ways you can implement the information in the following guide into your own practice?  Click on the link below to view the chart.

Herbal Grimoire

General Formula for Making Floor Washes

GENERAL FORMULA FOR
MAKING FLOOR WASH
 
• Boil all of the ingredients for 20 minutes in 1 quart
of water.
• Allow the liquid mixture to cool.
• Add 1 cup of ammonia to the liquid mixture.
• Add 1/2 cup of Spiritual Water.
• Pour the liquid mixture into a plastic storage bottle
until ready to use.
• Allow the liquid mixture to remain in bottle
for 7 days before using.

 

Lotions and Washes

Lotions and Washes

Washes are teas or infusions meant only for external use. A mild form of a wash is 1/2 ounce of herb to one pint of boiling water, steeped until lukewarm, then applied to the area requiring treatment. Lotions are made by adding the herbs to an oil such as almond, sesame, or glycerin. Three teaspoon of herb to one cup of oil, steeped and heated several times makes a very effective lotion. Lotions should be kept cool and in air tight containers for best results.

 

Day In Court Wash

Best when used in conjunction with a ritual to destroy your enemy’s power to harm you.

How to use:

3 days before your court appearance, make wash. Put bottle in a blessd dark palce and chant over it. Chant each evening and morning. On the morning of your court date, pour the mixture out of your front door where you must walk to leave the house on your way to court. Also, carry a large piece of High John the Conqueror root in your pocket to the courtroom.

Wash:

To 1 pint of water add 1/4 oz. jalop powder, 3/4 oz. of snake head, and 1 tsp. of blessed salt.

 

 

Business Drawing Wash

Businesses with walk-in customers: wash down entrance floor, door handle and the aisle while using your chant

mail order business or if business gets checks through mail: wash down mailbox inside and out

How to use:

Once a week use wash in scrub water to wash down floors and walls of your business. Don’t use wash for longer than a week after you first use it. Make a fresh batch when neccessary.

Wash is also good for attracting tenants to an empty apartment or house.

Wash:

Mix 1 oz. of powdered squill root, 1 oz. of powdered yellow dock, 1/4 oz. of five-finger grass, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, and a tbsp. of blessed salt.

Mix well and add 2 tsps. of mixture to 1 pint of fresh water.

 

PEACEFUL HOME FLOOR WASH
This floor wash is used to bring peace and  tranquility to a home.
1 cup Gardenia Flowers
1 cup Violet Flowers
1 cup Lilac Flowers
1 cup Sea Salt
Florida Water (Spiritual water)

 

SPIRITUAL GUIDE FLOOR WASH
This floor wash is used to bring your guardian angel closer to you.

1 cup Geranium Flowers (White)
1 cup Violet flowers
1 cup Carnation Flowers
1 cup Campana Blanca Flowers
1 cup Cinnamon Sticks
Florida Water (Spiritual water)
Holy Water (Spiritual water)

 

WOTC Extra – Making Your Own War Water (Used for Psychic Protection)

Witchy Comments

Making Your Own War Water

 

War Water (or iron water) was used to treat anemia by folk healers many years ago. It is not a particularly effective method for treating anemia, and there are far better ways to correct iron deficiencies today. It is almost never used medically by folk healers any more, but it has retained its value in magical practice.

Magically, iron water is used to gain protection or to launch magical attacks. It is called War Water because it is one of the most useful weapons for engaging in psychic warfare. It has this reputation because of the superiority of iron weapons over the older weapons of bronze and stone. Iron is the metal of the planet Mars, the planet astrologers credit with ruling warfare and combat, as well as sex. Used for either defense or attack, war water is a strong carrier of the negative emotional energy used in magical battles.

Iron is found in many urban water supplies. Naturally occurring iron water is not really any better than the homemade product. In some cases the homemade product is far superior, as natural iron water may also include undesirable ingredients. The following formula for War Water will produce a material that has a very strong and workable quality to it.

Place about 3/4 pound of cut iron nails into a large (2 quart) bottle. “Cut nails” are the old fashioned nails that have a rectangular cross-section. They are still available from hardware stores as they are used as masonry nails. We use cut nails because they have a rough finish, and will rust easily. Add a half pint of drinkable tap water. Allow this to stand for eight or ten days until the nails begin to rust. Once the rusting process begins, add a quart of tap water. You can store the bottle in the refrigerator, or leave it in a cool place in your home. The bottle must be opened occasionally to allow enough air to enter to continue the rusting process.

Once the water has a definite tinge of rust, usually about a week to ten days after you have added the quart of water, it is ready to use. Should you find any trace of mold or bacteria on the water, you should discard the water, the bottle and the nails. I have never had this happen, but I have heard that it can.

To use the water, remove about two ounces of the rusty water from the bottle at a time. Add fresh tap water as water is removed and you will have an almost continuous supply of the water. As this water is not often used, even in the midst of a psychic war, it is not necessary to concern yourself about running out once you have made some. A little war water goes a long way.

 

Four Thieves Vinegar

Four Thieves Vinegar

Legend has it that during the Middle Ages a band of four thieves stole from the bodies of those who had died from the plague. Thye made a lot of money in the process, but never succumbed to the plague themselves. When they were eventually arrested they made a deal to share the secret of their protection from the illiness in exchange for their lives. Their secret was a vinegar blend that they made and covered themselves in to ward against the plague.

Four Thieves Vinegar can be used for protection against illness, personal protection, and banishing, and for cursing your enemies.

Most variations can be used topically and ingested, but always check the ingredients first because some that are for topical use contain herbs that may cause sickness or even be poisonous.

Recipes will vary but the base is… well… vinegar! You can use white vinegar, but cider or red wine vinegar works well. Add to your cider, red wine or white vinegar any or all of the following ingredients:

Garlic

Salt

Pepper – black or red

Basil

Sage

Lavender

Mint

Mustard seeds

Add your ingredients to the vinegar and put in a sealed bottle or jar; leave in a dark place for three or four weeks. You can then either leave all the herbs in the liquid or strain it into a new bottle.

This Four Thieves Vinegar can be taken internally – one teaspoon a day to protect against illness. You can also use it as a gargle for sore throats. Soak a cloth in the vinegar and inhale to clear your sinuses.

Add a couple of tablespoons of Four Thieves Vinegar to your bath water for protection.

To banish an enemy you would make up a bottle of Four Thieves Vinegar and then bury it under the victim’s doorstep or porch, or you could even throw it at their porch so that the bottle smashes on their threshold.

To use it as a jinx against someone, use something personal from them such as a strand of hair or a photograph and put that into a bottle containing Four Thieves Vinegar, add nails and pins (nine of each works well), add a spoonful of graveyard dirt, shake the bottle and then bury it on their property.

Source:

Pagan Portals – Hoodoo: Folk Magic
Patterson, Rachel

Chinese Wash & Recipe

Chinese Wash

Chinese Wash is a mainstay in Hoodoo practice and is used for removing negative energy, bad luck and evil, and bringing positive energy back in. The product originated sometime around the 1930s (possibly a bit earlier) and was marketed as Young’s Chinese Wash. It was used for spiritual house cleaning, to purify the home and open up blockages allowing new beginnings, bringing good luck and peace to the home. The original recipe was a blend of oriental grasses with a citrus scent to it, similar to the ingredients used in Van Van Oil (see section on oils). Once purchased, Hoodoo practitioners then added a few pieces of straw from their household broom into the bottle. Chinese Wash can be purchased from retailers still. Some mixtures even have the broom straws already included, but you can also make it yourself.

The wash will need to be added to a bucket of water. Add a couple of teaspoons of the Chinese Wash mixture to make a floor wash.

 

  Chinese Wash Recipe

Citronella

Lemongrass

Gingergrass

Palmarosa

Vertivert

A Few straws from a besom

A simplified version can be made by adding Van Van Oil to a liquid soap base..

WOTC Extra – Blue Water

WOTC Extra – Blue Water

Blue Water Blue water is used for peace and protection, but also to dispel evil and negativity from a house.

Blue is the colour believed to be best at warding off evil and providing protection.

To make blue water use a glass and fill it with spring water or tap water with a teaspoon of salt added to it. To make it blue you can either use blue food colouring or laundry bluing (laundry bluing isn’t so easily found in the UK). You can also add a drop or two of Florida water to it for added power. Charge the water with your intent, or draw a cross three times over the top of the glass to empower it, then leave the glass in a prominent place in your home. Change the water regularly.

Source:

Pagan Portals – Hoodoo: Folk Magic
Patterson, Rachel

WOTC Extra – Florida Water

WOTC Extra – Florida Water

 

Florida water is a scent that is used a lot in Hoodoo practice. It is generally used for cleansing. It can be used to wash your hands before magical or spiritual work, sprinkled around the home to cleanse negative energy, sprinkled on your altar, candles or any magical items or added to a bucket of water to wash your floors and work surfaces with.

It is called Florida water after the fountain of youth which was said to have been located in Florida.

Florida water usually has a base of citrus; this might be from sweet orange, lemon or neroli. It then often has lavender and clove added.

The Witches Magick for Wednesday, February 6th – A Protective Floor Wash

Protective Floor Wash

 

This protective blend is good to build up an aura of protective energy in your home and keep away anyone who would seek to do you harm. Mop the floors of your house with this after you’ve cleansed your house from a harmful spell someone has laid against you to keep up protections and avoid repeat magickal attacks.

Brew up a large cup of strong tea using Protection Herb Bath. Strain the herbs out and add this cup of herbal infusion to your mop water (along with whatever cleaner you regularly use – preferably a pine scented one). As you mop the floors in your house pray in the name of your Divinity to raise up a fiery sword of righteous divine light against your enemies to wrap your house in protective energy and keep all of your enemies, seen and unseen, away from your home.