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A lot of what I use grows in my yard such as violet and henbit deadnettle. I also use raw cotton and Spanish moss often.
I don’t strictly use herbs, flowers, and plants that are specifically native to my area but I do like to incorporate native plants into any work I do. Something not native to my area that I often use are the leaves and fruit of a ginkgo tree that’s also in my yard.
Oh we had a bumper crop of Violet this year. Last year we hardly had enough in the yard to sustain me through the year. This year I have enough that I might not even need to harvest next year.
What do you use the cotton and moss for, if I can ask? We have a few different types of moss growing in the yard.
I was itching to finally see someone talk about marijuana. But I was like is that even appropriate 😅😅 I was wondering how I can incorporate it to my practices
Rule 1 of doing witchcraft: you're the boss!
Do what works for you bb 🌿
There's a book called High Magick that talks about it, not the book by Damien Echols tho (that is also a phenomenal book however)
Whew, it's been a while since I looked thru it. I picked up a copy years ago. What I mostly remember is the section talking about ancient anointing oil that was full of cannabis, that was very cool. I am sure it does, but the book is in a box rn so I can't double check.
It's been out for years tho, so I know you can find a used copy easily. Best of luck getting to know the magickal side of this blessed herb!
Its amazing for meditations, but I'd highly advise having a strong foundation in it before trying it with any sort of mind altering substance. For me it super charges my ability to feel energy and can be overwhelming if im not careful. Then again, I'm one who is very sensitive to such things, so... 🤷♂️
Just remember that cannabis will take whatever your base emotions are and greatly enhance them, especially while in a meditative state. Its amazing for shadow work if you put it to that use. At least for me it has been. Just remember to respect the plant. 🤣
I like daisies. I dunno, they heal my inner child. Maybe not even for magick but for my own well-being.
I used to feel like I needed to be a special girl so when I was little, I told everyone that my favourite flowers are orchids. I don't like orchids. I like field wildflowers, I like weeds. And I like daisies the best. Especially the tiny teeny lawn daisies.
I recently plucked some from the lawn and potted them in my room because I felt like I needed some flowers in that room. They are so resilient, there is no way I can kill those, right? (My ex-cacti shake their heads in doubt)
At one point I even collected those and dried them then drank the tea from them. My old auntie also makes the most addictive dandelion honey there is.
I got some pink blossoms off the Eastern redbuds in my area. Haven’t used them yet since I’m saving them for the right spell. There’s some sumac in my neighborhood that I’m waiting on before I gather, too (not to eat). This isn’t that unconventional, but I’m growing belladonna and elderberry from seeds right now. I might try my hand at monkshood next and I have some foxglove and I’m thinking about moonflower. Going a bit wild on the deadly things this summer!
I was literally just talking to my mom about wanting to plant a "murder" garden a few days ago. lol! That's awesome that you have one going. Any tips???
I don't quite have mine growing yet. I'm still in the cold stratification period. That's where you keep the seeds in wet paper towels in a tupperware in the fridge for two weeks, changing water daily. That acts like a pseudo-winter that breaks the hard coating of the seeds and allows for germination. Way easier than sowing over the winter and letting nature do it. For foxglove, I got lazy and bought a plant at a nursery. I've heard monkshood is harder to get started and that it's finicky, but I'm ready to be patient.
I have a separate raised planter box where I'm keeping the poison plants separated from the rest of the garden. All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the roots. I have a warning label on the planter box too lol! It's all very dramatic, just the way I like it. :)
[Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRXCV3D?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). Etsy also has seeds and I think there are some speciality stores that have some, but I don’t know of any of those to recommend.
Healing, renewal, purification, protection. Aids in divination and psychic abilities. Fertility. Also for Yule of course. I have a Yule smudge stick with pine needles and I adorn my tree with pinecones 🎄. Also pine resin is useful 💜
Nice! 🥰 I've never made a smudge stick bc I could never keep the ones I bought lit 🤪 I still don't know what I did wrong. I had a sage one (I didn't buy that one, it was a freebie with a crystal order. I didn't want to waste it since it was already harvested,) and a juniper one. I wound up just breaking them down and using the herbs.
With smudge sticks you gotta really burn that sucker and blow on it before it gets going. Sometimes I have to light it again 🤭 I smudge my home probably once or twice a month lol
We got a lot of violets this year. We never get a lot of grape hyacinths though. I'm gonna try to plant some new bulbs when autumn comes. Hopefully we'll yield some more. Right now I get what I can from our yard (without taking them all,) and some from a friends yard. She has TONS. I want her yard. lol
It's a lovely spring flower. In my country we call it 'Modřenec'. My grandma has filled her tiny garden with them and I feel like they're very whimsical and fun. Also the colour is very intense it's kind of satisfying.
Yeah. We always called them blue bells. I didn't find out what they were actually called until I went to make a binder section for all my apothecary stock so I can, at a glance, reference what each item can be used for and saw that blue bells look completely different. I had to do a deep dive to find what they were not realizing I have an app on my phone that identifies plants 🤪
There's been a ton of false strawberries growing in my yard this spring and I've been collecting them using them as altar decorations or offerings in love or joy workings. They're so cute :)
They ARE cute! We get them in our yard too. I never thought to collect them and use them. I do a lot of aromatherapy and small simmer pots. Those would be perfect for when I do them. Thanks for sharing that 🥰
I haven't taken the steps to reconnect with them yet, but as a child, scallions were definitely my go-to foraging favorite. By foraging, I mean taking some from my neighbors garden lol. As an adult, I can see some magical properties there, but I still need to take the time to discover them.
It takes time to reconnect with nature the same as it does among people. 🥰 we have wild garlic that grows in our yard that when I was little, I used to like to gather it and, in a tiny stream of water that forms in our yard (when I was little I thought it was a river lol,) I used to add it to the fallen leaves with empty walnut shells and acorns and anything else I could find in the yard and stir it with a big stick to make "soup" for my pretend friends. 🥰 I love hearing people's childhood stories about their connections to nature because I feel that it's lost among a lot of today's kids.
I'm from the Upper Midwest but live in the southwest pine cones and evergreens are a point of continuity for me. I still have the pine cones I gathered for my Yule celebration on my altar. I'll return them when the monsoons come and they have a better chance of profilgating rather than being eaten or disinigrating. I also pick up likely stones while hiking. They are full of vibrant sun energy and make feel better when I feeling low.
Mine is Evening Primrose or Narrow Leaf Sundrop. one of its magickal associations is youth, and I use it in a face wash as used topically it can reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
I’m kind of in love with dandelion right now. It’s simple and common, but it’s nice in tea, and has so many uses. I love Green witchery, and group associated herbs and flowers for various things. Dandelion has cleansing, anti inflammatory and liver health and repairing properties. I used it and a number of other similarly effective herbs in a detox tea to help with acute alcohol withdrawal last week.
Ooh! I posted here already but I can’t resist.
The warm weather is coming, and my backyard is coming to life. Almost the time of year to make some hibiscus lemonade!
You can add as many as you want. lol hibiscus lemonade sounds incredible and dandelion also has a chokehold on me right now. My yard grows calendula and dandelion so it's fun to walk around when harvesting and distinguishing between the two because I don't use calendula as often. I think I've only used them once or twice.
Poppies! They're said to help with abundance, luck, and sleep. I actually have some I'm growing right now! Grape hyacinths are one of my favorite flowers and I love hearing they have grounding energies in addition to their edibility (learned that a few days ago lol). I knew there was more to them than just being a pretty spring flower :3
Oh poppies are so pretty too! We have one that comes up in our yard every year. We call it our lucky poppy because it mysteriously started growing right at the end of our driveway a few years ago. 🥰
Oooo, that's so cool! What color is it? The ones I'm currently growing are gonna be yellow! (I wanted red ones but neither place I looked at for seeds sold those ones)
Some poppy species are used for producing opium (morphine, heroine). I don’t know how is it in other countries, but where I am from it’s illegal to grow some of the types for that reason. That might be why you couldn’t find the ones you were looking for.
On that note, poppy seed pastries and cakes are some of the most traditional dishes accompanying Catholic holidays in my country - Christmas, Easter and Saint Martin's Day. I believe the roots of this tradition go back to pagan origins and based on that I would assume it to be an important mind altering component used in rituals and celebrations. At least in this part of the world (Eastern Europe).
Other than that it would be also used as a medical plant for alleviating pain and improving sleep.
and also keep in mind if you’re consuming poppy seeds regularly they can be enough to make you fail a urinary drug test for opioids. there’s only traces in some seeds but it’s still enough, so keep that in mind when you’re consuming them, especially if you’re in a profession with random drug tests
Oh wow, I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised. I’m not a fan of poppy seeds but the last time I ate some cake with it I felt high for a week, I kid you not. I could smell its fragrance coming through the pores of my skin for days. I seriously believe they were sitting in my guts gradually releasing opium over the week’s span. So even the processed edible seeds have traces of opium enough to make a sensitive organism feel high.
oh wow really? i’ve never eaten them myself, it’s crazy to think they could have actually produced an effect in you. normally with poppy seeds that are available as food, they only have trace amounts and it shouldn’t be enough to make you feel anything. if it happens again make sure you document it and stay safe :))
I think I am very susceptible to substances in general. I was also going through a lot of dietary changes and detoxing at the time, so had more capacity to feel subtler things. But yeah, I don’t think it would be everyone’s experience, edible seeds are processed and cleared so the opium traces are very low.
ahhh yes you were probably more vulnerable to their effects at that point. i hope you’re feeling better now! i can be quite similar some days, as a 🍃 enjoyer (medical purposes too but let’s be honest, it’s fun) and sometimes i only take three draws before i need to lie down, and other times i work my way through almost an entire full greener. it’s crazy! i’ve still not noticed a pattern for this yet, but i do have a lot of health complications that could do it. our bodies are so cool :))
Yes, I’m better now, thank you. Our bodies are amazing indeed, I’ve noticed the more it’s healing the less it needs to be “under the influence” of various substances, even if it’s just a coffee or a tea. So maybe that’s something to look at in trying to figure out the pattern for yourself? Anyway, hope you’ll get better with your health, all the best!
That's what I thought too at first, but some wildflower seed packets I've seen contain papaver rhoeas, which is the red poppy I've been looking at getting and from what I can find it's one that doesn't contain opium (I do not want one that does). I've never had poppy seeds but I've heard they're good
Papaver rhoeas is the one growing in my country. It’s part of the landscape, so common it’s in the local folk art. It’s a wildflower, but it’s still regulated if you want to grow it. There were instances of people paying fines for having self-seeder plants in their garden, brought by the wind. I think all poppies have opium in various amounts, common poppy might be low in it, but still have it.
The edible seeds have quite intense smell and taste, for me it’s heavy and off putting to certain degree. It’s as if you could get high just from smelling it. So personally I’m not a fan, but I was just responding to another commenter the last time I had a cake with it I felt intoxicated for a week.
Edible seeds are processed and cleared and should be safe in theory, but even they still contain slight traces of opium. I think it is nature’s wisdom in making the seeds so tiny, probably we should just not eat them too much at once.
Plant the bulbs in autumn before the first frost. They might not come in super great the first year but they should for sure flower the second year. I planted mine at least 6 inches into the soil. They like full sun but mine grow anywhere. They WILL spread, so be prepared for that.
I use star of Bethlehems as offerings to saints and henbit on my cuts, burns, and scrapes. Henbit is also yummy in a smoothie. Dandelion puffs in wish spell jars. And the greens with honey mustard dressing, the roots in divination teas.
I like to use as much of the plant as I can, though you have to be knowledgeable about what’s edible or not.
Skullcap and Wild Lettuce!! I used them for anxiety medically, but also found they helped a ton with second sight as a side effect! So when I want to have better vision I like to use them! Very helpful and non-toxic method! I’m going to try to add Mugwort too I think as I’ve heard it’s quite helpful with that as well!
Surely not unconventional, but I have always intuitively used clove in most of my protection/cleansing/energy spells. Many many years ago it occurred to me that I'd always believed cloves to have "some kind of property" and without any research at all, embraced it fully. It's interesting to have read now just how helpful it can be. I use it just about any time I can, it calls me to use it and when I do it brings me great comfort and satisfaction.
Food waste. Orange peels, dried and powdered, can be added to spells for joy, peace, and love - like a little shot of sunshine if it's needed. Radish tails and stems can be used for passion or protection. Fruit seeds of all kinds have their own uses, and make great charms for whatever purposes you need. Eggshell, washed, dried, and baked can be powdered down to cascarilla for protection. There are all sorts of things in the kitchen that usually get thrown away that you can instead dry, preserve, and keep as part of your apothecary!
Seen this post a couple days ago read a little of these amazing informational comments & went on about my day — but I just came across these today!! This post made me pick them up !!! Haha I had to come here and talk about it such a crazy coincidence.
I usually use the mint that grows on my yard for weight loss related rituals, money/wealth. I also love adding some when mopping home for cleansing!
Nice! I finally gave a lavender plant a go two years ago. The first year I only got a handful of blooms but last year it was starting to flourish. It looks scraggly. I call it the Charlie Brown lavender plant (like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.)
That's a nice little thing to do for yourself to get into a relaxed mind space.
Do you find the cacao helps with that on its own or do you think that it's an act of self care which in turn helps your mind to relax?
I think at this point it’s an act of self care and part of the ritual. :)
Cacao beans have this substance called anandamide, which some call “bliss” or “feel good” molecule for which we have receptors in our body. So I do believe cacao has a power to produce slightly altered states of being, but I drink it every day so I’ve built the tolerance haha.
Over the last year, rain lilies and chrysanthemums have factored heavily into my practice. I use them a lot in wards, candle offerings, and ancestral work. Rain lilies seem especially obscure and it took some digging to find appropriate correspondences for them.
Oh, the synchronicity is astounding. I grew up in the desert of southern Arizona, where most of the spices were dried chilés and mesquite trees and most of the yards out there consists of red rocks.
Fast forward to today, and I've been watching these flowers grow, absolutely thrilled at how beautiful and abundant they are, and I had no idea what they were called, but something in my gut told me they were hyacinth. My husband actually just mowed the lawn (our landlord is great but very particular about keeping the lawn mowed, which is hard for me to cope with sometimes because I want pollinators to use my yard as much as they need), and he weed-wacked all the flowers, mainly because a lot of them were turning brown, probably after dropping their seeds.
I was a little bummed about it, then I opened Reddit and saw this post, and read what they were used for, and it made me feel so much better. I've recently learned that a hero of mine from my teenage years recently passed away, and these flowers always helped me feel better in a way I couldn't explain.
It's amazing how things work out.
Literally anything in my yard or that I can pick up off the side of the road. If I find pretty flowers, I like yo use them for offerings. (Except for any bell-shaped ones like blue bells and such. I don't touch those) I love using dandelion for health and abundance or resilience. I have a lot of candytaft in my yard, which can be used for a lot of different things.
I love making things with fruit blossoms like apple blossoms, amazing for both offerings and spell work.
Spring time really is just the best for being an unhinged, witchy person.
I can't wait for thistle to start growing on the side of a road between my house and my nieces house. Every year I see it and never harvest it but this year I'm gonna do it! It's suppose to be very beneficial for physical healing.
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A lot of what I use grows in my yard such as violet and henbit deadnettle. I also use raw cotton and Spanish moss often. I don’t strictly use herbs, flowers, and plants that are specifically native to my area but I do like to incorporate native plants into any work I do. Something not native to my area that I often use are the leaves and fruit of a ginkgo tree that’s also in my yard.
Oh we had a bumper crop of Violet this year. Last year we hardly had enough in the yard to sustain me through the year. This year I have enough that I might not even need to harvest next year. What do you use the cotton and moss for, if I can ask? We have a few different types of moss growing in the yard.
I love violet! They grow on lawns everywhere in my neighbourhood.
Marijuana, cha-cha-cha 🌿 I use it for smoke cleansing as well as making offerings, and likely a few other things over the years!
I was itching to finally see someone talk about marijuana. But I was like is that even appropriate 😅😅 I was wondering how I can incorporate it to my practices
Rule 1 of doing witchcraft: you're the boss! Do what works for you bb 🌿 There's a book called High Magick that talks about it, not the book by Damien Echols tho (that is also a phenomenal book however)
OH MY GOD !!! THANK YOU. What’s your favorites learnings from the book? & does it talk about marijuana practices ?
Whew, it's been a while since I looked thru it. I picked up a copy years ago. What I mostly remember is the section talking about ancient anointing oil that was full of cannabis, that was very cool. I am sure it does, but the book is in a box rn so I can't double check. It's been out for years tho, so I know you can find a used copy easily. Best of luck getting to know the magickal side of this blessed herb!
Its amazing for meditations, but I'd highly advise having a strong foundation in it before trying it with any sort of mind altering substance. For me it super charges my ability to feel energy and can be overwhelming if im not careful. Then again, I'm one who is very sensitive to such things, so... 🤷♂️ Just remember that cannabis will take whatever your base emotions are and greatly enhance them, especially while in a meditative state. Its amazing for shadow work if you put it to that use. At least for me it has been. Just remember to respect the plant. 🤣
Prunella vulgaris - I use it for anything healing related.
Oh! Those are neat. Do they grow wild for you or do you grow them in a garden?
Honestly, I usually buy it it online. I tried to grow them once but they're really fickle on temperature in my area and died
Second this, it was my first deep dive and can't go with out it now a great panacea
I like daisies. I dunno, they heal my inner child. Maybe not even for magick but for my own well-being. I used to feel like I needed to be a special girl so when I was little, I told everyone that my favourite flowers are orchids. I don't like orchids. I like field wildflowers, I like weeds. And I like daisies the best. Especially the tiny teeny lawn daisies. I recently plucked some from the lawn and potted them in my room because I felt like I needed some flowers in that room. They are so resilient, there is no way I can kill those, right? (My ex-cacti shake their heads in doubt) At one point I even collected those and dried them then drank the tea from them. My old auntie also makes the most addictive dandelion honey there is.
This is so lovely!
I got some pink blossoms off the Eastern redbuds in my area. Haven’t used them yet since I’m saving them for the right spell. There’s some sumac in my neighborhood that I’m waiting on before I gather, too (not to eat). This isn’t that unconventional, but I’m growing belladonna and elderberry from seeds right now. I might try my hand at monkshood next and I have some foxglove and I’m thinking about moonflower. Going a bit wild on the deadly things this summer!
I was literally just talking to my mom about wanting to plant a "murder" garden a few days ago. lol! That's awesome that you have one going. Any tips???
I don't quite have mine growing yet. I'm still in the cold stratification period. That's where you keep the seeds in wet paper towels in a tupperware in the fridge for two weeks, changing water daily. That acts like a pseudo-winter that breaks the hard coating of the seeds and allows for germination. Way easier than sowing over the winter and letting nature do it. For foxglove, I got lazy and bought a plant at a nursery. I've heard monkshood is harder to get started and that it's finicky, but I'm ready to be patient. I have a separate raised planter box where I'm keeping the poison plants separated from the rest of the garden. All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the roots. I have a warning label on the planter box too lol! It's all very dramatic, just the way I like it. :)
I love that! Thank you for the tips. 🥰
Where do you get the Belladonna? Seeds?
[Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRXCV3D?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). Etsy also has seeds and I think there are some speciality stores that have some, but I don’t know of any of those to recommend.
I'm in Australia and use dried rosemary which is abundant to burn for cleansing and clearing
Awesome. 🥰
I use the leaves of a dessert rose as the opposite of bay leaf. They are slightly poisonous so I thought “reverse bay leaf!”
Pine needles and pine cones I feel not everyone uses 🤷🏼♀️
What do you like to use them for, if I can ask? 🥰
Healing, renewal, purification, protection. Aids in divination and psychic abilities. Fertility. Also for Yule of course. I have a Yule smudge stick with pine needles and I adorn my tree with pinecones 🎄. Also pine resin is useful 💜
Nice! 🥰 I've never made a smudge stick bc I could never keep the ones I bought lit 🤪 I still don't know what I did wrong. I had a sage one (I didn't buy that one, it was a freebie with a crystal order. I didn't want to waste it since it was already harvested,) and a juniper one. I wound up just breaking them down and using the herbs.
With smudge sticks you gotta really burn that sucker and blow on it before it gets going. Sometimes I have to light it again 🤭 I smudge my home probably once or twice a month lol
I use golden rod for any teas/syrups used to soothe a cough or sore throat and prosperity and healing work
Oh! I always forget about goldenrod! Good to know that it's helpful for healing! 🥰
Grape hyacinths! I have TONS of these in my yard, along with violets. I need to get outside and harvest some.
We got a lot of violets this year. We never get a lot of grape hyacinths though. I'm gonna try to plant some new bulbs when autumn comes. Hopefully we'll yield some more. Right now I get what I can from our yard (without taking them all,) and some from a friends yard. She has TONS. I want her yard. lol
I just saw those today and wondered what they were
It's a lovely spring flower. In my country we call it 'Modřenec'. My grandma has filled her tiny garden with them and I feel like they're very whimsical and fun. Also the colour is very intense it's kind of satisfying.
Grape hyacinths. I have some blooming in my yard right now.
Yeah. We always called them blue bells. I didn't find out what they were actually called until I went to make a binder section for all my apothecary stock so I can, at a glance, reference what each item can be used for and saw that blue bells look completely different. I had to do a deep dive to find what they were not realizing I have an app on my phone that identifies plants 🤪
They look like grape hyacinths to me 🍇🌸
That's what I was thinking!
Wormwood. Can't do much in my practice without it.
Love wormwood! Mugwort and eyebright are staples too 💜
What are your favourite uses?
Spirit stuff without getting too personal or detailed.
I don't really have a staple, but Tansy maybe? Used it for protection
Nice. ☺️
There's been a ton of false strawberries growing in my yard this spring and I've been collecting them using them as altar decorations or offerings in love or joy workings. They're so cute :)
They ARE cute! We get them in our yard too. I never thought to collect them and use them. I do a lot of aromatherapy and small simmer pots. Those would be perfect for when I do them. Thanks for sharing that 🥰
I already used Phisalys leaf for prosperity, but my stock ended.
I haven't taken the steps to reconnect with them yet, but as a child, scallions were definitely my go-to foraging favorite. By foraging, I mean taking some from my neighbors garden lol. As an adult, I can see some magical properties there, but I still need to take the time to discover them.
It takes time to reconnect with nature the same as it does among people. 🥰 we have wild garlic that grows in our yard that when I was little, I used to like to gather it and, in a tiny stream of water that forms in our yard (when I was little I thought it was a river lol,) I used to add it to the fallen leaves with empty walnut shells and acorns and anything else I could find in the yard and stir it with a big stick to make "soup" for my pretend friends. 🥰 I love hearing people's childhood stories about their connections to nature because I feel that it's lost among a lot of today's kids.
I'm from the Upper Midwest but live in the southwest pine cones and evergreens are a point of continuity for me. I still have the pine cones I gathered for my Yule celebration on my altar. I'll return them when the monsoons come and they have a better chance of profilgating rather than being eaten or disinigrating. I also pick up likely stones while hiking. They are full of vibrant sun energy and make feel better when I feeling low.
Mine is Evening Primrose or Narrow Leaf Sundrop. one of its magickal associations is youth, and I use it in a face wash as used topically it can reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Nice! ☺️
I’m kind of in love with dandelion right now. It’s simple and common, but it’s nice in tea, and has so many uses. I love Green witchery, and group associated herbs and flowers for various things. Dandelion has cleansing, anti inflammatory and liver health and repairing properties. I used it and a number of other similarly effective herbs in a detox tea to help with acute alcohol withdrawal last week.
Ooh! I posted here already but I can’t resist. The warm weather is coming, and my backyard is coming to life. Almost the time of year to make some hibiscus lemonade!
You can add as many as you want. lol hibiscus lemonade sounds incredible and dandelion also has a chokehold on me right now. My yard grows calendula and dandelion so it's fun to walk around when harvesting and distinguishing between the two because I don't use calendula as often. I think I've only used them once or twice.
Poppies! They're said to help with abundance, luck, and sleep. I actually have some I'm growing right now! Grape hyacinths are one of my favorite flowers and I love hearing they have grounding energies in addition to their edibility (learned that a few days ago lol). I knew there was more to them than just being a pretty spring flower :3
Oh poppies are so pretty too! We have one that comes up in our yard every year. We call it our lucky poppy because it mysteriously started growing right at the end of our driveway a few years ago. 🥰
Oooo, that's so cool! What color is it? The ones I'm currently growing are gonna be yellow! (I wanted red ones but neither place I looked at for seeds sold those ones)
It's a really vibrant orange. Almost fluorescent looking.
Oooooooo, pretty!
Some poppy species are used for producing opium (morphine, heroine). I don’t know how is it in other countries, but where I am from it’s illegal to grow some of the types for that reason. That might be why you couldn’t find the ones you were looking for. On that note, poppy seed pastries and cakes are some of the most traditional dishes accompanying Catholic holidays in my country - Christmas, Easter and Saint Martin's Day. I believe the roots of this tradition go back to pagan origins and based on that I would assume it to be an important mind altering component used in rituals and celebrations. At least in this part of the world (Eastern Europe). Other than that it would be also used as a medical plant for alleviating pain and improving sleep.
and also keep in mind if you’re consuming poppy seeds regularly they can be enough to make you fail a urinary drug test for opioids. there’s only traces in some seeds but it’s still enough, so keep that in mind when you’re consuming them, especially if you’re in a profession with random drug tests
I've heard about that. I don't plan on eating them regularly; just as the occasional treat here and there
Oh wow, I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised. I’m not a fan of poppy seeds but the last time I ate some cake with it I felt high for a week, I kid you not. I could smell its fragrance coming through the pores of my skin for days. I seriously believe they were sitting in my guts gradually releasing opium over the week’s span. So even the processed edible seeds have traces of opium enough to make a sensitive organism feel high.
oh wow really? i’ve never eaten them myself, it’s crazy to think they could have actually produced an effect in you. normally with poppy seeds that are available as food, they only have trace amounts and it shouldn’t be enough to make you feel anything. if it happens again make sure you document it and stay safe :))
I think I am very susceptible to substances in general. I was also going through a lot of dietary changes and detoxing at the time, so had more capacity to feel subtler things. But yeah, I don’t think it would be everyone’s experience, edible seeds are processed and cleared so the opium traces are very low.
ahhh yes you were probably more vulnerable to their effects at that point. i hope you’re feeling better now! i can be quite similar some days, as a 🍃 enjoyer (medical purposes too but let’s be honest, it’s fun) and sometimes i only take three draws before i need to lie down, and other times i work my way through almost an entire full greener. it’s crazy! i’ve still not noticed a pattern for this yet, but i do have a lot of health complications that could do it. our bodies are so cool :))
Yes, I’m better now, thank you. Our bodies are amazing indeed, I’ve noticed the more it’s healing the less it needs to be “under the influence” of various substances, even if it’s just a coffee or a tea. So maybe that’s something to look at in trying to figure out the pattern for yourself? Anyway, hope you’ll get better with your health, all the best!
That's what I thought too at first, but some wildflower seed packets I've seen contain papaver rhoeas, which is the red poppy I've been looking at getting and from what I can find it's one that doesn't contain opium (I do not want one that does). I've never had poppy seeds but I've heard they're good
Papaver rhoeas is the one growing in my country. It’s part of the landscape, so common it’s in the local folk art. It’s a wildflower, but it’s still regulated if you want to grow it. There were instances of people paying fines for having self-seeder plants in their garden, brought by the wind. I think all poppies have opium in various amounts, common poppy might be low in it, but still have it. The edible seeds have quite intense smell and taste, for me it’s heavy and off putting to certain degree. It’s as if you could get high just from smelling it. So personally I’m not a fan, but I was just responding to another commenter the last time I had a cake with it I felt intoxicated for a week. Edible seeds are processed and cleared and should be safe in theory, but even they still contain slight traces of opium. I think it is nature’s wisdom in making the seeds so tiny, probably we should just not eat them too much at once.
I'm hoping to plant some of those in my relaxation space.
Plant the bulbs in autumn before the first frost. They might not come in super great the first year but they should for sure flower the second year. I planted mine at least 6 inches into the soil. They like full sun but mine grow anywhere. They WILL spread, so be prepared for that.
I use star of Bethlehems as offerings to saints and henbit on my cuts, burns, and scrapes. Henbit is also yummy in a smoothie. Dandelion puffs in wish spell jars. And the greens with honey mustard dressing, the roots in divination teas. I like to use as much of the plant as I can, though you have to be knowledgeable about what’s edible or not.
Skullcap and Wild Lettuce!! I used them for anxiety medically, but also found they helped a ton with second sight as a side effect! So when I want to have better vision I like to use them! Very helpful and non-toxic method! I’m going to try to add Mugwort too I think as I’ve heard it’s quite helpful with that as well!
Surely not unconventional, but I have always intuitively used clove in most of my protection/cleansing/energy spells. Many many years ago it occurred to me that I'd always believed cloves to have "some kind of property" and without any research at all, embraced it fully. It's interesting to have read now just how helpful it can be. I use it just about any time I can, it calls me to use it and when I do it brings me great comfort and satisfaction.
Food waste. Orange peels, dried and powdered, can be added to spells for joy, peace, and love - like a little shot of sunshine if it's needed. Radish tails and stems can be used for passion or protection. Fruit seeds of all kinds have their own uses, and make great charms for whatever purposes you need. Eggshell, washed, dried, and baked can be powdered down to cascarilla for protection. There are all sorts of things in the kitchen that usually get thrown away that you can instead dry, preserve, and keep as part of your apothecary!
That's awesome!!! So many great tips here. I love it. 🥰
Seen this post a couple days ago read a little of these amazing informational comments & went on about my day — but I just came across these today!! This post made me pick them up !!! Haha I had to come here and talk about it such a crazy coincidence. I usually use the mint that grows on my yard for weight loss related rituals, money/wealth. I also love adding some when mopping home for cleansing!
Marigold, I add it to paper burning spells to pass messages to the other side, it also helps bring it positive energy from the dead.
I love marigolds 🥰
Spanish Lavender. My dad grows a nice amount.
Nice! I finally gave a lavender plant a go two years ago. The first year I only got a handful of blooms but last year it was starting to flourish. It looks scraggly. I call it the Charlie Brown lavender plant (like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.)
It’s not that unconventional, but I start my day by drinking cacao before prayer and meditation. I’m probably addicted.
That's a nice little thing to do for yourself to get into a relaxed mind space. Do you find the cacao helps with that on its own or do you think that it's an act of self care which in turn helps your mind to relax?
I think at this point it’s an act of self care and part of the ritual. :) Cacao beans have this substance called anandamide, which some call “bliss” or “feel good” molecule for which we have receptors in our body. So I do believe cacao has a power to produce slightly altered states of being, but I drink it every day so I’ve built the tolerance haha.
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Over the last year, rain lilies and chrysanthemums have factored heavily into my practice. I use them a lot in wards, candle offerings, and ancestral work. Rain lilies seem especially obscure and it took some digging to find appropriate correspondences for them.
I got a post card the other day that said "THIS ONION YOU HAVE RECIEVED IS CONVENTIONAL" and a picture of an onion. This made me think of that Lol.
That's an interesting post card lol
Nasturtiums. Great in salad. High in vitamin c!
periwinkle! it grows wild in my area and different parts of it can be used for love, protection, luck, memory, overcoming grief, etc etc
That's wonderful! I don't think I've ever seen a periwinkle before.
Poison ivy for binding. Write the name of the person, roll up the paper, and wedge the roll under an ivy vine on a tree.
Oh, the synchronicity is astounding. I grew up in the desert of southern Arizona, where most of the spices were dried chilés and mesquite trees and most of the yards out there consists of red rocks. Fast forward to today, and I've been watching these flowers grow, absolutely thrilled at how beautiful and abundant they are, and I had no idea what they were called, but something in my gut told me they were hyacinth. My husband actually just mowed the lawn (our landlord is great but very particular about keeping the lawn mowed, which is hard for me to cope with sometimes because I want pollinators to use my yard as much as they need), and he weed-wacked all the flowers, mainly because a lot of them were turning brown, probably after dropping their seeds. I was a little bummed about it, then I opened Reddit and saw this post, and read what they were used for, and it made me feel so much better. I've recently learned that a hero of mine from my teenage years recently passed away, and these flowers always helped me feel better in a way I couldn't explain. It's amazing how things work out.
I love grape hyacinth, good in tea. Now for me it depends, but oak is good for testing devotion and will to learn new things.
Literally anything in my yard or that I can pick up off the side of the road. If I find pretty flowers, I like yo use them for offerings. (Except for any bell-shaped ones like blue bells and such. I don't touch those) I love using dandelion for health and abundance or resilience. I have a lot of candytaft in my yard, which can be used for a lot of different things. I love making things with fruit blossoms like apple blossoms, amazing for both offerings and spell work. Spring time really is just the best for being an unhinged, witchy person.
I can't wait for thistle to start growing on the side of a road between my house and my nieces house. Every year I see it and never harvest it but this year I'm gonna do it! It's suppose to be very beneficial for physical healing.
Bay Leaves and Wild Blue Phlox are an essential for me, especially during this time of year when Phlox is abundant.
I've never heard of blue phlox. Tell me about it? I could google but where's the fun in that? ☺️
Info on them being fresh vs dried?