Herbs - Letter C

C

Cactus (all species)

Protection, Chastity. Cactus spines are used in witches bottles for protection. Carry or bury to release their protective powers.

Calamus (Acorus calamus) aka myrtle flag, sweet cane, sedge, sweet flag, sweet grass, sweet sedge
Feminine. Moon. Water. *POISON*

Luck, Healing, Money, Protection. String beads and wear for healing. Use powdered root in incenses and sachets. Used to strengthen and bind spells. Growing the plant brings good luck.

Camellia (Camellia japonica)
Feminine. Moon. Water.

Brings riches and luxury. Place fresh blossoms in water on altar during money and prosperity riches.

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)
Feminine. Moon. Water.

Chastity, Health, Divination. A bag of camphor hung around the neck keeps flus and colds away. Use in divinatory incenses.

Caraway (Carum carvi)
Masculine. Mercury. Air.

Protection, Lust, Health, Anti-Theft, Mental Powers. Any object which holds some caraway seeds is theft-free. Induces lust when baked into breads, cookies, or cakes. The seeds strengthen the memory.

Cardamom (Elettario caramomum)
Feminine. Venus. Water.

Lust, Love. Add ground seeds to warmed wine for a quick lust potion. Bake in apple pies and add to sachets and incenses to induce love.

Carnation (Dianthus carophyllus) aka jove's flower, gillies, gilliflower, sops-in-wine
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Protection, Strength, Healing. Use in all-purpose protection spells. Gives strength and energy to the sick. Place fresh carnation on the altar during healing spells and add dried flowers to healing sachets and incenses.

Carob (Jacaranda procera or Prosopis dulcis) aka caroba, carobina, carobinha

Protection, Health. Wear or carry.

Carrot (Dancus carota)
Masculine. Mars. Fire.

Fertility, Lust. Women should eat the seeds to become pregnant. Eat carrots to promote lust and cure impotence.

Cascara Sagrada (Rhamnus purshiana) aka sacred bark

Legal Matters, Money, Protection. Sprinkle infusion around your home before going to court. It will help you win your case.

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Money.

Castor (Ricinus communis) aka palma christi, palms christi root *POISON*

Protection.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) aka catmint, cat's wort, field balm, nepeta, nip, catnep
Feminine. Venus. Water. Deity: Bast.

Cat Magick, Love, Beauty, Happiness. Give to your cat to create a psychic bond between the two of you. Use in love sachets with rose petals. Attracts good spirits and great luck. Used in beauty and happiness spells. Large pressed leaves are used for bookmarks in magickal texts. Mix with dragon's blood in an incense to rid oneself of bad habits or behavioral problems.

Cattail (Typah spp.)
Masculine. Mars. Fire.

Lust. Carry if you don't like sex, but want to.

Cedar (Cedrus libani or C. spp.)
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Healing, Purification, Money, Protection. The smoke is purifying and chases away bad dreams. Keep a piece in the wallet to draw money and in all money incenses. Add to love sachets and Burn for psychic powers.

Celandine (Chelidonium majus) aka devil's milk, kenning wort, swallow-wort, tetterwort
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Protection, Escape, Happiness, Legal Matters. Aids in escaping unwarranted imprisonment or entrapment. Wear next to the skin and replace every three days. Cures depression, brings happiness when worn. Wear to court to win the favor of the jury.

Celery (Apium graveolens)
Masculine. Mercury. Fire.

Mental Powers, Lust, Psychic Powers. Chew seeds to aid concentration or in dream pillows to induce sleep. Burned with orris root, seeds increase psychic powers. Eat stalk to induce lust.

Centaury (Centaurium spp.) aka christ's ladder, feverwort
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Burn to drive off snakes.

Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) aka ground apple, roman camomile, maythn, whig plant
Masculine. Sun. Water

Money, Sleep, Love, Purification. Sprinkle around property to remove curses and spells cast against you.

Cherry (Prunus avium) aka sweet cherry
Feminine. Venus. Water.

Love, Divination.

Chestnut (Castanea spp.)
Masculine. Jupiter. Fire.

Love.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) aka adder's mouth, starweed, starwort, stitchwort, tongue grass
Feminine. Moon. Water.

Fertility, Love

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) aka succory, wild cherry, wild succory
Masculine. Sun. Air.

Removing Obstacles, Invisibility, Favors, Frugality. Carry to remove all obstacles that might crop up in your life. Rub juice on body to obtain favors from great persons.

Chili Pepper (Capsicum spp.) aka red pepper
Masculine. Mars. Fire.

Fidelity, Hex Breaking, Love.

China Berry (Melia azederach) *POISON*

Carry seeds for luck and to bring change into your life.

Chrysanthemum (Anacylus pyrethrum) aka mum
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Protection. Promotes mental health. Use in rituals of death and dying.

Cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum) aka sweet wood
Masculine. Sun. Fire. Deities: Venus, Aphrodite

Spirituality, Success, Healing, Power, Psychic Powers, Lust, Protection, Love. Empower with tourmaline. Enhancing skills of prophecy through channeling, working through an oracle, or through divination. When burned as an incense, it raises high spiritual vibrations. Aids in healing. Draws money. Stimulates psychic power and produces protective vibrations. Great in sachets and amulets.

Cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis or P. reptans) aka crampweed, five finger blossom, five finger grass, goosegrass, silverweed, potentilla
Masculine. Jupiter. Fire.

The five points of the leaves represent love, money, health, power, and wisdom. If carried, all these will be granted. Good for love magick and to promote an abundant harvest. Contains the energy to manifest one's ideas. An ingredient in mediaeval flying ointments.

Citron (Citrus medica)
Masculine. Sun. Air.

Psychic Powers, Healing.


Clove (Syzygium aromaticum or Caryophyllus aromatica)
Masculine. Jupiter. Fire.

Protection, Exorcism, Love, Money. Burn as an incense. Worn or carried, they attract the opposite sex.

Clover (Trifolium spp.) aka shamrock, trefoil, three-leaved grass
Masculine. Mercury. Air.

Protection, Love, Money, Fidelity, Exorcism, Success.

Coconut (Cocus necifera)
Feminine. Moon. Water.

Purification, Protection, Chastity

Coffee (Coffea Arabica)
Mercury. Uranus.

Ritual stimulant. Aztec, Mayan, and Incan peoples all revered the berry of this plant.

Cohosh, Black (Cimicifuga racemosa) aka black snake root, bugbane, squawroot
Masculine.

Love, Courage, Protection, Potency

Coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara) aka ass's foot, British tobacco, bull's foot, butterbur, Coughwort
Feminine. Venus. Water.

Use in love sachets and spells of peace and tranquility. Love, Visions.

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Feminine. Venus. Water.

Love, Courage. Rub on hands for courage and daring or carry it. Seeds can be used in love perfume. Pulverize seeds and rub on hands to attract love. Practitioners of animal magick, those working with eagles (aquila=eagle), or those wishing to invoke the protection of deity through the realm of birds may work with this herb.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) aka boneset, bruisewort, knit back, knit bone, slippery root
Feminine. Saturn. Water.

Good for any magickal healing. Worn or carried, it ensures safety during travel. The root is used in money spells.

Copal (Bursera odorata)
Masculine. Sun. Fire.

Love, Purification. Added to love and purification incenses. A piece of copal can represent the heart in poppets.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) aka Chinese parsley, cilantro
Masculine. Mars. Fire.

Love, Health, Healing. Used in love sachets and spells. Add the powdered seeds to warm wine to make a lust potion. Protects gardeners and all in their households. Gather at harvest and hang in the home for protection. The seeds promote peace between people who are unable to get along. Use it in drinks or crushed in incense. Helps one find romance and is an excellent herb to add to an elixir when the Great Rite is celebrated. Throw instead of rice at handfastings or add to the handfasting cake.

Corn (Zea Mays) aka maize, seed of seeds, sacred mother
Feminine. Venus. Earth.

Protection, Luck, Divination. Represents fertility and is used to invoke Mother Earth. Used at Mabon and Lammas in ritual, it teaches the mystery of life, death, and rebirth.

Cornflower (Centaurea Cyanus) aka blue bottle, bluecap, bluet
Venus. Saturn. Deity: Flora, Chiron.

Patron herb of herbalists. Blue leaves make a lovely ink for Book of Shadows.

Cotton (Gossypium barbadense)
Feminine. Moon. Earth.

Luck, Healing, Protection, Rain, Fishing Magick. Place cotton on an aching tooth to take away pain. Planted or scattered in yard, it keeps ghosts away. Burning cotton causes rain.

Cowslip (Primula veris) aka arthritica, fairy cup, lady's key, buckles
Feminine. Venus. Water. Deity: Freya.

Healing, Youth, Treasure Finding. Place it beneath the front porch to discourage visitors. Preserves youth, and restores it when lost. The odor is healing, and holding a bunch will locate hidden treasure. Sacred to Freya, and can be used to invoke her. Some believe the path to Freya will lead one to earthbound treasures and abundance.

Crocus (Crocus vernus)
Feminine. Venus. Water.

Burn in a censor with alum to see a vision of the thief who robbed you. Love, Visions.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) aka cowcucumber
Feminine. Moon. Water. Deity: Uttu (Sumerian)

Chastity, Healing, Fertility. Cooling and soothing to the psyche. Slices laid on eyes assists astral travel. Fruit hinders lust. Peel on head relieves pain of headache.

Cumin (Cumimum Cyminum) aka cumino, cumino aigro
Masculine. Mars. Fire.

Protection, Fidelity, Exorcism, Anti-theft. Burned with frankincense for protection and scattered on the floor (sometimes with salt) to drive out evil. Used in love spells. When given to a lover, promotes fidelity. Cumin seed steeped in wine makes a lust potion.

Curry (Murraya Koenigii)
Masculine. Mars. Fire.

Protection. Burn the specific plant, not the mixture of spices, to repel evil at night.

Cyclamen (Cyclamen spp.) aka groundbread, sow bread, swine bread
Feminine. Venus. Water. Deities: Hecate

Fertility, Protection, Happiness, Lust. Add to handfasting or wedding cake.

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) aka Tree of Death
Feminine. Saturn. Earth. Deities: Hecate, Hebe, Mithras, Pluto, Aphrodite, Ashtoreth, Artemis, Apollo, Cupid, Jupiter, Zoroaster.

Longevity, Healing, Comfort, Protection. Wear at time of crisis. Taken to funerals, eases grief and calms mind. Throw a sprig of cypress into a grave to give the deceased luck and love in the hereafter.