Witchcraft Herbs Part 2: Love, Divination & Flying Ointments

BY NICOLE LAU

Introduction to Enchantment Herbs

Beyond protection and banishing, witches work with herbs for attraction, divination, and journeying between worlds. These are the plants of enchantment—roses for love, mugwort for visions, and the infamous baneful herbs used in flying ointments. This guide explores the magical uses of herbs for love magic, divination, and the controversial practice of creating flying ointments.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: This article discusses poisonous plants (belladonna, henbane, mandrake, datura) for educational purposes only. These plants are DANGEROUS and can cause serious harm or death. Never ingest or apply them to skin without expert guidance. The flying ointment section is historical and educational—not a recommendation for practice.

Love & Attraction Herbs

1. Rose (Rosa spp.): The Queen of Love

Magical Profile
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Gender: Feminine
Deities: Aphrodite, Venus, Eros, Freya
Powers: Love, beauty, divination, healing, luck

Magical Properties: The rose is the supreme herb of love magic, sacred to Venus and Aphrodite. Different colored roses carry different energies: red for passionate love, pink for romantic love, white for pure love and divination.

Love Magic Uses:

• Attraction: Carry rose petals or wear rose oil to attract love
• Self-Love: Bathe in rose water to cultivate self-love and beauty
• Love Spells: Use rose petals in sachets, poppets, or candle magic for love
• Aphrodisiac: Rose is a gentle aphrodisiac—use in romantic settings

Spellwork:
Love Drawing Bath: Add rose petals, rose quartz, and honey to bathwater on a Friday (Venus day).
Self-Love Spell: Place pink rose petals around a pink candle. Light and affirm your worthiness of love.

2. Jasmine (Jasminum officinale): Night-Blooming Enchantment

Magical Profile
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Gender: Feminine
Deities: Diana, lunar goddesses
Powers: Love, prophetic dreams, money, moon magic

Magical Properties: Jasmine blooms at night, releasing its intoxicating scent under the moon. It's particularly powerful for attracting spiritual love and prophetic dreams about future lovers.

Love Magic Uses:

• Spiritual Love: Jasmine attracts soul-level connections, not just physical attraction
• Dream Lover: Place jasmine under pillow to dream of your future love
• Attraction Oil: Jasmine oil is a powerful attractant—wear to draw love
• Moon Magic: Use jasmine in full moon love rituals

Spellwork:
Future Lover Dream: On a full moon, place jasmine flowers under your pillow and ask to dream of your future love.

3. Damiana (Turnera diffusa): The Passion Herb

Magical Profile
Planet: Mars, Pluto
Element: Fire
Gender: Masculine
Deities: Eros, Dionysus
Powers: Lust, sex magic, visions, love

Magical Properties: Damiana is a powerful aphrodisiac and sex magic herb. Unlike rose's gentle love energy, damiana ignites passion and lust.

Love Magic Uses:

• Lust Spells: Use damiana to ignite sexual passion
• Sex Magic: Burn damiana before sex magic rituals
• Attraction: Combine with rose for love that includes passion
• Visions: Smoke damiana for mild visionary experiences

Spellwork:
Passion Sachet: Combine damiana, rose petals, and cinnamon in red cloth. Place under mattress.

Divination Herbs

4. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris): The Seer's Herb

Magical Profile
(See Part 1 for full profile)
Powers: Psychic powers, prophetic dreams, astral travel, scrying

Divination Uses:

• Prophetic Dreams: Drink mugwort tea or place under pillow for vivid, prophetic dreams
• Scrying: Burn mugwort before scrying with crystal ball, mirror, or water
• Psychic Opening: Mugwort opens the third eye and enhances all psychic abilities
• Spirit Communication: Burn to facilitate communication with spirits and ancestors

Spellwork:
Dream Pillow: Stuff a small pillow with mugwort, lavender, and rose petals. Sleep on it for prophetic dreams.
Scrying Incense: Burn mugwort with frankincense before divination work.

5. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium): The Bitter Seer

Magical Profile
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire, Air
Gender: Masculine
Deities: Diana, Artemis
Powers: Psychic powers, spirit summoning, protection, love (to call back a lover)

Magical Properties: Wormwood is mugwort's more intense cousin—bitter, powerful, and dangerous in large doses. It's the primary ingredient in absinthe and has been used for centuries to enhance visions.

Divination Uses:

• Spirit Summoning: Burn wormwood to call spirits (use with caution)
• Psychic Enhancement: Small amounts enhance psychic abilities
• Scrying: Burn before scrying for more intense visions
• Necromancy: Traditionally used in necromantic rituals

Safety: Wormwood contains thujone, which is toxic in large doses. Never ingest large amounts. Avoid during pregnancy. Use externally or in very small amounts in incense.

6. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): The I Ching Herb

Magical Profile
(See Western Herbal Medicine for medicinal uses)
Powers: Divination, love divination, courage, psychic powers

Divination Uses:

• I Ching: Traditionally, yarrow stalks are used for I Ching divination
• Love Divination: Yarrow reveals the identity of a future spouse in dreams
• Yes/No Divination: Hold yarrow and ask a yes/no question—the answer comes in dreams
• Psychic Dreams: Place under pillow for prophetic dreams

Spellwork:
Future Spouse Dream: On Midsummer's Eve, place yarrow under your pillow and say: 'Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree, thy true name it is yarrow; now who my bosom friend must be, pray tell thou me tomorrow.'

The Baneful Herbs: Flying Ointments & Poison Path

CRITICAL WARNING: The following herbs are HIGHLY TOXIC and can cause serious harm or death. This information is provided for historical and educational purposes ONLY. Do not attempt to create or use flying ointments without expert guidance from experienced practitioners. These plants are not for beginners.

Historical Context: Flying Ointments

Medieval and Renaissance grimoires describe 'flying ointments'—salves made from poisonous plants that witches allegedly rubbed on their skin (or broomsticks) to induce visions of flight, shape-shifting, and journeying to the Sabbath. Modern research suggests these ointments contained tropane alkaloids (from belladonna, henbane, datura, mandrake) that cause delirium, hallucinations, and the sensation of flying.

The Reality: These plants are deliriants, not psychedelics. They cause confusion, amnesia, dangerous behavior, and can easily kill. The 'flying' sensation is likely due to the feeling of dissociation and loss of bodily awareness. Historical witches may have used these plants, but at great risk.

7. Belladonna (Atropa belladonna): Deadly Nightshade

Magical Profile
Planet: Saturn
Element: Water
Gender: Feminine
Deities: Hecate, Bellona, Atropos
Powers: Visions, astral travel, beauty (historical), baneful magic

Historical Uses:

• Flying Ointments: Primary ingredient in medieval flying ointments
• Beauty: 'Belladonna' means 'beautiful lady'—women used it to dilate pupils (extremely dangerous)
• Visions: Causes intense hallucinations and delirium
• Baneful Magic: Used in curses and hexes (unethical and dangerous)

DANGER: All parts of belladonna are DEADLY POISONOUS. As few as 2-3 berries can kill a child, 10-20 an adult. Causes rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, seizures, coma, death. NEVER ingest or apply to skin. Even handling can cause absorption through skin.

8. Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger): The Sorcerer's Herb

Magical Profile
Planet: Saturn
Element: Water
Gender: Feminine
Deities: Hecate, Saturn
Powers: Visions, love (dangerous), rain magic, necromancy

Historical Uses:

• Flying Ointments: Second most common ingredient after belladonna
• Necromancy: Burned to summon spirits of the dead
• Love Magic: Historically used in love spells (extremely dangerous—causes madness)
• Oracular Visions: Priestesses at Delphi may have inhaled henbane smoke

DANGER: Highly toxic. Causes hallucinations, seizures, coma, death. The name 'henbane' comes from its ability to kill chickens. NEVER ingest or burn indoors.

9. Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum): The Human Root

Magical Profile
Planet: Mercury
Element: Earth
Gender: Masculine
Deities: Hecate, Circe
Powers: Protection, fertility, love, money, visions, flying

Magical Properties: Mandrake's root often resembles a human figure, leading to centuries of magical lore. It was believed to scream when pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it. Mandrake is less toxic than belladonna or henbane but still dangerous.

Historical Uses:

• Flying Ointments: Ingredient in some flying ointment recipes
• Love Magic: Mandrake root carried as a love charm
• Fertility: Placed under the bed or carried for fertility
• Money: Mandrake root 'fed' with coins to attract wealth
• Protection: Whole root kept in the home for protection

DANGER: Contains tropane alkaloids. Can cause hallucinations, delirium, death. Expensive and rare—most 'mandrake' sold is actually bryony (also toxic). Use only as a whole root charm, never ingest.

The Ethics of Baneful Herbs

Why Study Them?

• Historical understanding of witchcraft practices
• Recognizing dangerous plants to avoid accidental poisoning
• Understanding the 'poison path' tradition
• Appreciating the risks historical witches took

Why NOT Use Them:

• Extreme danger of death or permanent harm
• Unpredictable effects—dosage is nearly impossible to control
• Legal issues—some are controlled substances
• Safer alternatives exist for all magical purposes
• Ethical concerns about harming oneself or others

Safe Alternatives to Flying Ointments

If you're interested in the visionary and astral travel aspects of flying ointments without the danger:

• Mugwort: Safe herb for visions and astral travel
• Meditation: Achieve altered states through breathwork and meditation
• Drumming: Shamanic drumming induces trance states
• Lucid Dreaming: Practice lucid dreaming techniques
• Safe Entheogens: If legal in your area and used responsibly (see Psychoactive Plants article)

Love Magic Ethics

Ethical Love Magic:

• Focus on attracting love in general, not a specific person
• Work on self-love and becoming a magnet for love
• Remove obstacles to love rather than forcing someone to love you
• Respect free will—love magic should never override consent

Unethical Love Magic:

• Targeting a specific person without their knowledge
• Using coercive herbs or spells
• Attempting to break up existing relationships
• Any magic that violates consent

Correspondences Table

Further Study

Love Magic:

• The Love Spell by Phyllis Curott
• Love Magic by Lilith Dorsey

Divination:

• The Psychic Pathway by Sonia Choquette
• Divination for Beginners by Scott Cunningham

Poison Path (Advanced):

• Veneficium by Daniel Schulke
• The Witching Herbs by Harold Roth
• Pharmako/Poeia by Dale Pendell

Conclusion

The herbs of enchantment—from gentle rose to dangerous belladonna—represent the full spectrum of witchcraft practice. Love magic teaches us about attraction and self-worth. Divination herbs open our psychic senses. And the baneful herbs remind us that witchcraft has always walked the edge between healing and harm, between wisdom and danger.

Work with the safe herbs. Study the dangerous ones for historical understanding. Always prioritize ethics, consent, and safety in your practice.

May your love magic be ethical. May your visions be clear. May you walk the poison path with wisdom and never taste its fruits.