druiddaydreams:

Herbal Medicine: What
is an Electuary?

An Electuary is a medicinal paste created with something
sweet, such as honey or jam. Thick electuaries can be rolled into little balls
for children to take with some juice, and thinner electuaries can be mixed with
beverages such as hot tea. At its essence, an electuary is an herb infused
honey.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the first known
use of an Electuary dates back to the 14^th century. ‘Electuarie’ is
a Middle English word derived most likely from the Greek ‘Ekleikton’ or ‘Ekleichein’
meaning to lick up. After all, a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go
down, am I right? 😉

The common kitchen witch (and herbalist) will already be
familiar with the process of herbal infusions, such as making tea blends, but
making and storing electuaries can really kick your magic crafting up a notch. The
primary use is medicinal but you can expand this into everyday spellcraft as
well. Below are just a few examples of both medicinal and magical electuaries
and how to create them.

Medicinal

Chamomile – Mildly
sedative and soothing for stress relief.

Mint –
Soothes digestive track to help with heartburn, nausea, and indigestion.

Raspberry
Leaf – Especially beneficial for women by balancing hormones and helping with
painful menses.

Elderberry, Echinacea,
Licorice Root – This blend is a good immune supporter and very helpful for
viral respiratory infections and treating the symptoms accompanied by the flu.

Magical (individual
ingredients or blend to your tastes)

Love – Rose Petals,
Lavender Flowers, Lemon Verbena, Apple, Cardamom

Money –
Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Almond, Orange

Protection –
Anise, Elder Flower, Fennel, Basil, Blackberry

Purification – Rosemary, Bay, Lemon, Chamomile, Nettle, Turmeric

How to make an
Electuary

The best results come from using dried herbs or flowers and
local raw honey. The dried plant material allows you to store your electuary
longer because it has little to no water in it, where fresh plant material will
thin the honey and require refrigeration to prevent mold. Raw honey from your
local area is also best because it will contain traces of pollen from the trees
and flowers in your area which assist with preventing seasonal allergies.

The process
is to create a double-boiler system by putting a pot with some water on to
boil, then placing a slightly larger metal bowl in it so that it sits snuggly
(but not too tight) without touching the water. The gentle steam will warm the
metal bowl enough to melt your honey without boiling it directly. Once your
double-boiler is assembled put in your desired amount of honey and dried plant
material. You can use herbs from your kitchen, ground spices, dried flowers,
etc. I would recommend finding food grade if you’re buying online or at a local
shop. Organic would be the best of course (pesticides don’t make good
electuaries!). The amount of honey to plant material is up to you depending on
how strong you want the infusion to be. Let your plant material simmer for an
hour in the honey over your double-boiler.

*Alternative* You
could infuse your honey and herbs using a small crock pot if you wanted to so
you could simmer for 2-3 hours.

If you want your electuary to be a thick paste, finely grind
your herbs prior to infusing using a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle if you
have that kind of patience). Alternatively you could just use store bought
ground herbs/spices. You will want to use more of an equal ratio of plant
material to honey to make sure it stays thick. Please note that this will make
the honey taste strongly of the herbs you use so be mindful of taste when you’re
choosing herbs to blend, or just plan to roll into more of a “plant pill” to be
swallowed. After infusing, store in a clean dry jar with a lid.

If you prefer a thinner electuary that can be mixed by the
spoonful with a cup of hot water or tea, then you can use any kind of plant
material in any amount you’d like with your honey to control strength and
flavor. After infusing, strain it into a clean dry jar with lid for storage. Straining
a combination of leaves, roots, bark, and ground spices will allow the smaller
particles to stay within the electuary while removing the larger more
undesirable pieces. This seems to be the most popular method.

You can now use your electuary however you’d like!
Medicinal, Magical, with tea, in your cooking, the possibilities are endless so
experiment!

Brightest Blessings,

Thalya /|