Witchy 101: Herbs

violetwitchcraft:

polar-solstice:

A lot of posts will tell you to consume things. A lot. They say “combine these herbs and drink them, or smoke them”. Others merely tell you what benefits the herbs have, such as luck or money attraction or love. 

Don’t do this blindly.

It makes me crazy! Look, if its a common kitchen ingredient (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, etc.) then yes, by all means, ingest that. But some things you need to check.

For example, licorice. It has medicinal uses, but you need to be aware of dosing, and if you are pregnant or nursing, you need to be very aware that you can’t consume it. 

Saint John’s Wort can be used to treat mild mood disorders and depression, but it can also cause photosensitivity and affect the metabolization of medications. Meaning, it can change how effective your already prescribed medications work. This includes antibiotics, birth control, antidepressants and a host of other drugs. Grapefruit and slippery elm do this too.

I’ve seen people recommending the use of jimson weed in flying ointments because it has hallucinogenic affects, but its toxic.

I’ve also seen people forget that things can be absorbed through the skin, and affect you anyway.

Herbal medicine is real. Herbs and spices and plants have real affects. You need to be very, very respectful of that fact when ingesting them.

Here’s a decent rule of thumb: 

• You can trust the internet or witchcraft related book if you’re putting it in a spell jar or a sachet or a poppet.
• If you are trying to smoke something, look it up.
• If you are trying to put something on your skin, look it up.
• If you are going to eat or drink something, look it up.

Your safety is paramount to all else.

Lastly, don’t rely on witch sites for this. The National Institute of Health and the Mayo Clinic have website sections and books available discussing the actual properties of herbs from a medical perspective and their drug interactions and their affects on particular health conditions. If you have a serious medical condition, refer to a doctor before anyone on the internet, and check that taking what you want to take is alright. 

Stay safe, my dears.

Yeees, especially relevant to my last reblog.