A Kitchen/Green Witch

Since ancient times our ancestors harvested the many herbs and spices that grew wild around them, mixed potions, and treated ailments.

The humble herb and spice rack in your kitchen today need not be just a decorative feature, although they look quite pleasing to the eye hanging on the wall, in both modern and old-fashioned styled homes. They can in fact hold a plethora of natural healing ingredients that can also add great taste to the foods you eat every day.

Every summer I gather up my herbs for the harvest. I hang them up outside until they are very dry. Then I place each of the herbs on a cookie sheet to take off the branches so the leaves remain. I either add the herbs to a tincture or mix the herbs with honey.

I often make this tincture
Use: Valerian root, chamomile, skullcap, passionflower (Daisy passiflora Incarnata and) St. John’s Wort. (Is an herbal supplement used historically in treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and hysteria). Use a high percentage of alcohol. Place the tincture in a mason jar in the dark for eight weeks. Write the name, date when started and ended, and ingredients you have inside so you will know.

There are many Green Witches work with what is called the Witches Bottle
Gather Rosemary, needles and pins and red wine. Fill a small jar with these first three ingredients saying the following as you work:
"Pins, needles, rosemary and wine. In this Witch's Bottle of mine; Guard against harm and enmity; this is my will, so mote it be!"
Visualize these herbs doing just that.
When the jar is full, pour in red wine. Then cap or cork the jar and drip wax from a black or red candle around the seal. Bury the jar at the farthest corner of your property or place it in an inconspicuous spot in the house.
The Witch's bottle destroys negativity and evil; the pins and needles impale evil, the wine drowns it and the rosemary sends it far from your property.
From: Granny Moon’s Morning Feast Archives

The Green Witch immerses their selves in divinatory purposes such as working closely with Mother Nature including herbs, plants and even flowers for their health and for medicine.

Divination helps you narrow down what particular spell by using/creating sigils of all kinds through herbs, flowers, bay leaves, acorns, etc. Being a Green Witch always works in unison with nature.  These spells can and will create homeostasis for any situation that you need to call upon. It will also help you determine if you need to do multiple spells, and set a plan for longer-term workings.

“Bay Leaves (Laurus nobilis) are sacred to the Hindu creator god, Vishnu. They were known as laurel leaves to the Greeks and were believed to increase psychic powers. Priestesses of Apollo chewed the leaves and inhaled their smoke to induce a psychic state of mind. Five leaves to a teapot make an infusion that alleviates indigestion and clears the sinuses. Planets: Jupiter, Sun. [Fire]”

Their practices help within their own home where they are at peace with all around and extremely grounded to nature.

For the Green Witch follows their own intuition plus working with their guides. Their own energies along with excitement create their magic through baking, cooking, planting, and searching through their woods to gather r the ingredients that they need for the day.

They have the power to revive plants that enhance their effectiveness in their magic. These are the ones who live by the woods or even in the mountains. Most tend to be loaners because of the love of the land.

The Green Witch tens to create their spells with the herbals, plants, and even the wild flowers that others do not understand. They tend to save the essence from these through various potions, tinctures, salves, and oils (essential) that work well with our systems

 Below are some of the herbals that some Green Witches use for many purposes including medicinal purposes.

English Lavender Lavandula Angustifolia

Medicinal Parts: This is the essential oil extracted from the fresh flowers that were collected just before being opened and dried.

Habitat The plant is indigenous to the Mediterranean region but is common in most southern Europe.

Effects The drug contains essential oil. The main active constituents are linalyl acetate and linalool.

In animal experiments a neuro-depressive effect was demonstrated (shortening of the falling asleep period and lengthening of sleep duration.)

In humans, after inhalation of the drug, an effect on the limbic cortex was demonstrated.

Affects the brain that is involved in inducing sleepiness and control of anxiety. It reduces the functioning of certain areas of the brain. This results in sleepiness, a decrease in anxiety and relaxation of muscles. It decreases the time taken to fall asleep and nocturnal awakenings, as well as increasing the total amount of time spent sleeping.

Indications and usage:

Loss of appetite

Nervousness and insomnia (internally sedative in cases of tension, exhaustion)

Circulatory Disorders (used externally for these disorders continued -)

- (Externally for poorly healing wounds lavender baths and for sleep as aromatherapy herb pillow.

Dyspeptic complaints (symptoms which may include discomfort, bloating, a feeling of unusual fullness with very little intake of food (early satiety) or following meals (postprandial fullness), nausea, loss of appetite, heartburn, regurgitation of food or acid, and belching.)

Precautions and Adverse Reactions

No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.

Angelica Archangelica

Medicinal parts: Seeds, whole herb and root.

Characteristics: The plant has a strong tangy odor. The taste is sweetish to burning tangy.

Habitat: It is thought by some botanists to be indigenous to Syria, Holland or Poland.

Effects: The essential oils from the leaves have a strong irritant effect on the skin and mucous membranes. The spasmolytic, gastric juice stimulating and cholagogue effect of the herb could be explained by the aromatic-amaroid structure. The therapeutic properties of angelica oil are antispasmodic, carminative, depurative, diaphoretic, digestive, stimulant, stomachic and tonic.
Effects: Angelica Root

The root acts as an antispasmodic, cholagogue and stimulatory for secretion of gastric juices.

Indications and usage

Externally: an ointment from the seeds is used for body lice.

Fevers and colds (for coughs, bronchitis, menstruation complaints)

Infections of the urinary tract

Dyspeptic complaints, loss of appetite

Precautions and adverse reactions

Angelica oil may over stimulate the nervous system and the essential oil extracted from the root can cause photo-toxicity which in turn could cause irritation should the skin be exposed to the sun.
Safety during pregnancy has not been determined and it should not be used by diabetics

Cautions anyone with diabetes should not take this herb! It may increase your blood sugar levels higher. Do not use this herb also if you are presently taking blood thinners.

Basil Ocimum Basilicum

Medicinal Parts

The parts of the plant are the fresh or dried herb as well as the oil extracted from the dried aerial parts.

Characteristics: It has an odor and a sharp taste.

Habitat: The plant probably originated in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan. It is cultivated worldwide.

Effects: Basil is antimicrobial.

Indications and usage: Preparations of basil are used for supportive therapy for feelings of fullness and flatulence, for the stimulation of appetite and digestion, and as a diuretic.

Basil herb is used for disturbances of renal function, gum ulcers.

Basil herb: No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic purposes.

Bitter Orange Citrus Aurantium

Medicinal parts: Are the fresh and dried fruit peel, the flowers, the seeds and the extracted essential oil.

Habitat: The plant is indigenous to tropical Asia but is widely cultivated in other regions today.

Production: Bitter orange flower consists of the dried flowers of Citrus aurantium. The oil is attained by steam distillation of the fresh, fully opened flowers.

Effects: Bitter Orange Flower and Flower Oil

It is used as a preventive measure for gastric and nervous complaints, gout, sore throat, as a sedative, for nervous tension and sleeplessness.

Bitter orange contains several chemical compounds believed to stimulate metabolic rate, which may increase calorie burning in the body.

Today bitter orange teas, tinctures, and extracts are still used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, headaches, and obesity.

Precautions and adverse reactions

No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic purposes.

Dosage: Cut and coarsely powdered drug for teas, other bitter tasting galenic preparations for oral application.

To prepare a tea, add 1tsp of drug to 150ml of hot water, let stand for ten minutes, then strain.