Kitchen Cupboard Magic

Custom Search

Help Support the Pagan Forum

• Forum Rules
• How to submit articles
• Member Articles
• Book of Shadows
• Herbology and Kitchen Witchery
• Spellworking
• Divination
• Mythology And Folklore

[DoeEyes]

Wow, this is beautiful ... thank you for sharing it.

[yyanna2]

Kitchen Cupboard Magic
Adapted from Witch in the Kitchen, by Cait Johnson (Inner Traditions,
2001).
It is a wonderful affirmation of the magic in the ordinary to use
kitchen-cupboard ingredients in magical ways.
We don't usually think of sea salt and basil and apples as magical, but
our more earth-centered ancestors knew they were.
Here, then, is a list of some traditional herb correspondences; choose one
or more according to your desire. You can add a handful to your washing-water
next time you mop the floor:
Apples: Food of the Goddess, love. Add a few pieces of fresh or dried
apple to your water (but not too much or you'll end up with sticky surfaces!)
Basil: Love, fidelity, wealth, protection. A nice all-purpose herb with a
luscious summery scent.
Chamomile: Serenity and calm; purification. Smells like a blend of apples
and new-mown hay. While you're at it, make yourself a cup of tea to drink after
you've finished cleaning; it's very relaxing.
Cinnamon: Happy home, safety, healing, protection. The primal
home-and-hearth spice. Use pieces of cinnamon stick for your brew (the powdered
kind will turn into a gelatinous glop in the bucket).
Clove: Purification; promotes love and spirituality. Try it with
cinnamon--delicious!
Eucalyptus: Health, protection. Warm and fresh, actually kills germs.
Evergreen: Health, purification, vitality. A few sprigs of pine, cedar, or
juniper growing nearby, a few sprigs placed in boiling water will add green
freshness to your housecleaning brew.
Lavender: Love, friendship, peace, happiness, protection. Such a sweet,
relaxing, and calm-inducing scent--and it's also an antidepressant.
Lemon peel: Purification. It's no accident that so many cleaning products
are lemon-scented; lemon smells fresh and uplifting and cleanses negativity.
Marjoram: Love, protection, antidepressant. You can sprinkle a little of
this dried herb in the corners of every room to promote love and safety.
Peppermint: Purification, healing, soothing. A wonderfully relaxing and
refreshing scent.
Rosemary: Cleansing and protection; clears negativity; encourages clear
thinking.
Sage: Purification, wisdom. It's no coincidence that the word for "wise
one" is the same as the herb's name. A traditional ingredient of many Native
American smudge bundles, a strong sage tea will help clear your home of
negativity.
Sea salt: Traditional for purification and protection. If you've been
feeling vulnerable or weird and you only have time to add one ingredient to your
wash-water, this could be it.
Vanilla: love, happiness. A piece of the bean or a few drops of extract
will make your home smell and feel delicious.
http://www.care2.com

Good one..I didn't even know this uses of herbs..now I can use it everyday.Thanks
------------------------
[Edit: Link removed     ~Chain]

[magusjinx]

I am a sucker for the smell of vanilla on skin ...

[Cinnamon]

I am a sucker for the smell of vanilla on skin ...

Easy way to spot a Kitchen witch.  The smudge of flour on the shirt, and the smell of vanilla essence. 

[Krotius]

This seems like the optimal page to ask this kind of question, and I'm sure someone here can easily answer this question. I bought some ground Valerian root a while back when I wasn't sleeping the best, but after I bought it, my sleeping problems cleared up, and I didn't want to waste a perfectly good herb... Anyhoo, I currently am SUFFERING from a very nasty cold, possibly laryngitis, from the symptoms; though I don't know if that's helpful to know or not.
So my question is this- I would like a working sleep-aid, and I would like to know anyone's take on preferred methods of concoction: would an infusion or decoction work better? Would it be useful to make a tea? If so, what amount should I use? How long should I steep it for? Any particulars I should be aware of?
Thanks for listening and to all your helpful words on kitchen herbs and herbal remedies!

[thalassa]

This seems like the optimal page to ask this kind of question, and I'm sure someone here can easily answer this question. I bought some ground Valerian root a while back when I wasn't sleeping the best, but after I bought it, my sleeping problems cleared up, and I didn't want to waste a perfectly good herb... Anyhoo, I currently am SUFFERING from a very nasty cold, possibly laryngitis, from the symptoms; though I don't know if that's helpful to know or not.
So my question is this- I would like a working sleep-aid, and I would like to know anyone's take on preferred methods of concoction: would an infusion or decoction work better? Would it be useful to make a tea? If so, what amount should I use? How long should I steep it for? Any particulars I should be aware of?
Thanks for listening and to all your helpful words on kitchen herbs and herbal remedies!

I would just go with an infusion--especially if you haven't taken it before.  For anything medicinal--herbs or conventional drugs, I think it is advisable to take as little as you need, and use it for as short a time as possible.  I have occasionally used capsules (mainly when I was working nights) because I have a rather refined sense of smell and just the thought of drinking something that smells like valerian root makes me faintly nauseous.

This might be helpful: http://www.paganforum.com/index.php/topic,11128.msg193716.html#msg193716

[Krotius]

I would just go with an infusion--especially if you haven't taken it before.  For anything medicinal--herbs or conventional drugs, I think it is advisable to take as little as you need, and use it for as short a time as possible.  I have occasionally used capsules (mainly when I was working nights) because I have a rather refined sense of smell and just the thought of drinking something that smells like valerian root makes me faintly nauseous.

This might be helpful: http://www.paganforum.com/index.php/topic,11128.msg193716.html#msg193716

Thank you very much! Is Valerian a very odiferant herb?

[thalassa]

Thank you very much! Is Valerian a very odiferant herb?

some people like the smell, from what I understand...but I think it smells like old gym socks.

also, if you have cats, I understand that they go crazy for the smell.  We have a thread here somewhere that suggests keeping valerian root in a baggie inside a can of coffee, to "block" the smell...particularly if you have the cat issue.

[Krotius]

some people like the smell, from what I understand...but I think it smells like old gym socks.

also, if you have cats, I understand that they go crazy for the smell.  We have a thread here somewhere that suggests keeping valerian root in a baggie inside a can of coffee, to "block" the smell...particularly if you have the cat issue.

Wow. I never noticed that before when I was around it. That's quite surprising! Thanks! Also, would you happen to have a specific "beginners amount" that would be useful in a corresponding amount of water? I've looked up recipes from Herbal dictionaries and online texts, but none seem to match up very well.

[thalassa]

The link I posted (http://www.paganforum.com/index.php/topic,11128.msg193716.html#msg193716 ) has a recommended dosage section...the dosage is straight from the Physicians Desk Reference for herbal meds. 

Also, there are other links in that thread for good sources of info for medical uses for herbs--including information on clinical trials and usefulness when applicable.

[Krotius]

The link I posted (http://www.paganforum.com/index.php/topic,11128.msg193716.html#msg193716 ) has a recommended dosage section...the dosage is straight from the Physicians Desk Reference for herbal meds. 

Also, there are other links in that thread for good sources of info for medical uses for herbs--including information on clinical trials and usefulness when applicable.

Thank you very much, I'll take a look at that right away!