Essential Herbs, Resins, and Botanicals for the Witch's Apothecary (part two - Hawthorn)

“I lingered beside the hawthorns — breathing in their invisible and unchanging odour, trying to fix it in my mind (which did not know what to do with it), losing it, recapturing it, absorbing myself in the rhythm which disposed the flowers here and there with a youthful light-heartedness… I turned away from them for a moment… And then I returned to the hawthorns, and stood before them as one stands before…masterpieces… Thus was wafted unto my ears the name Gilberte…unfolding beneath the arch of the pink hawthorn.”

Marcel Proust Swann’s Way

There are more than 280 diverse species in the Crataegus genus, which is in the rose family, Rosaceae. This small thorny tree is native to the northern temperate zone and is found growing  along forest edges, in open woodland, and often as lone trees upon hillsides. It can grow very old and can survive in harsh places. Hawthorn is grown around the world as an ornamental tree and for its medicinal berries, leaves and flowers. It is deciduous with lobed or toothed leaves and clusters of white or pink flowers. These flowers produce trimethylamine, which attracts carrion insects for pollination, and to some people smells like decaying flesh or sexual fluids. The English poet Ted Hughes, (Sylvia Plath’s husband) wrote that the flowers have “a nauseous, sweet aniseed scent.” Others  like Proust apparently, find the scent heady, sensual, and intensely floral. The berries, called haws, look like tiny apples and range in color from red to orange to black, and ripen in September and October, dropping to the ground when perfectly ripe. Birds spread the seeds, causing our little tree to be viewed as invasive in some place. Hawthorn provides nectar, food, and shelter to insects, birds, and small mammals. Some moths and butterflies feed exclusively on the nectar and leaves, and cedar waxwings and thrushes rely on the haws that drop late in the season for winter sustenance. Commercial farming has removed much of its natural habitat.

While the ploughman near at hand

Whistles o’ver the furrow’d land,

And the milkmaid singeth blithe,

And the mower whets his scythe,

And every shepherd tells his tale

Under the hawthorn in the dale.

John Milton

The name ‘hawthorn’ comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon ‘haegthorn or ‘hagedorn’, meaning ‘hedge thorn’, referring to its long use as a hedge shrub planted along field boundaries. These hedges would have been places full of medicinal and magical plants and from this we get the term ‘hedge witch.’ The word ‘hag’ shares the same etymology as the word ‘witch’, and witches were once believed to “ride along hedges which were a visible line between this realm and the next.” ‘Hag’ is also cognate with ‘haegtesse’ and ‘hagzusa’. (Here I’ll direct you to Haw and Thorn’s in-depth blog post that covers the subject nicely.) Hawthorn is sometimes called ‘whitethorn’, which refers to the pale color of its bark in contrast to the darker bark of blackthorn. May Tree is the most commonly used folk name; hawthorn’s blossoms appear early in May, just in time for Beltane, but we’ll come to that later. Other names are bread and cheese, Bara Caws (Welsh for bread and cheese), hagthorn, mayflower, quickthorn, pixie’s pears, cuckoo’s beads, lady’s meat, may bush, tree of chastity, quickset, and chucky cheeses.

Hawthorn is first written about as a medicinal plant during the Middle Ages, although we know it was used by early Europeans, Native Americans, and the Chinese both medicinally and as a food source before this time. and ancient Romans may have used it as a general health tonic. Today, herbalists know hawthorn as a powerful heart medicine, for both physical and emotional heart healing. Leaves, berries and flowers are all harvested for medicine, and they function as a troporestorative (a nutritive restorative that works with a specific organ or organ system), with long-term therapeutic benefit to the heart and circulatory systems when taken for long periods. Hawthorn is also used to regulate blood pressure by both stimulating the coronary arteries and the heart muscle, and dilating and relaxing blood vessels, gently stimulating the heart muscle, and increasing pulse rate, taking pressure off the heart muscle and improving its efficiency. This helps relieve symptoms of stress, angina, chest tightness, as well as regulating irregular heartbeat and palpitations. Susan Weed notes that “consistent, long-term use of hawthorn is especially recommended for aging hearts, weak hearts, damaged hearts and those with hypertension, angina, arrhythmia, heart valve disease, or Reynaud’s disease.” And scientific studies bear the evidence out: The German Commission E, the scientific advisory board that evaluates safety and efficacy of traditional, folk and herbal medicines recommends hawthorn tea and/or tincture for numerous heart ailments.

To this, let’s add hawthorn’s ability to help heal emotionally. We know that heartbreak and grief do physically effect the heart, and herbalists have long known that hawthorn can subtly sooth and heal spiritually in tandem with physically strengthening the heart. In my own experience, hawthorn helps release blocked emotional energy, eases symptoms of stress, tempers anger, gently opens the heart , and promotes well-being. Hawthorn works slowly and deeply and with long-term positive effects with consistent use.

Across the shimmering meadows —

Ah, when he came to me!

In the spring-time,

In the night-time,

In the starlight,

Beneath the hawthorn tree.

Up from the misty marsh-land —

Ah, when he climbed to me!

To my white bower, 

To my sweet rest,

To my warm breast,

Beneath the hawthorn tree.

Ask of me what the birds sang,

High in the hawthorn tree;

What the breeze tells,

What the rose smells,

What the stars shine—

Not what he said to me!

Willa Cather

Hawthorn is the “quintessential English tree, entwined with myth and folklore of Britain,” and no other tree is more associated with the Fae than it. Faeries, wood sprites, dryads, and elementals were believed to reside in the tree, particularly any hawthorn that happened to stand on a lonely hilltop. Perhaps because hawthorns were grown as hedges, i.e. boundaries, to separate fields, they were considered a liminal space, doors between this world and the Otherworld. In Ireland, if you fell asleep under a hawthorn tree, you’d be whisked away to the faery underworld, and in Manx lore, they thought that you’d be granted wishes once in the realm of faery.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thought art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all to short a date.

William Shakespeare

Sonnet 18

Earlier I wrote that hawthorn’s most common nick name is May Tree, and it’s early May blossoms weave close ties with Beltane celebrations. Young people would visit the forest on Beltane Eve, to “bring home the May,” decorating the outside of their homes with the blossoms, and probably enjoying a night of revelry and love making outdoors. On Beltane, a May Queen and a Green Man were chosen to represent the Goddess and God, and were adorned with hawthorn blossoms and greenery. Wreaths and garlands would be made of hawthorn, and there would be drinking, dancing, games, and singing and those who didn’t join in would be cursed with poor crops and misfortune in the coming year. It’s been written that the Beltane Maypole was hawthorn, but because the tree grows crooked and craggy, this may just be modern invention. Besides, so much lore about hawthorn trees says it is bad luck to cut the tree and to do so will bring about the ire of the Fae. A bit of modern lore says that when John DeLorean was building his car manufacturing factory in Ireland, he bulldozed a hawthorn tree that construction workers refused to remove for fear of angering faeries that might reside there. Many Irish people believed that this was the reason for his later troubles and the failure of his car company.

Hawthorn appears in Native American lore in a Chippewa tale that explains why the porcupine has quills. According to the story, a porcupine is hunted by a bear and he places thorny hawthorn branches on his back to protect him from the bear’s attack. When the bear comes to eat him, he is stabbed by the thorns and goes away. Nanabozho, a trickster god, sees how the thorns protect the porcupine, and he puts clay on the porcupine’s back and presses the thorns into the clay to protect him from attackers.

In the Celtic Ogham, the letter ‘H’ represents the hawthorn tree. Interpretations vary but druid author John Michael Greer says its upright meaning is “patience, reserve, retreat; a time of waiting and planning rather than action; obstacles and entanglements that can be overcome; success after a delay…” He gives the reversed letter Huath as “inappropriate action, rushing ahead when patience and planning are called for; a risk of failure…”

I’ll close out folklore with some bits I grabbed from various sources:

• Mixed message of fertility and chastity due to church influence

• Hawthorn trees frequently grow beside sacred springs and wells and are decorated with strips of fabric as gifts to the Fae or to ask for blessings

• In Serbia and Croatia it was used to protect against vampires

• In Ireland it was considered bad luck to bring it into the home

• Underworld connections to Hekate and Samhain

In witchcraft, hawthorn is used for protection, longevity, working with the Fae, communicating with spirits and ancestors. The association with matters of the heart is particularly strong for me, so love and sex magick is how I most often use Hawthorn. I find it to be most effective in matters of healing grief and releasing emotional patterns that no longer serve.

Catherine Yronwode of the Lucky Mojo Curio Company writes “hawthorn berries are protective, especially to Hearth and Home. A tea brewed from them can be sprinkled around the home to shield the premises from evil, or it may be drunk for personal protection.” She also notes that hawthorn berries can be used to “keep a woman from stealing your husband…”, advising that sprinkling them in her path will prevent her from entering your home with the intent to steal your man.

Hawthorn’s thorns are frequently used in protective magick. They can be used when working with poppets, and in witch bottles, and make a handy tool for inscribing candles. The leaves, flowers and berries can be ground and used to make protective incense.

If you work with the Fae, leaving offerings beneath hawthorn trees is a fine way to stay in their good graces. Just be sure that whatever you leave won’t harm any animals that come along and stay away from inorganic materials like plastic. Tying strips of fabric or ribbons made of natural materials, like cotton or linen, is an old way to ask the Fae for a blessing or healing. And finally, according to traditional custom, before taking leaves, flowers, or haws from the tree, you should ask the tree for permission. Only harvest what you can reasonably use, leaving enough flowers to produce berries, and enough berries to provide food to the many animals who rely on the tree to survive.

Hawthorn is generally considered under the influence of Mar, but also with Saturn because of its association with hedges and thereby liminal spaces. It is masculine and it’s element is fire. Hawthorn corresponds to the heart chakra. Deities associated with hawthorn are Cardea (the White Goddess), Flora, the Green Man, Aine, Brighid, and the Faery Queen.

Here are a selection of hawthorn recipes. As with any herbal remedy, please consult your doctor before ingesting.

Hawthorn Berry decoction - Haws are very tough once dried and require a long simmering time to benefit from their medicine. Use 1 oz of berries to 1 quart of water, and simmer 20 minutes. Sip 1/2 cup up to three times a day.

Hawthorn tincture - Fill a pint jar with dried leaves, flowers, and berries and cover with vodka, rum, or brandy. Shake well and keep in a cool place away from direct sunlight. After 4-6 weeks, strain and fill grass dropper bottles. Dosage is 30-40 drops up to 3 times a day. Can be taken in juice or water if you dislike the taste of tinctures.

Hawthorn tea - Simply pour boiling water over 2 tablespoons of flowers and leaves and let steep for 5 minutes. Can be sweetened with honey. You can also add hawthorn to other tea blends. It’s especially nice with oat straw, cardamom, and rose petals.

I also came across a delicious sounding recipe from www.nittygritttylife.com for Spiced Hawthorn and Rose Hip Mead. You can find that recipe here.

Works Cited - 

<Hughes, Ted (1977) Gaudete. Faber & Faber

<https://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/hawthorn.htm>.

<https://www.thehazeltree.co.uk/2015/04/25/hawthorn-bride-of-the-hedgerow/>.

<https://druidgarden.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/sacred-tree-profile-hawthorn-lore-medicine-magic-and-mystery/>.

<https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0506/1136776-hawthorn-tree-ireland-folklore/>.

<http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue22/article463.html?ts=1600823201&signature=9c5c4405cc55a38464b2c54f31933751>.

<http://www.paghat.com/hawthornmyths.html>.

<https://sacredearth.com/2020/04/26/why-hawthorn-is-your-hearts-best-friend/>.

<http://www.gatheringground.nyc/new-blog-1/2017/10/13/hawthorn-fierce-gentle-protectress-of-the-heart>.

<http://wildfoodsandmedicines.com/hawthorn/>.

<http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/November08/healingwise.htm>.

<http://www.herbmagic.com/hawthorn-berries.html>. (From Catherine Yronwode)

<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/12/country-diary-windmill-hill-hawthorn-moots-magic-secrets>.

Essential Herbs, Resins, and Botanicals for the Witch's Apothecary (part 1 - Yarrow)

Common yarrow achillea millefolium

Devil’s nettle, thousand leaf, herbe militaris, old man’s pepper, devil’s plaything, nose bleed, old man’s mustard, green arrow, squirrel’s tail, staunchweed, sanguinary; yarrow has many nicknames which is fitting for this herb with a dual nature and a history of use that dates back 60,000 years.

In the Asteraceae family that includes chamomile, daisies, marigolds, calendula, and thistles, yarrow has dome shaped clusters of small flowers with feathery, fernlike foliage. Wild yarrow’s flowers are generally white, but they can also be pink or yellow, especially cultivars. The plant can reach 3 feet and is drought resistant, likes poor soil, plenty of sunlight, and grows throughout North America and Europe. Yarrow flowers from April to September. It has two look alikes; Queen Anne’s lace and the deadly water hemlock.

The common name yarrow comes to us from the Anglo-Saxons who called it gaerwe, and it’s Latin name, achillea millefolium comes from the Greek myth that Achilles was taught by the centaur Chiron to staunch bleeding wounds with yarrow. But long before the Anglo-Saxons were wearing yarrow amulets to protect from blindness, dog bites, and robberies, and Achilles was healing wounded soldiers with it, Neanderthal peoples were using yarrow, likely medicinally, based on analysis of pollens found at El Sidron Spain and Shanidar Iraq. According to the lead researcher at the Shanidar burial site, the man buried there “was not only a very important man, a leader, but also may have been a kind of medicine man or shaman in his group.” The man was evidently ritually laid on a bed of flowers with medicinal qualities that included yarrow, and illustrate that Neanderthals “had a sophisticated knowledge of their natural surroundings, and were able to recognize both the nutritional and the medicinal value of certain plants”, according to another researcher at the site.

Prior to the 15th century, ale was flavored with herbs rather than hops, and yarrow was a common addition. Because of yarrow’s thujone content, these ales may have been psychotropic. Nicholas Culpeper wrote “an ointment of the leaves cures wounds, and is good for inflammations, ulcers, fistulas, and all such runnings as amount with moisture.” Some Native American tribes, including the Shoshone and Paiute, used yarrow as a topical wound healer, to treat saddle sores on horses, for fever, earaches, toothaches, and headaches. Herbalist still use yarrow to treat fevers and headaches and it can help lower blood pressure.

Let’s get to the magical aspects of yarrow. Many of its nicknames refer to the Devil, (Old Man’s Mustard, Devil’s Plaything, Devil’s Nettle) and some folklore says it’s good for both summoning and banishing the Devil and evil spirits. And although it is classified as a Venusian herb, I associate it with the Underworld and with Saturn, too. Harold Roth calls it “tail of the werewolf” and conjectures that its original magical use may be forgotten and that it was once an herb for shapeshifting. It does have a dual nature of hot/cold and dry/wet, so maybe its use as a love herb and herb for the Devil fits. I found one uncredited bit of lore that said that Satan used to walk through villages at night, shaking yarrow at the homes of those he wished to curse. No mention of where or when this occurred. Less enchanting, it does have a funky smell, so the devilish monikers may refer to that.

Most often classified as Venus-ruled, with water as its element, and feminine, yarrow shows up in lots of love magic. In Alexander Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica Vol. 2, a compendium of Scottish history and lore published in 1900, this love incantation is included:

The Yarrow

I will pluck the yarrow fair,
That more benign shall be my face,
That more warm shall be my lips,
That more chaste shall be my speech,
Be my speech the beams of the sun,
Be my lips the sap of the strawberry.

May I be an isle in the sea,
May I be a hill on the shore,
May I be a star in waning of the moon,
May I be a staff to the weak,
Wound can I every man,
Wound can no man me.

Early Romans called it Venus’ Eyebrows, the most adorable name for a plant I’ve ever heard. It was also used in medieval wedding bouquets and hung over beds to ensure seven years of marriage, and was sometimes called Seven Days Love. In Mrs. Grieve’s A Modern Herbal, she shares a charm for a vision of a future husband or wife:

“An ounce of Yarrow sewed up in a flannel and placed under the pillow before going to bed, having repeated the following words, brought a vision of the future husband or wife:”

‘Thou pretty herb of Venus’ tree,

Thy true name it is Yarrow;

Now who my bosom friend must be,

Pray tell thou me to-morrow’

It’s used in protection and boundary spells too. Those yarrow-amulet wearing Saxons I mentioned earlier also carried it to allay fear and to gain courage. Hung over doorways and strewn about floors, it was said to protect a home’s inhabitants and burning it was said to banish evil spirits.

But yarrow is probably best known as a divination herb. Druids may have used it to divine weather, and in the I Ching, its stalks are used still to divine. In folklore from the Hebrides, holding a leaf to one’s eyes was said to give the second sight and also to see the Fae. Elsewhere, to dream of it after harvesting meant that good news was on the way. I found this sweet love divination charm over on plant-lore.com:

“In Ulster a girl would pick nine yarrow leaves on May Eve, while reciting:
Yarrow for yarrow, if yarrow you be
By this time tomorrow
My true love to see
The colour of his hair
The clothes he does wear
The first words he will speak
When he comes to court me,
and then place the leaves under her pillow, before dreaming of her future husband.”

I like to use yarrow with mugwort. Here’s a recipe for a tea to sharpen your divination skills. Use it before you read tarot, scry, throw runes or any other kind of divination you do.

1 tsp dried mugwort (or 2 tsp fresh)

1 tsp yarrow (or 2 tsp fresh)

Pinch of lavender

In a tea pot, pour one cup of boiling water over herbs. Let steep for 4-5 minutes and strain. Both mugwort and yarrow are bitter, so sweeten with honey if desired.

CAUTIONS - Pregnant women should not consume yarrow. If you are allergic to plants in the Asteraceae family, do not consume yarrow. If using on skin, test in a small inconspicuous spot first. Yarrow is toxic to cats and dogs.

Mugwort - Notes from a coven presentation

As the herbalist for my coven, I often teach both magickal and medicinal herbal classes. Last year at our October coven meeting, I gave this presentation on Mugwort, covering practical information as well as folklore, historical information and witchcraft uses. Normally, I’d provide sources, but I’ve misplaced the notes for this class, so I hope it will suffice to say that I drew from many sources.

Latin name - Artemisia vulgaris

Other names for Mugwort: Cronewort, common wormwood wild wormwood, felon herb, St. John’s plant, chrysanthemum weed, sailor’s tobacco, moxa, Artemis herb, Naughty Man, Old Man, Old Uncle Henry, Muggons.

Often confused with Wormwood Artemisia absinthium. Mugwort leaves are green above and white underneath, with pointed tips and purplish stems. True Wormwood leaves are silvery, top and bottom.

Mugwort in Nature and the Garden

Mugwort is a member of the daisy family (Asteracea) with characteristic disk flowers in panicles, (a panicle is a flower made up of many small flowers in groups, several off the same stem) very small reddish or greenish yellow. Unlike other members of the family Asteracea, mugwort’s flowers and those of its other close Artemesia relatives, are not very showy, but do give off a great deal of pollen.

Mugwort can grow from three to six feet tall on an erect purplish stem. The leaves are feathery, grayish green with silvervy fuzz on the underside and are deeply pinnately lobed. It grows in a bush-like habit.

Mugwort blooms from July to September. It is native to Europe and Asia, but has naturalized through much of the world. Mugwort enjoys weedy areas and waste places where the soil has been disturbed with plenty of sunlight.

Mugwort is very hardy though it prefers nitrogenous soil and lots of sun. It vigorously spreads by an underground root system. Do not overwater mugwort. It is drought tolerant but does not like its feet wet. Planting in a pot will prevent it from spreading.

Harvesting and Preserving Mugwort

Harvest mugwort shortly before it flowers and hang upside down, away from sun, to dry. Collect the root in autumn. I have an herb drying rack that I hang my mugwort on, so any place where air can circulate is fine. I do not recommend drying mugwort (or most other herbs) in a dehydrator or oven, because both methods tend to over-dry, causing the plants to turn brown or grey, and lose most of their scent.

Uses Around the House

-Dried mugwort added to a fire will help keep it smoldering for a long time. The stalks make good kindling.

-The long stems make nice wreathes and garlands

-An infusion is a good all-purpose cleaner and insect repellent.

In the Kitchen

Mugwort has a bitter taste. It was used in medieval cooking to season fish and meat, especially game, and is a traditionally used herb for Christmas goose in Germany. It is also used to flavor rice cakes in Asia.

Before hops was used in beer, mugwort was used for its crucial bitter note and to help keep the beer fresh. For this purpose, it should be gathered before it flowers and dried before use. 

Mugwort is a topical anesthetic with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Fresh crushed mugwort leaves applied to the skink relieves burning, itching and pain, and with continued use, can help get rid of warts.

It is also said that coating your skin with mugwort juice before exposure to poison oak will prevent a rash.

It is said that chewing fresh mugwort leaves will help relieve fatigue and clear the mind. A decoration of the roots was also used for this purpose. 

An infusion of fresh leaves can be used for chronic stomach complaints and to stimulate the appetite.

Mugwort has traditionally been used in Europe to induce abortion. It strengthens contractions and is used in a compress to promote labor and help expel the afterbirth. It is also used to help regulate the menstrual cycle and ease painful menstruation and the onset of menopause. Use with ginger in a tea to soothe a difficult menstruation.

It is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine to make Moxas to cure rheumatism and to correct fetal position prior to delivery. The fluff is carefully removed and rolled into a cylinder which is heated and placed near pressure points to relieve pain. 

Mugwort has been used for entries for mental disorders and epilepsy, as it has mild sedative and antispasmodic properties.

An infusion of the dried leaves and flowers helps expel pin worms.

Mix dried leaves with honey and apply to bruises to fade them.

Infusion - 1 oz dried herb to 1 pint boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Steeping too long will make infusion extremely bitter.

Tincture - Cover dried herb with alcohol and keep in a dark place for 2-6 weeks, shaking occasionally.

Do no continue use of mugwort for longer than one week, breaking for 2 weeks between, to avoid system build up of thujone.

Mugwort and Magic

All varieties of Artemisia are sacred to the goddess Artemis, who give comfort (or death) to women in labor. Also, Diana through association and Hecate, patron of herbalists and midwives. Mugwort is also associated with the moon which in turn is associated with the cycles of womanhood.

Mugwort is feminine, associated with the element of earth, and Venus and/or the Moon and is ruled by either Taurus or Libra.

Mugwort can be used as a sacred smoking herb or burned as a fumigant for protection or divination. It can be mixed with other herbs to smoke in a ritual context and is said to enhance astral projection, lucid dreaming and other altered states of consciousness. Keeping mugwort under your pillow or in your bedroom may encourage prophetic dreams. 

Burning or smoking mugwort is another way to utilize its conscious-altering affects. Burn in an incense burner to aid divination.

A cup of mugwort tea before bed can encourage lucid dreaming. 

It’s also used in protective pouches, especially those related to travel. It is said to prevent delays, and other annoyances related to travel, as well as to protect the traveler from accidents, thieves and other traveling mishaps.

Mugwort stems can be used as impromptu wands.

An herbal wash can be used to clean ritual tools, especially those used in divination.

Hanging mugwort over or on a door will keep unwelcome energies from passing through.

A garland or a girdle of mugwort can be worn while dancing around the midsummer bale fire and thrown into the fire at the end of the night to ensure protection throughout the year.

Mugwort in History and Folklore

The name “mugwort” is said to come from the plant’s traditional use of flavoring beverages. It may have also come from an old word meaning “moth,” alluding to its usefulness at keeping away pests. Another possible etymology is from Old Norse muggi, meaning marsh. 

Wort is an old term for “plant,” especially one of a useful nature.

Roman soldiers put mugwort in their sandals to keep their feet from getting tired.

In Holland and Germany the plant was considered sacred to John the Baptist who presumably wore a girdle of mugwort. The plant is gathered on St. John’s Eve, made into a crown and worn to protect from possession, disease and general misfortune.

Poultry and grazing animals enjoy this plant, and it may be the same Artemisia of Pontos lauded by the ancients as excellent for fattening livestock.

In Wales, mugwort was tied to the left thigh of a woman having a difficult labor. But it was believed that if it was not removed immediately after the birth, she might hemorrhage.

In European folklore, it was said to protect against poison.

It is mentioned in the Nine Herbs Charm, a 10th century English rhyme in the Lacnunga, an Anglo-Saxon medicinal text. The charm is intended for the treatment of poisoning and infection. The numbers nine and three, significant in Germanin paganism and folklore are mentioned frequently in the charm. The poem contains both Christian and English pagan themes, including a mention of the Germanic god Woden. 

“Remember, Mugwort, what you made known,

What you arranged at Regenmeld.

You were called Una, the oldest of the herbs,

You have power against three and against thirty,

You have power against poison and against infection,

You have power against the loathsome foe 

Roving through the land.

And you, waybread, mother of herbs,

Open from the east, mighty inside.

Over you chariots creaked,

Over you queens rode,

Over you brides cried out,

Over you bulls snorted.

You withstood all of them,

You dashed against them.

May you likewise withstand poison and infection

And the loathsome foe roving through the land

‘Stune’ is the name of this herb,

It grew on a stone,

It stands up against poison, 

It dashes against poison,

It drives out the hostile one,

It casts out the poison.

This is the herb that fought again the snake,

It has power against poison,

It has power against infection

It has power against the loathsome foe

Roving through the land.

Now, atterlothe, put to flight now,

Venom-leather, the greater poisons,

Though you are the lesser,

You the mightier, conquer the lesser poisons,

Until he is cured of both.

Remember mayth, what you made known,

What you accomplished as Alorford,

That never a man should lose his life from infection

After maythe was prepared for his food.

This is the herb that is called ‘Wergulu’.

A seal sent it across the sea-right,

A vexation to poison, a help to others.

It stands against pain,

It dashes against poison,

It has power against three and against thirty,

Against the hand of a fiend and against mighty devices,

Against the spell of mean creatures.

There the Apple accomplished it against poison

That she [the loathsome spirit] would never

Dwell in the house.

Chervil and Fennel,

Two very mighty one.

They were created by the wise Lord,

Holy in heaven as He hung;

He set and sent them to the seven worlds,

To the wretched and the fortunate,

As a help to all.

These nine have power against nine poisons.

A worm came crawling,

It killed nothing.

For Woden took nine glory-twigs,

He smote the adder that it flew apart

Into nine parts.

Now these nine herbs have power

Against nine evil spirits,

Against nine poisons and 

Against nine infections.

Against the red poison,

Against the foul poison.

Against the yellow poison,

Against the green poison,

Against the black poison,

Against the blue poison,

Against the brown poison, 

Against the crimson poison.

Against worm-blister,

Against water-blister,

Against thorn-blister,

Against thistle-blister,

Against ice-blister,

Against poison-blister.

Against harmfulness of the air,

Against harmfulness of the ground,

Against harmfulness of the sea.

If any poison comes flying from the east,

Or any from the north,

Or any from the south,

Or any from the west among people,

Woden stood over disease of every kind.

I alone know a running stream,

And the nine adders beware of it.

May all the weeds spring up as herbs

From their roots,

The seas slip apart,

All salt water,

When I blow this poison from your.

Mugwort, waybread open from the east,

Lamb’s cress, atterlothe, maythe, nettle,

Crab-apple, chervil and fennel, old soap;

Pound the herbs to a powder, 

Mix them with the soap

And the juice of the apple.

Then prepare a pasted of water and of ashes,

Take fennel, boil it with the paste

And wash it with a beaten egg

When you apply the salve,

Both before and after.

Sing this charm three times on each of 

The herbs before you prepare them,

And likewise on the apple.

And sing the same charm 

Into the mouth of the man

And into both his ears, 

And on wound,

Before you apply the salve.”

Additional Notes and Warnings

Judika Illes mentions mugwort in her 5000 Spells as a protection for books against vermin, suggesting that the dried leaves be placed between the pages. She also includes mugwort as a protector of animals, saying to hang it in the doorway of barns to prevent evil spirits from attacking farm animals.

Mugwort is considered a noxious week in parts of the United States. Check with your State’s laws before planting.

Pregnant women should avoid mugwort without consulting a physician first. It can be passed through mother’s milk, so should be avoided by lactating women.

Mugwort should not be used for more than one week continuously. Continued use can cause liver damage and convulsions, due to its high thujone levels.

Mugwort flowers can trigger allergies in some.