One of the questions that I get a lot is: What herb should I be using for (insert witchy creation here). Here is my answer to that:
One of the questions that I get a lot is: What herb should I be using for (insert witchy creation here). Here is my answer to that: If you're looking for kitchen witchery magick or herbal remedy then I'd suggest this online free resource:
https://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/ . If you're looking for magickal properties for spells....that's a whole different ballgame. There are great books that will tell you the traditional magickal uses but it's really the perception and interaction of someone's else's experience with that particular herb (or oil, or crystal, or whatever) and then, of course, other ppl write books based off of their gathering of information from others and then over time, a particular herb (or whatever) gets 'tagged' with a particular energy / power. This is fine, but remember that in your craft YOU should be the one that explores how YOU react and resonate with your ingredients. That's where your true power in your craft lies. You don't need 46 different herbs in your cabinet to be working your spells 'right'. You should strive to learn about the herbs, plant, and trees that surround your personal area and how they can be used in your craft. Think about way back when women only had what surrounded them to work with. There was no internet to order an herb that is native to India to be shipped to you, heck, it might be a two day ride just to get to town. Those woman/witches became familiar with what was readily available to them and became very in tune with those items. Using one of a few of them together (for synergistic energy) they were able to perform all of their desires within the craft and healing. They may have only had 6 to 12 herbs, plants, and trees that they worked with. But they mastered the energies and outcomes of working with those! Yes, now we do have the ability and option to order from anywhere, but that doesn't bring with automatic resonance with what that herb is 'supposed' to elicit magickally for you and some of them can be quite expensive. I'm not saying to not try all of it out....I did lots of exploring in the beginning too. I'm just inviting you to explore your resources and trying to give a bit of advice that I learned through my 35+ years in witchcraft. It's not about the fancy herb names or tools. It's all about your ability to connect with what you're using in your craft and learn to use it well. Witchcraft is natural and comfortable....just like home feels.
Also, just like with spell crafting or any other aspect of witchery, the creative process within your craft is power! When you create your own potion, incense, spell, or whatever, you are adding intense personal energies to your crafted item that then transcends through your working/spell/ritual into universal flow. This means that your own made up stuff is way more powerful than anything that you can buy or copy from a recipe. This is, again, due to the connection and reaction of the ingredients specific to you. For example: A googled spell may use sage for purification but you hate the smell of it. You shouldn't use it then! Your reaction of being repulsed by the smell seeps into your spell. Find something that resonates with you as being clean, pure, and powerful that you enjoy like maybe pine or rosemary and use that instead. You've already boosted the power of your spell because of your emotional reaction to it....your personal energy....your personal power!