The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

~ W ~



Willow, White -Salix alba



Magickal Uses: The willow is a symbol of fertility. Every Egorij day, the cattle and women are whipped with pussy willow branches to ensure their ability to bear offspring. Afterward, the branches are thrown into the fields to ensure a good harvest. A pussy-willow bud was eaten to guarantee health and prosperity for the coming year.



Medicinal Uses: Willow bark was used for fever, cough, headache, rheumatism, diarrhea, pain-relief...after all...it is aspirin. A poultice of the bark was placed on puss-filled wounds or taken internally as a tea.



Folklore: (Poland) A cruel farmer was angered by the arrival of his cat's litter. Feeling he already had too many mouths to feed, he stuffed the kittens in a sack and threw them into the river to drown. The distraught mother sat on the riverbank mewling and crying for her little ones. A nearby willow tree heard her cries and took pity upon her. The tree dipped her branches into the water and pulled the sack out, but alas, most of the kittens had drowned. Since that time, willows everywhere burst into kittenlike bud each spring in honor of the mother cat and her drowned children.



Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium



Magickal Uses: Wormwood was carried to protect one from the Rusalki.



Medicinal Uses: As a tea, wormwood was used to increase appetite and treat stomach disorders. Dogs were bathed in wormwood to kill fleas and bouquets of the herb were hung in homes and barns as an insect repellant.



Folklore: (Russia) A group of girls was returning from picking herbs in the forest when they accidentally happened upon the rusalki. The water women asked them "What do you have there?"



"Wormwood, yes, wormwood" they all answered except for one very young inexperienced girl who laughed and said "not I, I picked meadowsweet!". The rusalki all fell upon her and she was never seen again.

~ M ~



Meadowsweet - Filipendula ulmaria



Medicinal Uses: A decoction of the flowers and shredded roots was used to treat nervous disorders such as hysteria and neurosis, hypertension and difficulties urinating. A decoction of the flowers and leaves is used for colds and other nasal and respiratory ailments. It was also used for ulcers, and other stomach problems and to treat inflamation of the kidneys or liver.



Folklore: (Russia) Kudryash was the strongest and bravest knight in the village, but one day he awoke with an awful terror of his own death. He was so afraid, he could no longer fight. When a band of thieves began to threaten the village and the people looked toward him for help, Kudryash became filled with shame. He wandered down to the river intent on drowning himself when who should arise, but a beautiful water maiden who gave him a garland of meadowsweet flowers. She told him to wear it in battle and he would not be harmed. He later wore the garland fearlessly into battle against the thieves and easily defeated them. Kudryash was proclaimed hero of the village and his courage was celebrated throughout the land.



Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris



Magickal Uses: Mugwort picked from 9 different fields was a powerful amulet against infertility in women. Girls would stare at the Kupalo bonfire through a wreath of mugwort to strengthen the eyes. Effective protection against evil, mugwort was often carried or tucked into the eaves to protect a home from unclean spirits.

~A~



Acacia

Folk names: Cape gum, Egyptian thorn, Gum arabic tree. Kikwata, Mkwatia, Mgunga, Mokala



Gender: masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Air

Dieties: Osiris, Astarte, Ishtar,Diana, Ra



Powers: protection and Psychic Pwers



Ritual uses: The wood is used as fuel for sacred fires in Indi, and is also used in building temples.



Magical uses:A sprig if tge tree placed over the bed wards off evil, as it does when tucked into the turban in Eastern Countries. When the wood is burned with sandlewood the psychic powers are stimulate. Acacia is also used in money and love spell, althoughn in the latter case the outcome would be platonic love.





Adam and Eve roots: poison



Gender: feminine

Planet: venus

Element: water

Power: love, happiness



Magical uses: Carry the two roots in a small bad at all times to attract a love. If you wish to be free from amatory competitors, also cary the two roots sewn into a small bag. Given to a couple they ensure continued happiness.



Adders tongue

Folk names: American adders tongue, serpents tongue, adder's mouth, yellow snowdrop, dog's tooth violet.



Gender: feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Powers: healing



Magical uses: Soak some adders tongue in cold water and apply it to a wound or bruise (wrap it in a piece of coth) untilthe herb grows warm. Next bury the wet herb in a muddy place



Acacia

Folk names: Cape gum, Egyptian thorn, Gum arabic tree. Kikwata, Mkwatia, Mgunga, Mokala



Gender: masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Air

Dieties: Osiris, Astarte, Ishtar,Diana, Ra



Powers: protection and Psychic Pwers



Ritual uses: The wood is used as fuel for sacred fires in Indi, and is also used in building temples.



Magical uses:A sprig if tge tree placed over the bed wards off evil, as it does when tucked into the turban in Eastern Countries. When the wood is burned with sandlewood the psychic powers are stimulate. Acacia is also used in money and love spell, althoughn in the latter case the outcome would be platonic love.





Adam and Eve roots: poison



Gender: feminine

Planet: venus

Element: water

Power: love, happiness



Magical uses: Carry the two roots in a small bad at all times to attract a love. If you wish to be free from amatory competitors, also cary the two roots sewn into a small bag. Given to a couple they ensure continued happiness.



Adders tongue

Folk names: American adders tongue, serpents tongue, adder's mouth, yellow snowdrop, dog's tooth violet.



Gender: feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Powers: healing



Magical uses: Soak some adders tongue in cold water and apply it to a wound or bruise (wrap it in a piece of coth) untilthe herb grows warm. Next bury the wet herb in a muddy place. The wound will be cured.



I will post more later but if any one has a particular one they would like me to post on just let me know.



Arnica - Arnica Montana



Medicinal Uses: A decoction of the flowers or rootstock was used to treat stomach problems resulting from poor digestion, including ulcers, spasms and cramps. It was also effectively used for podagra, epilepsy, colds, influenza and bladder problems. Arnica was also given to control uterine hemorrhaging during childbirth.



Unknown to most of the Slavic world, Arnica was mostly used in Ukraine, Belarus and the Karpatskie Mountains.



~B~



Barberry - Berberis vulgaris



Medicinal Uses: A 16th century Russian manuscript describes Barberry's ability to cure diseases that cause infertility in women. The Princess Xenia of Pskov supposedly used this extract to help her conceive . A decoction of the root is also used as a remedy for liver and gallbladder ailments including gallstones and jaundice as well as colitas and urinary tract infections.



Barley - Hordeum vulgare



Medicinal Uses: Barley water was used to treat bladder and urinary tract disease, kidney stones, hemorrhoids, reduce swelling and tumors and treat jaundice. A Barley malt bath was used to treat just about any skin ailment imaginable including pimples, psoriasis and baldness.



Basil, Sweet - Ocimum basilicum



Medicinal Uses: It's smell alone was thought to stop a runny nose. It was taken internally to bring dreams to those having trouble sleeping and as a diuretic.



Beet - Beta vulgaris



Magical Uses: Beet leaves were wrapped around eggs and boiled to give them the red color used to denote beauty, prosperity and as a symbol of the Sun-God.



Medicinal Uses: Honey and vinegar were added to a tea made of grated beets and used as a gargling agent for sore throats and colds. Beet leaves were applied to the head to draw out pain. Warm beet juice was dropped into the ear to stop buzzing and was boiled with sage as a cold and sore-throat remedy.



Belladonna -Atropa belladonna



Magickal Uses: Found chiefly in the Carpathian region of Poland, his plant was always associated with Witches and evil. It is hallucinogenic and listed as an ingredient in most old flying ointment recipes, but highly toxic and very deadly.



Bellflower - Campanula trachelium



Magickal Uses: In Poland, children suffering from consumption were bathed in the herb. If their skin darkened during the bath, it was taken as a sign that they would live. If their skin did not darken, it meant they would die.



Medicinal Uses: The flowers were boiled in a covered pot then left to steep. The resultant tea was used as a wash for ear problems. The roots of this plant were steeped in strong liquor for several hours. This was then taken in small quantities for stomach pains.



Betony - Betonica officinalis



Medical Uses: An infusion or decoction of its aerial parts was used for various lung and bronchial conditions including asthma and tuberculosis and to improve appetite. It is sometimes used as a nose-drop for arthritis.



Birch, white - Betula alba



Medical Uses: An infusion of fresh birch leaves may be used to treat edema, various bladder and kidney ailments and poor circulation. It is also said to prevent the formation of kidney stones. Birch sap is used to strengthen the immune system and as a general tonic. It is also used for nearly all skin ailments including dandruff and to speed hair growth. Birch tar is wonderful for skin diseases and to help wounds heal. An infusion of birch buds is used to remove skin spots.



Folklore: The birch is considered a feminine tree and is often associated with the rusalki and wily. The spirits of dead ancestors often take residence within the birch. The great world tree, according to many Slavic traditions, is a white birch.



Bryony, white - Bryonia alba



Magickal Uses: It was believed that anyone who dug up this herb would destroy their own happiness. For this reason, many folks fenced in any bryony plants they found in their yard. For Witches, this plant was said to grow anywhere, even in pots without dirt. Witches supposedly kept bryony hidden on their person.



Medicinal Uses: The boiled root was used to heal any wound on a horse's hoof.



Burnet Saxifrage - Pimpinella saxifrage



Medical Uses: Steeped in strong alcohol, the roots and leaves were an effective treatment for dysentary and cholera (perhaps the two sisters in the following story?):



Magickal Uses: This plant was called "the herb which breaks" because the touch of this plant was said to break up metal by its touch alone. To gather it, mown grass and crops were thrown into water and the saxifrage would float to the top. This herb was considered most powerful when gathered at Kupalo.



Folklore: (Poland) There were once three scythe wielding goddesses who dealt death and did so quite generously. One of these sisters hurt her leg and could not keep up with the others. No matter how much she begged for them to wait, they were too obsessed with their blood lust to take any pity upon her and they left her in their dust. Angered by the abandonment of her sisters, the lame death crone limped through the villages calling to the people, "Eat and drink saxifrage and you will be safe from death!" The people listened and the saxifrage stayed the scythes of her two sisters.



The two sisters were enraged and fell upon their lame sister in a fury. The lame sister used her scythe to block them, and one sister fell upon it dying. In the tumult, the second sister fell upon the other's scythe, leaving only one death, Marzana, for whom there is no remedy.





~ C ~



Carraway - Carum carvi



Magickal Uses: A pan of carraway seed in boiling water was placed beneath the crib of any child who was thought to be plagued by demons.



Medicinal Uses: Chewed carraway seeds were smeared upon the face and hands upon going to sleep to protect one from mosquitos.