Herbal Code

          We've all heard tales of ancestors who danced in the woods around an open flame with ingredients like bat's wing, brains, blood, and eyes. Thankfully that didn't actually happen because there's an herbal code.

           The herbal code can vary depending on what you follow, what you believe, etc. There are different factors, but this is what I've grown up believing and it's valid for many other practitioners.

Dead man Not actually a dead man, thankfully! Ash or mandrake root carved into a crude human shape.

Adder's tongue Plantain.

Bat's wing Holly leaf.

Bat's wool Moss.

Blood Elder sap.

Bloody fingers Foxglove.

Bodily fluids (gross) Houseleek!

Brains Congealed gum from a cherry tree.

Bull's blood Horehound.

Corpse candles Mullein.

Crocodile dung Black Earth.

Dragon's scales Bistort leaves. Good thing this isn't literal, because who has the time to slay a dragon?

Ear of an ass Comfrey.

Ear of a goat St. John's Wort.

Eyes Eyebright.

Fingers Cinquefoil.

Hair Maidenhair fern.

Hand The expanded frond from a male fern used to make the true hand of glory (a candle made of wax mixed with fern).

Heart Walnut.

Lion's tooth Dandelion.

Skin of a man Fern.

Skull Skullcap.

Snake Bistort.

Snake's blood Hematite Stone. Could you imagine trying to get blood from a snake??

Tongue of dog Hound's tongue (a smelly, poisonous plant).

Tooth or teeth Pinecones.

Unicorn Horn True unicorn root. A flowering plant (also called Aletris) used for many different purposes. Sorry, unicorns aren't real.

Worms Gnarled, thin, roots of a local tree.


Hopefully this list has been a bit helpful. If there's anything missing (I'm absolutely certain there is) or something is incorrect or has another name, please feel free to contact me using the contact form to the side there.