The Sacred Herbs of Spring: Magical, Healing, and Edible Plants to Celebrate Beltaine

by Ellen Evert Hopman

Ivy at Beltaine Make a wreath of Woodbine or Bramble and Rowan bound with Ivy and hang it over an entrance to ward off bad luck and disease. On Beltaine Eve pin three Ivy leaves to your nightgown or shirt to dream of your future lover. Wear an Ivy crown during your May Day rites.

In pre-Christian times Juniper was a symbol of the Canaanite Goddess Asherah.

In more recent times Juniper was used as a protection against evil. It was burned in Scotland to ward of the evil eye, added to incense in Tibet to exorcise demons, and planted beside people’s homes throughout Western Europe to ward off Witches.14

In Scotland, after the house is cleaned from top to bottom, Juniper is burned in the hearth and carried to every room of the house on New Year’s Eve as a type of ritual purification by smoke.

It is considered very unlucky to cut down a Juniper tree, and even dreaming of the tree is an ill omen (but to dream of the berries means good luck).16

You can also add the oil to your bathwater or put a few drops in a cup of freshly boiled hot water, cover your head with a towel, and inhale the steam for bronchitis and other lung infections.

Juniper at Beltaine Burn Juniper alone or with Boxwood or Rosemary and use the smoke to purify your home.

Modern anthroposophical medicine uses Mistletoe found on Oak trees as a cancer treatment called “Iscador,” and studies have shown that the most potent antitumor activity comes from Mistletoe found growing on Oak.

or hang it over an adult’s bed to bring pleasant dreams.

Adding a bit of Mistletoe to any herbal spell will enhance its power. Cutting down a tree with Mistletoe growing on it brings bad fortune.23

Nettle leaves and seeds can be used in a number of healing remedies. They are great for treating cold conditions such as coughs as well as bronchitis and rheumatic complaints.

A tea made from rinsed Nettle leaves and Violet leaves is beneficial for treating fevers and nervous conditions.

Plantain is a powerful herb of protection. Hang it in your home or in your car or make a Plantain brew, add it to your bathwater along with a few leaves, and soak in its protective energies. Put a little Plantain into any spell or working to increase its power.

For a burn salve mix Plantain with young Black Currant leaf (Ribes nigrum), Elder buds, Angelica root (Angelica archangelica), and Parsley (Petroselinum crispum). For a skin healing salve mix Plantain with Celandine (Chelidonium majus), Elder buds and very young leaves, and Houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum).

Plantain at Beltaine Soak in a bath with protective Plantain tea added to the water before your ritual. Hang it somewhere in the house or ritual space to ensure that kind Spirits attend. Add Plantain to herbal amulets and spells to increase their potency.

Smoke a blend of dried Rosemary with Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) to palliate asthma and other lung conditions.

Burn Rosemary alone or with Boxwood or Juniper, and use the smoke to purify your home.

In Devonshire and Worcestershire, Rowan is brought into the home on Holy-Rood Day (May 3), which is probably the remnant of an old Beltaine custom.

Rowan at Beltaine

was grown around Roman temples dedicated to Mars and was considered sacred to him and to Diana and Aradia.

Rue can also offer you protection by helping you develop second sight. Simply rub it (or the oil) over your third eye (the spot in the middle of your forehead, just above the nose) to encourage your psychic abilities.38

also an effective herb for clearing away negativity. Burn it to drive away malignant entities from an area or steep it in a crystal bowl in the full sun for 4 hours and use the Rue-infused water to asperge a ritual site. For a fun and protective activity before a ritual, fill a bowl with water and salt and use a branch of Rue dipped in the water to sprinkle celebrants.

Used in mojo bags for protection and for bravery in battle, Woodruff is sacred to Saint Walpurga, an abbess and missionary who is celebrated at the German Walpurgisnacht, a feast held on the night of April 30 and the day of May 1. It can be used to escape pursuers, as Walpurga was said to have done when pursued through the woods each year by hounds. Carry it and use her trick of standing in a triangle carved into a stump top, and your pursuers will simply pass you by.

Carry Sweet Woodruff on your person or hang it on doors, over entrances, or on gateposts to protect those who pass by from physical or psychic injury.50 Sweet Woodruff also attracts wealth and bestows a cheerful nature.

Steeped in milk it eases insomnia and anxiety;

Sweet Woodruff at Beltaine Strew Sweet Woodruff on the floor or inside the ritual circle as protection from evil influences. Carry it, wear it, or hang it on doors and gateposts to ward away sickness and injury. Drink May Wine with Sweet Woodruff in the ritual cup and serve it at the feast to attract wealth and happiness.

Vervain (Verbena officinalis)

In ancient times it was tied into small bundles and used by Roman priests and priestesses to ritually sweep and cleanse the altar. Druids steeped it in water and sprinkled it on worshippers.

On Beltaine, Vervain is carried to the four corners of the farm where a bit is given to the Land Spirits as a blessing.

Vervain should be picked during the dark moon at the rising of the Dog Star, just before it flowers. It is cut with a golden sickle and raised high with the left hand. After saying a prayer of thanks, leave a gift of honey, milk, or cider on the earth for her sacrifice. When gathering Vervain recite the following traditional rhyme from Lancashire. Hallowed be thou, Vervain, As thou growest on the ground.

Wear Vervain on your person to protect you from enchantments or sprinkle it in your home or burn it as an incense to bring peace, protection, sweet dreams, and wealth. To dispel anxiety and fear, put a white candle on an altar and surround it with seven sprigs (or piles if cut and dried) of Vervain. Light the candle each morning when you rise, saying: Spirit of Vervain Turn away from me all that is evil, Protect me from all harm. I commend myself to your ca...

Vervain is sacred to the Goddess Diana

To make dreams and wishes come true, make a strong Vervain tea and wash or bathe in

Burn Vervain and carry the smoke around the boundaries of your land as an herb of blessing and purification. Use a small bunch to ritually sweep the altar as you prepare for your rite. Use a small bundle of Vervain to aspurge the celebrants in your ritual with springwater. Offer Vervain to the four corners of your property as a gift for the Land Spirits. Wear it in crowns and amulets to avert the evil eye and ill-intentioned sorcery.

You can burn the bracts of Cedar, green or dry, as incense and use the smoke to consecrate ritual tools and ritual spaces, or use it to purify your Beltaine ritual site.

Like all aromatic herbs Cedar also has antibacterial qualities, and the decoction can be applied externally to wounds and cold sores as a wash. The fresh or dried herb can be added to healing ointments for wounds, eczema, and psoriasis and to salves for sore muscles, osteoarthritis, and joint pain.

Throw handfuls of Cedar, green or dry, into the ritual fire altar as you recite your prayers and petitions. Burn Cedar in the home and within the ritual space to bring in peace.

Juniper is the traditional herb used in Scotland to sain, or purify, the house. Traditionally this is done at Hogmanay by burning Juniper in the fireplace on New Year’s morning,

Pine, like Juniper and Cedar, is burned to purify the ritual area, and you can even burn all three together as a forest incense.

Use a tea of Pine needles in a purification bath to bring peace to tattered emotions or use a large branch to ritually sweep and purify your sacred circle.

To use Pine for asperging, pack a glass jar with Pine needles and barely cover them with natural springwater. Add a very clean quartz crystal (to amplify the purifying energies) and leave the jar in the full sun for a day and under the moon for a night. The waxing moon or full moon will be best for this working. Strain and use t...

Hang a branch of Pine over the door to bless everyone who comes and goes or make a magical floor wash by adding Pine tea or Pine oil to water to ...

Magical House Cleansing Rite