It's a beautiful late spring day out there and to my excitement the Artemisia Absinthium (Common Wormood) has begun to flower. As I grab my harvesting basket I pass the Calendula Officionalis, which is exploding with the colour of the most vivid bright yellow. It is such a joyful herb! I cannot resist. I give thanks, I bless the Sun Gods and Goddess's and I pick and pick and pick. My fingers sticky with the resinous residue of medicinal goodness. I know this batch is going to make the best skin cream of the season. Making my way to the wormwood I realise that only the bottom part of the plant has flowered and the rest is yet to give it's magnificent offerings. I am excited at this prospect as the plant looks so very happy and so ready to give as much as it can. I give gratitude for it's abundance and pick a few stems. The smell is intoxicating. Can you guess from the botanical name "Atremisia Absinthium" what it is used to make? That's right Absinthe. The Green fairy itself. Now me being a non drinker I simply love to experience altered states of consciousness by smoking and vaping my herbs and a combination of dried Mugwort, Wormwood and Dandelion leaves is simply lovely rolled into a rollie paper and inhaled. So keeping this in mind I make my way to my Artemisia Vulgaris aka Mugwort tree (It's HUGE!) and pick a few of it's pungent leaves to dry. This batch of herbs will be dried for 24 hours to let the moisture evaporate; then I will pop the Calendula into a jar and cover it with olive oil to infuse and make into a skin soothing balm, and I will infuse the Wormwood and Mugwort combined and make them into a potent pain reducing cream.
Herbs can serve us in so many ways, from recreational, magickal to medicinal, offerings to Deities or just enjoy it being a majestic being in the garden!
#herbmagick #Calendula #wormwood #Mugwort #Artemisia #smokingblends #growherbsnotlawns #Herbalmedicine #herbsforhealth