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I went for a walk in the countryside last weekend and, crossing over a style, I found myself in a meadow full of lovely yellow cowslips. How beautiful!, I thought. Then I realised the meadow was also full of cow pats. Not quite so beautiful.
However, the common name for this lovely yellow spring flower does actually come from the old English for cow dung, because it mainly grows in manure in pastures in which cows graze. You can see it thrives on cow dung from the photo above.
Cowslips used to be very common - and were picked to be eaten in salads or used to flavour vinegar. According to folklore, wearing a sprig of cowslips will help keep you young. Magically, if you hold a sprig of cowslips in your hand you will increase your chance of finding buried treasure, should you be looking for it.
Nowadays cowslips are quite rare due to changes in the ways cows are farmed, so do not pick wild cowslips if you see them out and about - just leave them where they are. If you want to try eating them, wearing them or using them for treasure-seeking, buy a packet of wildflower seeds that contains cowslips and plant them in your own garden.
Links and related posts
Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn's Sourcebook Series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula veris
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/04/dandelions.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/05/identifying-wildflowers.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/08/wild-flowers-playing-cards-and-rain.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/05/daisy-spell-for-overcoming-indecision.html
Supposedly part of the witch's 'flying broom' potion, henbane has long been part of the magical practitioner's apothecary. The plant itself is quite poisonous, containing scopolamine, atropine, and hyoscyamine, and is in the same family as other magical plants like deadly nightshade, mandrake, and datura. Many practitioners avoid henbane because of its deadly properties, but it can be a most useful plant when prepared and used correctly.
While the plant itself requires great caution for use, the flower essence made from henbane is an excellent tonic for shamans, witches, and other magical practitioners. The flower essence can be used without fear of poisoning, and is particularly good for vision quests and practitioners involved in exploring death. This can refer to physical death, or a more spiritual death, such as the death of personality or the ego. For those undergoing extreme life transitions, henbane can be supportive in helping avoid frustration and anger. It has a more extreme effect than other "transition" flower essences like Walnut or Bottlebrush.
Henbane is particularly useful for shamans investigating the half worlds through scrying, the black mirror, and other spiritual "windows." Henbane flower essence also helps those who want to connect with the spirits of the dead.
To learn more about flower essences, aromatherapy, and other healing techniques, check out our Energy Healing for Self and Others Ebook.
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Photo credit: Henbane
