Mardi: Herbal-Wise

One of the highest hurdles I have had to surmount in my life so far was infertility.  Unfortunately, we needed a lot of help to get to the goal of sharing our lives with a couple of young ‘ins.  Of course this made Mothers’ Day a torturous hell that I was required to grin and bare. 

Should you find yourself in a similar situation, I empathize.  There are lots of options in this day and age and the universe can help you find the right one.  While you’re at it, why not encourage the process with a little magick?  It couldn’t hurt, and it just might help.

The botanica is full of helpful herbs that are considered perfect for promoting fertility.  For women, one of the most highly recommended is seeds.  The like-makes-like nature of this type of magick makes perfect sense, especially when you consider that many prehistoric peoples believed that a woman could become pregnant by swallowing a small living thing, a flower stamen or a handful of seeds.

In Wicca, carrot seeds are particularly popular for this kind of work.  Scott Cunningham recommends them for fertility and also the vegetables themselves to boost male virility.  This gives the carrot a definite one/two punch in the quest for parenthood.

Figs are also said to be an aid to fertility.  They are an excellent fruit for partners to share, regardless of gender, to promote conception.  Wooden amulets carved from fig wood, particularly if they have a suggestive, phallic shape, have long been warn by women in and around the Mediterranean to encourage fertility.

Sunflower seeds are one of the most popular herbs for fertility, recommended in Wicca and Pow-Wow as well as by Druids and root workers.  Eat up, but try to stick to the low sodium kind if you can.

In hoodoo, the pine tree is considered an aid to conception.  Perfectly shaped and unopened pine cones are collected and carried home.  They are generally placed in a room where the family most often gathers, such as the kitchen, and empowered to draw fertility as well as good health.  When the cone begins to open, plant it in your yard or near your home while continuing to focus on your goal of parenthood. 

Root workers also recommend that women carry Queen’s root for fertility.  This is the root of the plant known as stillengia or yaw root and should not be confused with Queen Elizabeth root.  This plant was also a favorite with old wives, who recommended placing one or two of its gray-silver leaves under the mattress to promote conception.  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Bath by Charles W. Hawthorne via American Gallery