13 Herbs for Self-Care

Botanical witchcraft practices are an excellent way to look after our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. I'm sharing 13 herbs for self-care to help you stay balanced and keep your vibration high. It's gonna be awesome.

I love meditation, breathwork, yoga, and affirmations, but I also like to rely on a bit of kitchen magick for my self-care. Herbs, flowers, roots, bark, nuts, and seeds have all been used as not just food but medicine for centuries. And while I firmly believe that modern medicine is also a miracle, sometimes we can look to our ancestors for simple ways to add to your self-care and wellbeing.

Here are 13 awesome herbs that you can incorporate into your practice in a variety of ways. Many are edible, but you may also want to work with them by just having the plant around or adding them to a spell. You may also access the energy of some of these plants through their essential oils or by making them into teas, tinctures, oils, or salves. Get creative with how you bring the energy of these herbs into your life.

And remember to always check with a medical professional before ingesting anything new or applying to your skin. Plants are powerful, so give them respect by learning more about anything you haven't tried before. I am not an expert.

Self-Care Herbs

Almond - Many people love to snack on these healthy nuts, but they also have the metaphysical property of vitality and can give you an energy boost. So next time you're snacking at your desk, give your almonds the intention of bringing you that extra bit of energy you need to get through your day.

Basil - A heavy hitter in the self-care realm, this herb carries the energy of success, peace, protection, happiness, purification, and tranquility. This is both a popular culinary herb and a useful essential oil.

Related: Herbs in Witchcraft - Basil

Caraway Seeds - These flavorful seeds protect against negativity. Use them in cooking or in spell work.

Chamomile - A well-known herb for sleep, metaphysically it bring peace, healing, harmony, and happiness. Give your evening cup of chamomile tea added power by setting an intention for it as it steeps. Allow yourself a quiet moment of meditation to fully imbibe its energy.

Clove - This spice brings the energy of purification, mental ability, focus, and healing. Add the essential oil to a blend in the afternoon to help you stay on task through any late day slump.

Eucalyptus - A common cold remedy, this herb brings healing and purification. Diffuse the essential oil whenever you're feeling a bit under the weather or you're having trouble breathing.

Lavender - Possibly the best known self-care herb, lavender can bring us relaxation, peace of mind, healing, and purification. Add lavender buds to tea, diffuse the essential oil, or make yourself a lavender room spray for whenever you want a wave of calm.

Related: Lavender Pillow Spray

Mugwort - Known for heightening your dreams, this herb can also bring relaxation, tranquility, and protection. Try adding it to an evening tea blend.

Pine - This tree brings the energy of purification, clearing the mind, and healing. Work with the essential oil or forage for pine needles to make tea. You can also cook with pine nuts and use pine cones in your spellwork.

Rosemary - One of my favorite herbs, it brings protection and wisdom and strengthens memory. Call on rosemary to help you study or any time you want to sharpen your mind.

Sage - Maybe the first herb people think of when it comes to witchcraft, it brings cleansing, wisdom, health, and longevity. Beyond just burning sage, you can also use it in cooking.

Verbena or Vervain - An excellent herb to pull out when you've just had enough, it calms headaches, eases stress, and brings protection, inspiration, peace, tranquility, and healing. It's another great herb for tea.

Willow - This beautiful tree brings tranquility, intuition, harmony, protection, growth and renewal, and healing. Just go and be with a willow tree. Sit underneath it and meditate, asking the tree to share its energy with you. Willow bark and leaves have also been used traditionally as medicine.

Recipe ideas using herbs for self-care

If you want to cook with some of these herbs, here are a few recipes to get you started.

• Lavender Cake
• Gorgonzola Focaccia Bread with pine nuts
• Rosemary Potato Rolls
• Strawberry Lemon Basil Infused Water
• Almond Pastry Puff
• Smoked Cheddar & Sage Biscuits
• Chicken & Goat Cheese Pasta with fresh rosemary

If you make any of these recipes, I'd love to see your photos on Instagram.

I hope you find some of these herbs for self-care helpful in your own practice. Let me know in the comments if you have other herbs you love to work with. I hope you take good care of yourself, friends. Make yourself feel awesome whenever you can.

Source: The Modern Guide to Witchcraft by Skye Alexander