Creating your on Herbal (pt 2 / 3)

Dear Reader,

In my last post on this topic, I covered the various reasons why one would keep an herbal and the basics of what an herbal is. Now, it may be that you've decided to go the path of least research and acquired for yourself a small library of herbals published by others. If so, congratulations on your library and don't be surprised if it continues to grow just as much as your beloved plants. On the other hand, you may have decided you want to make your own herbal and compile information into a format that you prefer over what others has done. This is a fine task to take up but it requires some elements to remain in place regardless of the format you choose to record your information in.

First, you must have all identification information for the relevant plant in question. This goes beyond its various names. The includes a pictorial identification of all parts of the plant from the tips of the tops to the bottoms of the roots. Some may choose to use photographs for this purpose. Others may choose to write out the description in great detail (as seen in M. Grieve's A Modern Herbal, for example). If you are a skilled artist, sketching the plant has well established roots (if you'll pardon the pun) in the history of writing herbals. But, identification of the plant is vital.

Secondly, you must note what manner of location the plant may be found, the soil it prefers, and such. This way you can identify the plant based on where it is growing because Colt's Foot is not going to grow at the same place as Devil's Trumpet, and neither are going to be found where you can locate Cat's Tails. Knowing the growing conditions for your plant to flourish is helpful in foraging herbs and for growing them. One might even go so far as to include in this section a note referencing what plants you commonly find them growing with (or you can companion plant them with in your garden).

The third section on your plant's page is where the fun stuff goes. How does it fit into your magical classification systems? What recipes for its use do you have? What recipes have you collected? What folklore have you collected about the plant and what personal gnosis do you have about the plant's spiritual nature?