Practical Witchery: Spice cupboard = Spell supply cabinet.

 Dear Reader,

I apologize for this post being a day late. Family business had me running about town and getting errands done most of the day. Kitchen witchery is more than a cozy aesthetic. It can be an inexpensive and highly functional way to get spell work done. Many of the spices in your cupboard have magical associations that have been forgotten about.

I can't give you a full list of spices and associations because I don't have a complete collection of herbals. What I can do, however, is point you in the direction of some good resources. Before I do that, I want to explain why spices and herbs are a great tool to use in your magical work. First off, they're easily accessed from your local supermarket or grocery store. You don't have to go foraging and worry if what you're collecting is an endangered plant or not. Secondly, unless someone has a specific food allergy, they're safe for use in all forms of spell craft, including things that are going to be consumed or put upon the skin.

A well stocked spice cupboard is going to include things like Tarragon, which is a plant known to help with psychic abilities and ease with sleep. An older name for Tarragon is Mugwort. You may have seen things that call for Mugwort. There is multiple plants that go by this name, Tarragon is the safest to use and is very gentle in its effects. Other items in your spice cupboard can be used to create incense, which can save you big money down the road. (I have an incense blend for Loki that is a combination of clove, cinnamon, and dried ginger. I put a pinch of the ground spices onto a bit of smoldering charcoal and it smells wonderful.)

It is important to recognize if you are using herbs and spices as alternative medicine that you should consult with your doctor. Almost every herb and spice has some form of medicinal use at correct proportions. Fenugreek, for example, is known to help with gas and is said to help nursing mothers increase their milk production. It can, however, interact with medications that you are on. Don't worry about bringing up the use of herbs and spices in your efforts to be proactive in your health. Today, there is a legion of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who are trained to know what herbs will interact with what medications. (This includes food too, as I'm on one that I had to give up grapefruit because it causes liver problems with the medication I'm on. It was my pharmacist who explained that one to me.)

Looking up the uses of herbs and spices in a magical and medicinal purpose is challenging. There's a lot of conflicting information out on the internet. I would recommend one begins with actual books that have been published on the topic. While Culpepper's Herbal is interesting, it should be regarded with some caution because it was written long before we understood how medicine worked. M. Grieve's A Modern Herbal (it's two volumes) is a bit dated because it comes from approximately the WWI / WWII era. It does, however, contain a great deal of information on how to use a wide range of plants, including herbs and spices in your work. The best book I can recommend is The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants from Andrew Chevallier. This book covers the science and the history of the use of a wide range of plants (a large number of them being herbs, spices, and edible ones).