The Top Five Herbs I Keep in my Kitchen for Spellwork

Witches and cooks LOVE herbs and spices. As a practical person myself, I love anything that can be double on its utility.

While I’m not the best cook out there, I love putting together nice smelling herbs and spices into a soup and into a sachet.

I’ve talked about sachets before over on this blog post.

A quick recap of that is:

Combine the herbs and items that speak to your spell’s intentions into a small bag that you can either burn or carry on you until the spell is complete.

But sometimes we live in small spaces. Crammed into a dorm room or a studio apartment, we end up making the most of the space we have. The microwave stacks on top of the mini-fridge in the closet kind of small.

Other times? We just don’t have the time or money to run out and grab a very specific and rare herb that a spell calls for. As a mom that does a lot of the not kid-friendly spell-work at night, I can’t always run out and find rue or celeriac root.

For the record, the celeriac root is weird and does not taste great. I highly recommend just using a potato.

Listed below are my top five herbs and spices I keep on hand. Any spell or recipe I want to do can be done with one or more of these bad boys.

The perk? They are all cheap and easy to grab grocery store items!

I practice a lot of Elemental Magics. I really find that balancing the elements of earth, air, fire, and water and using each for my purposes brings about really great manifestation results for me. The best part is these elements are all around us in some form.

I don’t need a lot of ceremony items, even though I swoon over them, and I feel very centered or in-tune with my energy when I work through the elements.

You’ll notice that herbs I picked have some correspondences to them. If these speak to you and your intuition feel free to use them! If they don’t? No big deal! As you go further on your path, you will find what works for you the best.

Disclaimer: No one spell or magic type will fit everyone perfectly and no spell outcome is guaranteed. This a guide only to helping you get started in your practice.

Basil – Earth and Prosperity

Basil has a rich fragrant smell. A lot of times it can be mistaken for oregano or mint when dried. Due to Basil’s bright green leaves, I associate this to the element of Earth and with the spell intention Prosperity or even Fertility.

Fresh basil reminds me of dollar bills stacked together and of the abundance of Earth. Basil isn’t too hard to grow and usually grows so fast that you have to keep trimming it back in order for the plant to flourish.

This herb is safe to eat and make tea out of. A tea of basil can help with stress, colds, and grief.

Other Spell Intentions include:
Divination, Creativity, Travel, Luck, & Money

Creating a tea of basil, mixing in some salt, and sprinkling it on the door or on the doorframe of your business is said to bring in wealth for your business.

Best of all this herb is in most people’s kitchens or easily acquired at your local grocery store.

Certainly sounds like prosperity to me!

Rosemary – Air and Remembrance

Rosemary is also an herb with a full smell. The ancient Egyptians used rosemary in burial rites. In Europe, it’s been used on graves and at funerals for remembrance.

Due to its memory-boosting fragrance, I associate this herb with the Element of Air.

Air is the element of the mind, thoughts, and ideas. Rosemary is a woody plant and while sensitive to over-watering, it is a really hardy plant when it comes to sunlight exposure.

Spell Uses

Put this herb in a sachet or in a food dish when you you wish to boost your memory and thoughts process. I’ve personally used it with roast chicken before a college test.

Other Spell Intentions Include:
Protection, Healing, Banishing, Memory, Cleansing

Bundled Rosemary is a great alternative to Sage for smoke cleanings your space.

Cloves – Water and Protection

Cloves are a spice that has had many uses throughout history. Clove is a key ingredient in the famous Thieves Oil recipe that plague doctors would use in their masks to prevent infection. I associate cloves with the element of Water since it takes a tea or essential oil to really extract the physical benefits of this spice.

Clove oil can be really grounding and settling for any emotional upheavals you may be having. Water is the ruling element of emotions as well.

Add 3-5 whole cloves to a mug of hot tea in order to reap the benefits of this herb.

Cinnamon – Fire and Love

Cinnamon has long been associated with love. A bright and fiery spice, cinnamon is used in many sweet cakes and teas as well. Cinnamon can come in powdered or stick form. I personally stock the sticks in my cabinet.

Since Cinnamon warms the body when used or ingested I associate this spice with the Element of Fire.

Practical Spell Uses:

When using in a sachet, you can either break them into smaller pieces or use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a powder. The grinding of the spice lets you pour even more intention into the ingredient. As you grind, think of and recite what ever your spell intention is, and make sure to really FEEL it in your heart.

Cinnamon is not only for love but also for increasing the speed of a spell. If you’d like to “light a fire” in a spell, a pinch of cinnamon can go a long way.

Cinnamon is also a “sweet spice” meaning that it goes really well with sweet food and drinks. Pairing cinnamon with sugar or honey can help speedily sweeten someone’s demeanor.

Other Spell Intentions Include:
Clairvoyance, Divination, Good Luck, Passion, Protection, Healing, Inspiration, Spirit Work.

Bay Leaf – Spirit and Manifestation

I had saved for last and assigned it to Spirit. Bay Leaf is used in many spells for divination and connecting with our inner spirit and the earth spirits around us. Bay leaf is used in a lot of stews, soups, and chili’s.

When you have something that you want to manifest or if you’d like a way to tell the Universe what you want, gather together a bay leaf, a pen, a lighter, and a fireproof bowl.

Write in one or two words what you’d like on the bay leaf, take a couple of deep breaths to center yourself, then when ready, light the leaf on fire and set in a fire-safe bowl till it is done burning.

With those five herbs, I feel that I can make any spell jar of sachet work for almost any spell. All are easily available in your local grocery store aisle and cheaply!

I love having dual purpose spices and herbs on hand. Whether I need to whip up a quick soup or a quick magical potion, I feel entirely prepared with basil, rosemary, clove, cinnamon, and bay leaf in my kitchen cabinet.