Tabiti

Goddess of fire. Scythian.

Also the guardian deity of all animals. The Romans syncretized her with the hearth goddess VESTA.

Rundas

God of fortune. Hittite and Hurrian.

Also associated with hunting, he is symbolized by a double eagle carrying prey in its talons.

GALANGAL: (Alpinia officionalis or A. galanga)

 Also known as Low John the Conquerer or Siamese Ginger. Galangal has dark green, sword-shaped leaves, white flowers with pink veins, round red seed capsules, and a rhizomous rootstalk that smells of ginger and camphor. The rhizome has a spicy, gingerlike flavor used in Southeast Asia soups and curries. The young shoots and flowers are eaten raw and the flowers can be boiled or pickled. The rhizome yields an essential oil, essence d’Amali, used in perfumes.

GALANGAL: (Alpinia officionalis or A. galanga)

Also known as Low John the Conqueror or Siamese Ginger. Galangal has dark green, sword-shaped leaves, white flowers with pink veins, round red seed capsules, and a rhizomous rootstalk that smells of ginger and camphor. The rhizome has a spicy, ginger-like flavour used in Southeast Asia soups and curries. The young shoots and flowers are eaten raw and the flowers can be boiled or pickled. The rhizome yields an essential oil, essence d’Amali, used in perfumes.

FOXGLOVE: (Digitalis purpurea)

 Also known as Fairy Gloves, Fairy Fingers, or Dead Men’s Bells. A Druid sacred herb associated with the “little people”.

Caution: This plant is poisonous and should be used by qualified personnel only.

Magical Uses: Grow in a garden for protection of house and yard.

FLAX: (Linum usitatissimum)

Also called Linseed. Annual Flax has slender stems with linear green leaves, beautiful, flat blue flowers, and oily brown seeds. A teaspoon of the seed is placed in a quart of water and gently simmered down to one-half quart. The resulting liquid is given for constipation, for ulcerated sore throat, and as an expectorant for bronchitis in one-fourth cup doses throughout the day. To pass a gallstone, take one and a half to two tablespoons of linseed oil and lie on your left side for a half hour. The whole seeds (about two tablespoons) can be taken with plenty of water to relieve constipation. Follow with stewed prunes or prune juice. The cooked seeds are added to fresh grated carrots, and the mix is warmed to make a poultice to rheumatism and swellings.

BLACKTHORN: (Prunus spinosa)

Also know as Sloe, Mother of the Wood, or Wishing Thorn. This tree has small, serrated, oval leaves on dark, thorny branches with purple blooms and black fruit. The leaves yield a mouthwash. The astringent fruits make Sloe gin. Traditionally, the wood was used to make clubs.

CINQUEFOIL: (Pontentilla reptans)

Also called Five Fingered Grass, Creeping cinquefoil, and Five Leaved Grass. The rootstock was cooked as a vegetable by the Celts and Native Americans. Applied to sore areas, the fresh plant relieves pain. A root decoction is used in anti-wrinkle creams. A wash reduces skin redness, freckles, and sunburn. The powdered root and leaf are used to stop internal hemorrhaging. The powder also makes an astringent  for mouth sores and treats diarrhea. Taken with honey, it relieves sore throats, coughs, and fever. Take one-quarter to one-half teaspoon at a time, or twenty to forty drops of the tincture. The leaves can be steeped using two teaspoons per cup of water for twenty minutes, or one ounce of the root can be simmered in one and a half cups of water for twenty minutes. The dose is a quarter cup four times a day.

BRIAR ROSE: (Rosa rubiginosa)

Also known as Wild Rose, Sweet Briar, Hop Fruit, or Briar. Regular scented roses may be substituted. See also ROSE.

Blue Flag

Iris versicolor
Also called the wild iris, this plant predominates throughout much of the West. In appearance it looks a lot like your common iris-long, smooth spear-shaped leaves and adorned with a light lavender or bluish-purple flower just a tad smaller in size than your garden varieties. Blue flag is a sociable plant, preferring to grow in bunches rather than by itself. Nothing is more beautiful, indeed, than to walk across an entire meadow during late June and early July.