Herbs you have!

[PandoraHealer]

So.... I was thinking of making this a poll.... but I quickly realized that there are faaaaar more than 40 herbs/seeds/etc available...
I know there are some serious collectors here, like myself--- I've got TONS of herbs and tons of glass jars for them... but I always feel like I'm missing something... I always want more herbs-- it makes me crazy... So-- What all do you have?

~PH

huge lists are good... here's part of mine-- without going to look...
Anise star
tonka beans
corn silk
sea salt
trillium (beth root)
black cohosh root
valerian root (this stuff STINKS!)
Hops
hibiscus
rosebuds/hips/petals- many colors
lavendar
kelp
rosemary
cloves
white sage
eucalyptus
mugwort
red sandalwood
barberry bark
slippery elm
licorice root
lovage root
orris root
frankencense
ginger
nutmeg
lemon grass
cloves
poppy seed
sesame seeds
anise seed
bee polen
beutonite


geez... i forgot a lot...

[BlackLili]

This is an awesome thread. I have a list written down upstairs - I will bring it down and post after I decompress from work a bit!

[FaeriPryncess]

Long ago when I entered the Craft officially (i.e. by Initiation) I found it was necessary to hand-craft incenses, oils, and sachets, etc. To this day I have a large apothecary with incenses and oils. The point was to be able to make any purpose recipe out there possible. There are easily 30 essential oils, 20 herb oils, and 40 different herbs in my apothecary. I am unsure about my resins, I would say I have 15+ exotic ones. I have some blends, too. I would have to re-write my list, sorry I just don't have time.
What's funny about it was that I went to our local Swap Meet and was talking to an incense vendor there about my set-up, and he looked at me and told me I should start my own business, haha.
:sigh: I do it all just to be a decent witch.

[Astara Seague]

I have more then I can list...
but for beginners who dont have everything yet and wants to know where to start..heres a good list..these are the ones I found I use most

Chamomile
Rosemary
Lavender
Mugwort
Sandalwood
Rue
Mint
Eucalyptis
Gingsing
Valerian
Sage
Angelica
Bay
Patchouhli
Passion Flower
Daminea
Anise



Oh and cant forget sea salt and spring water

there are more...but..well you know...:whatmewor

[Cindlady2]

Yeh.... some of us have too many to try to list. Let's just say it took over 20 years to build up. (Not that any are near that old.... just learning to use what I have and keeping an invantory of what I may need.) I hate wanting to make something and not having the right stuff!

[Astara Seague]

Yeh.... some of us have too many to try to list. Let's just say it took over 20 years to build up. (Not that any are near that old.... just learning to use what I have and keeping an invantory of what I may need.) I hate wanting to make something and not having the right stuff!
So true!:thumbsup:

[Serendipity]

I just have my basic cooking herbs. Boring, I know, but its really all I need at this thyme. :giggle:

[vikinggoddess]

I just made and inventory of the majority of my herbs. I will copy and paste them over when I get home. Crazy huge list. Doesn't include all the fresh stuff I have growing.. like
Aloe
Lemongrass
Agrimony
Spearmint
Kentucky mint
Loquat
Turmeric
oregano
rosemary

[Convallaria]

Hmm.. too many to list, but in my garden I grow:

Sage
Oregano
Lavender
Thyme
Rosemary
Dill
Rose
Barberry
Juniper
Honeysuckle
devil's snare
lemon balm
cat mint
Spear mint
Wild rose
Basil

Most of the rest of my herbs are cooking herbs from the grocers, or from farmers markets

[banondraig]

Hmm.. too many to list, but in my garden I grow:

Sage
Oregano
Lavender
Thyme
Rosemary
Dill
Rose
Barberry
Juniper
Honeysuckle
devil's snare
lemon balm
cat mint
Spear mint
Wild rose
Basil

Most of the rest of my herbs are cooking herbs from the grocers, or from farmers markets

There's a real plant called "devil's snare"? I thought J.K. Rowling made that up.

I grow lavender, lemon balm, spearmint, sage, thyme, rosemary, bay, cinnamon basil, and some scent variations on mint and thyme. I have chamomile seedlings coming up and sweet basil seedlings refusing to do so. Everything else is a cooking herb I got from the grocery store.

I have been thinking about planting a black cohosh if I can find a transplant of it. It grows wild in the woods here, and looks really nice when it flowers. Unfortunately the seeds take up to four years to germinate, and I don't want to wait that long.

[Convallaria]

There's a real plant called "devil's snare"? I thought J.K. Rowling made that up.

LOL, no, she didn't make it up. It's Latin name is datura stramonium :)

[banondraig]

LOL, no, she didn't make it up. It's Latin name is datura stramonium :)

Ah, as seen here:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Datura_stramonium.jpg

My grandmother used to grow something similar.

[vikinggoddess]

Ok here I go.. lol..
I did an inventory this weekend. This doesn't include what is in my 2 tea drawers or spice cabinet. if there are duplicates, that is b/c there are multiples on different shelves.

benzoin resin
motherwort dry
dang gui tincture
teasel tincture
Isatis tinctoria/qing dai
Myrrh/mo yao 5x powder
Elderberry elixir
Lonicera japonica/ jin yin hua tincture
holy basil tincture
Lithospermum zi cao oil
St. johns/SJW oil
elderflower brandy
benzoin tincture
dan shen
zi cao root 2006
motherwort put up
orange peel
caraway
marshmallow root
horehound
fang feng
ji xue teng
2 jars chamomile
rose hips put up
notoginseng/san qi
P. incarnata tincture
Wild pepper grass tincture
chai hu
horny goat weed
mung bean
wei ling xian
organic lavender 2008
oatstraw
alfalfa
Eucalyptus cinera
penny royal
huo po 2006
hops 2006
Vicaria seed
rose petals
cardamom 2004
chuan xiong
huang qin
calendula
perilla
shan yao
white sage
nettle seeds
dragons blood
frankincense resin
mugwort A. vulgaris
poke berries 2007
honey suckle flower buds
yan hu suo
corn silk
sheng di huang
sang ye 2008
OSHA ROOT tincture
Queen anne's lace flower tincture
PERSONAL TINCTURES :
HAWTHORN
CHICKWEED
POKE
SOLOMONS SEAL
PRUNELLA
HOPS
AGASTACHE RUGOSA
CLEAVERS
SAINT JOHNS WORT
PENNYROYAL
ELDERFLOWER S. SIMPSONII
ELDERBERRY
TEASEL
PERILLA
VALERIAN
BIDENS ALBA
LEMON BALM
LADYS SLIPPER FLOWER ESSence
OAK GALL
MOTHERWORT
YELLOWDOCK-BURDOCK

STOCK tinctures:
QAL flower
teasel root
blue vervain
horsemint
golden rod
Prunella/self heal/xia ku cao
yellow dock
hoya santa
mullein
boneset
lemongrass
ECHinacea
dandelion leaf flower
mugwort
P. edulis
QAL seed
cleavers
elderflower
yarrow
shisandra
P incarnata
poke root
Agastache
Holy basil

[Cindlady2]

Quite a list! I didn't even think about all the oils, tinctures, and formulas I have! I should do a good clean out and inventory when we move (soon as we find a house).
I noticed you say "put up" after some.... what do you mean?

[vikinggoddess]

I noticed you say "put up" after some.... what do you mean?

Those are the bottles with herbs and alcohol in them. The tinctures that will need to be pressed and filtered.

[DracoJesi]

I only have Rhubarb.....just started :(

got tired of having to buy everything xd

Edit: I now have Aloe :)

[HetHert]

Those are the bottles with herbs and alcohol in them. The tinctures that will need to be pressed and filtered.


What is your preferred alcohol to tincture with or do you use different one for different herbs?

[vikinggoddess]

I generally use 100 proof alcohol with fresh herbs to make tinctures. If I only have 80 proof (40%) then I will use that, but preferably only for dried herbs. I tried for a while to use higher proof alcohols like 151, as suggested for some of the herbs by people like Richo Cech in Making Plant medicine, but I found that I prefered 100 proof.

Obviously there are some exceptions. If I am making an extract to pull out essential oils for a cologne, then I will use the highest proof alcohol that I have available, which is usually 151.

[BlackLili]

Yey finally found my written inventory!
So far all I grow is:
Chocolate Mint
Candy Mint
Peppermint
Lemon balm
Lavender

This is what I have dried:
....okay...I tried to give you all that list and it was just way too long.

So, being a Nerd, I made a spreadsheet. :spinner:

Find out what a defunct Pagan store's inventory looks like here! (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pcZY1Fk9xhh9li8-gnlONHA&output=html)

(I know no one will really go look at that, but at least now I have it organized for myself!) :acheeer:

[Teresa]

Too Many to even think of listing!!!

[Shanti]

I have herbs from local collection and from all over the world!
Way to many to even go through!

[Cloaked Raven]

I have a few, from this part of the world and others:

Oregano
Thyme
Basil
Jasmine
Rose petals
Lavender
Sage
Sweet grass
Rosemary
Dragon's Blood
Myrrh Gum
Bay leaves
Valerian
Mugwort
Angelica
Marjoram
Patchouli
Mandrake Root
Yarrow
Cloves

EDIT: The above were either purchased at the grocery store or at a "New Age" store which has since closed. Wish they were still open, they had a great selection of goodies for making home made incense with!

From my yard:

Pine needles/bark/wood
Ash leaves/bark/wood
Birch Bark/wood/leaves
Dried lilacs/leaves

In a few years, I'm hoping to have Juniper berries off my juniper bush, which is only 5 years old. Not sure on how old or big a juniper has to be to produce berries (if someone can help me with that, I'd really love to know thanks!).

I'm not much of a gardener but I can grow shrubs without killing them at least! :lol:

[Shahrazad]

Hmm.. I should take an official inventory sometime..

Basil
Cinnamon
Clove
Nutmeg
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Oregano
Marjoram
Bay
Mint
Caraway Seed
Fennel
Orange Peel
Lemon Peel
Almond
Vanilla

Hmm.. and whatever is going on in the garden. Chrysanthemums and heather at the moment, and bachelors' buttons and blackberries.. Just planted some garlic, as well. I can get various things at need from my backyard as well, but don't store them.
I always have fresh apples in the house as well.

[Akasha]

Just a small list of random herbs that I’ve collected during the course of the summer (either in meadows, in a garden, or somewhere else outside):
note: except for the garden herbs, I don't eat these, but I'm a little bit obsessed with plants, so I collect random ones. These are just some of what would be in the "herb" category:

Rosemary
Yarrow
Mugwort (I really love the bush)
Solomon ’s seal (I know it’s rare, but it was only a tiny bit of it…but I lost it, urgh!)
Basil
Catnip
Cilantro
Parsley
Lavender
Sneezewort (what I’ll use that for, I have no clue)
St. Johns Wort
Chamomile

There’s probably some others, but I can’t remember right now.

[sisterhoodoo]

It would be a cool addition to this site to have a place to list things you have and things you could use. That way, we could do trades of ingredients that we have a ton of in exchange for things that are hard to find geographically for ourselves.

Here is my list of what I have:

* rosemary (home grown)
* chamomile (home grown)
* white sage (home grown)
* basil (home grown)
* calendula
* ginger root
* star anise
* lavender
* peppercorn
* flax
* catnip
* cinnamon sticks
* catnip
* red rose petals & buds
* lemon verbena
* allspice
* cloves
* carraway seeds
* cumin seeds
* coriander seeds
* bay leaves
* eucalyptus

other powerful ingredients collected for use in mojo bags and spells recently

* snake sheds (belly)
* black dog hair

[watersprite]

Yeh.... some of us have too many to try to list. Let's just say it took over 20 years to build up. (Not that any are near that old.... just learning to use what I have and keeping an invantory of what I may need.) I hate wanting to make something and not having the right stuff!

Yes, it takes a LOT of trial and error to get things the way one wants them, and stored properly. I grow and dehydrate a LOT of my own herbs, and this is dehydrating season. Fresh herbs and teas and healing for this TERRIBLE cold! YEA!

[marymoon]

I have a few, from this part of the world
In a few years, I'm hoping to have Juniper berries off my juniper bush, which is only 5 years old. Not sure on how old or big a juniper has to be to produce berries (if someone can help me with that, I'd really love to know thanks!).

I'm not much of a gardener but I can grow shrubs without killing them at least! :lol:


I read somewhere that Junpier bushes and fruit are unique in that they only get ripened berries every second or third year. So blue and green berries occur on the same plant. Only the blue, ripe berries are picked. When collected in baskets or sacks, they are laid out on shelves to dry a little, during which process they lose some of the blue bloom and develop the blackish colour that you see in the store.


Though I don't know how long it takes to get your first 'crop' of fruit.
I've been using a lot of Juniper at home, in teas etc, seems to make a good diuretic and detox for the system as ell as liver tonic.