by Lyssa Delgado
Welcome to my weekly article, The Heretic's Herbiary! In this weekly article, I will be discussing different herbs and plants and their connections to witchcraft through different cultural histories. I will be taking requests for herbs to cover, and this week will be Basil!
Shaped like an 8-pointed star, “Chinese” anise corresponds directly with energies of the microcosm and macrocosm, stability and expansion, and connection to divine information. It is an important herb in traditional Chinese medicine as well as traditional Asian medicine. The fruit is aromatic and has a strong, pungent and mildly sweet taste. Star anise is one of the many species that contain bioactive compounds as well as a number of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, having antioxidant, preservative and antimicrobial properties.
While not the same plant, Japanese Star Anise* is very similar and is a sacred herb in Japanese culture. They plant the trees around temples and holy burial sites. It is believed that planting Star Anise in these areas will provide them with protection. The bark of the tree is ground into incense and is used to banish negative spirits in the temple.
(*Japanese Star Anise is very toxic and should never be consumed.)
What does this mean in Witch terms?
It means that star anise is perfect for increasing psychic connection, divine healing and protection, and increased success in lucky endeavors.
Chinese Star Anise can be used as an incense or to make herbal tea. It can also be used to make a pendulum used for divination.
For all of our kitchen witch friends, add Star Anise to your homemade curries to bring some luck to your friends and family. Star Anise is a very versatile spice, used in both sweet and savory dishes. It is one of the spices used in Chinese 5 Spice powder and Indian Garam Masala. Add the pods whole and remove before serving for the best flavor infusion.
Star Anise also makes a great herbal incense to burn when you are trying to build your psychic powers.
A note, always make sure your Star Anise is actually Star Anise. This sounds ridiculous, but there have been situations where a poisonous Japanese Star Anise made it into the market and caused serious illness and death.
That's it for this week's Heretic's Herbiary! Remember to comment with an herd or plant you'd like to see in the article next time! Have a magical day!
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