Note: White Horehound can be distinguished from Black Horehound in this manner, as Black Horehound has a noticeably offensive odor.
Harvesting Horehound While it will not produce flowers until the second year, it can still be harvested for use the first year of growth by taking only the top third of the plant's growth in its initial year. For older plants, cut just as the flower buds form. It is best to remove the leaves and chop them to dry them, rather than hanging the bunches as with other herbs. Otherwise, Horehound can lose it's flavor potency quickly. When the herb is dried, place the leaf bits in a tightly sealed container.
MAGICAL USE
GENDER: Masculine
PLANET: Mercury
ELEMENT: Air
DIETY: Horus, indirectly Isis and Osiris
TAROT: Magician, Wheel of Fortune
Horehound is primarily used for protection, just as it's early folklore of "spell breaking" implies.
Of note are Horehound's associations with healing. Cunningham says in An Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs : "Horehound, when mixed with ash leaves and placed in a bowl of water, releases healing vibrations, and should be placed in a sickroom."
In A compendium of Herbal Magick, Beyerl recommends Horehound as an excellent herb to use in house blessing rituals. Small branches may be gathered when the flower bloom is at its peak, then hung in the home to dispel negative energies.
An infusion of the herb is said to clear the mind and promote quick thinking, as well as stimulating mental abilities. A small amount may be added to the ritual cup to relax the body as well as increase concentration and focus.
Some note that Horehound corresponds with Hod on the Tree of Life.
It's not surprising this herb has stayed in favor as long as it has. My recommendation for anyone stocking the family medicine cabinet or medicinal herb garden - you simply have to have Horehound!
**** Copyright 2000 Sherry Eldridge. This article is copyrighted. It is featured here for your reading purposes, not for uploading on other sites, on intranets or extranets, file sharing, desktop sharing, distribution by any method, or sale; not for using for commercial purposes. It is not for reprint, reproduction or digital viewing; inclusion in content vendor sites, content sharing, and syndication sites without signed written approval of myself.
If you wish to quote or re-print any part or whole of any article contained herein, you may contact me in writing at Azyza1614@home.com. Free re-publishing permission is not given for income generating purposes of third parties, such as republishing on sites offering articles only to paying members or for the purpose of third parties. Articles on this site cannot be sold, transmitted or distributed in any form without my express written permission. Please write to me if you come across any copyright infringement. Thank you.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to 's Herbalism topic, please visit the Discussions page.