When it comes to herbology there’s a shit ton that goes into it. There are aromatherapy and essential oils that make up the ‘new age’ version of it. There’s also ancient African herbology and rootwork that incorporates much more spirituality.
Read more: Herbology Basics
Aromatherapy + Essential Oils
The same herbs we use to season our foods or use to drink in tea can be used for a plethora of other reasons. This original form of natural healing goes back some 8000 years ago. It can actually be traced back to every single studied ancient major civilization. Dried and fresh herbs have been used to make perfume oils and included in various religious ceremonies.
In India, for example, Ayurvedic medicine has been studied for a smooth 3000 years at least. Ayurvedic doctors still exist today and keep the same holistic traditions. Ancient Chinese civilizations used herbs in rituals to please the Gods and also as ingredients in apothecaries. They believed in using every part of the plant possible and kept hella barks, roots, leaves and seeds on deck.
They have a long rich history that I won’t go too in depth within this blog. But just know that this is old school and has lasted so long for good reason ! Fun fact, at some point in Europe the church banned all pleasure seeking practices, including bathing with herbs and oils. As a result, general health of the population saw an immediate decline. That’s when certain people realized the herbs actually DID something and didn’t simply look and smell good.
Ancient African Herbology
This one is a little different and harder to trace. You’ll find most of the information on this type of herbology in older books or directly from the mouth of one of your wiser elders. During the slave trade and throughout the whole transatlantic slave experience, We weren’t really cared for. That’s putting it extremely gently. So we had to take matters into our own hands and, mainly Women, learned how to conjure up meals and medicines from leftover fruits, veggies and herbs.
What’s special about this type of herbology is that a lot of the direction was said to be given through spiritual means. More often than not, people were divinely diagnosed and healed. For that reason, much of it was never written down or regulated.
Rootwork vs Herbology
This part takes herbology to the utmost level with the way it intertwines with spirituality. Rootwork is another name for Hoodoo (different from voodoo which I’ll explain in a later blog) or Conjuring. It isn’t a religion but a practice that one has to inherit through their birth line.
Every family with enslaved African Roots has a rootworker as an ancestor, a healer. So the gift is passed down from generation to generation energetically even when not orally. Without having these ancestors who had the gift first, you can do things with the herbs but you won’t have the divinity piece to back it up.
Spellwork + Healing
They’re very similar but nuances matter. Herbology for the sake of healing doesn’t require a divine attachment. It only requires an understanding of herbs and the way they work with the human body. To use herbology specifically for spellwork is a pretty big deal and if done wrong can have some pretty serious consequences. Before even attempting a spell you want to make sure you understand exactly what you’re doing and how to protect yourself from any unwanted energy.
Herbal Discretion
Never forget that you do need to use the same caution when consuming herbs as you do with other medications. Always check with a doctor and/or look up the contraindications of them. There are also herbs that should only be taken for a couple weeks at a time or that have a higher potential to be habit forming. Definitely take note of this. Lastly, it’s worth it to look up herbs related to each other. For example, having a ragweed warning may mean you could be allergic to things like chamomile, mugwort or peppermint.
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As the weeks go on I’ll be giving more information on specific herbs and what to do with them and how they play into your spells and your own healing ! Make sure you’re subscribed to the blog so that you don’t miss it !