Hi, I recently started getting interested in the potion making aspect of witchcraft, and so I felt I should research, yet whenever I search online I only get video game info and videos about fluff and BS by some literal 5 yo.
I was wondering if someone could help link to me a site or thread with good info on the following subjects (if it isn't too much to ask for that is)
-Types(inhalants, herb mixes, burn ambles, etc)
-Techniques(boil and strain, mix and burn, so on so forth)
-Correspondances(such as love and clarity=potion for happy relationship [correspondances that mix and form new Correspondances basically] )
-Any other basic info AT ALL!
Hopefully it isn't too much to ask for and hopefully I'm not kidding myself with how serious I feel this topic is.
I would search myself but every site I've visited in the past 4-5 months has only had recipes or the definition of what a basic potion is (mixture of certain ingredients to manifest an outcome in the form of magickal workings)
Thanks for reading, and if you have any sites or threads that could help Please link them in your reply, thanks again and blessed be
Hi there! I know what you mean when it comes to trying to find information about herbs and potions, especially online where so many video games and RPG's use similar terms. Personally I have had better luck searching for 'Homeopathy', ' [herb] meaning', ' [herb] use', herb-craft, or Wholistic medicine.
One good site that I have been made aware of is; http://earthwitchery.com/enter-garden.html
It gives very nice, succinct descriptions of several herbs and what they can be used for.
As for books, there are tons out there these days. A few that I have liked are;
-Encyclopedia of natural medicine; third edition. By Joseph E. Pizzorno, Michael Murray
-Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine by David Zvi Hoffman
-The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal also by Mr. Hoffman.
When it comes to the different methods of tincturing, preserving, or otherwise using the herbs it might also help to do specific searched for each method. Sometimes you find it in the darndest places. For example I learned how to water-distill through a cooking show called good eats. It is surprisingly easy and works really well, especially for making an aeromatic spray like rose water.
All you need is a large cooking pot, a new, clean brick, a bowl that is small enough to sit inside the pot, a lid, and ice. you put the brick in the middle of the large pot, fill with water to the height of the brick, drop in the aromatic (like rose petals), put the smaller metal bowl on the brick. heat the water to a steamy simmer, and put the pot lid on upside-down so the slope of it goes inward instead of out. Fill the lid surface with ice, and let it run for an hour or so. When done, remove the ice-water and lid, and collect the smaller bowl. Presto. Distilled rosewater.
Other options include drying the herbs and bundling them into satchets or porous cloth, tincturing the herbs using a clear grain alcohol (Rye or vodka are popular), chewing a small amount of the herb directly or placing it under the tongue (not eating the physical parts, of course.), or making a Tisane (herbal tea).
You will want to learn as much as you can about all the different methods because each one has its own applications and effects on things like dosing and absorption in the body. For the herbs themselves it is particularly important to make sure you follow the information carefully, and research the hell out of dosages, consequences of overuse (so you can spot trouble), where how and when to collect the herbs, what parts of the plant to use, how it is stored, etc.
Generally speaking there is a lot of overlap between herbs that are good for medicinal, aromatic, or spiritual/magical applications. So start simple, with common, safer herbs and expand out from there as you learn and get more comfortable with things.
