Since we are celebrating Lammas/Lughnasadh this month, I thought it would be fitting to highlight Blackberry as this months’ herb. Blackberry was historically used in celebrations around the Lammas & Lughnasadh sabbats and was considered to be sacred to some of the “Old Gods” or Pagan deities of Europe. During this time it was fairly common to present pies and tarts as an offering to such deities.

It was also pretty common to eat such pies and tarts during the celebrations as well. Alongside blackberry jams and syrups that would be eaten with the traditional loaves of Lammas bread. If you’re planning on doing some last minute Lammas/Lughnasadh celebrations, here is a quick recipe for Blackberry jam to go along with our quick soda bread recipe found on my Lammas/Lughnasadh post here.

Folklore and Magick around Blackberry

Some of the historical folklore around Blackberry has a lot to do with it’s uses in folk magic.

If a Bramble bush formed in a natural arch, it would be used to magically cure boils, wooping cough, rheumatism and various forms of acne, by crawling through the arch backwards and forwards three times on a sunny day.

Another well used healing spell was to heal burns by collecting nine Blackberry leaves, dipping them in spring water, and layering them on the wounds while reciting an old invocation to the Celtic Goddess Brigit. This invocation would be said three time to each leaf as it was placed on the burn, for a total of twenty seven times. The chant goes as follows:

Medicinal History of Blackberry

Historically, Blackberry was known for its aid in curing dysentery. In fact, there are supposed recorded documentations that show that during the American Civil War, cease-fires would be called so that both sides could pick Blackberries from the same Bramble bushes to help heal their dysentery. Blackberry root was also used to create a decoction to cure the same disease.

Some folk remedies used both the fruit and leaves, as well as the roots for various cures. Teas made from the roots of the Bramble bushes were also used to help pain with labor during child birth. The roots were also chewed to help with tooth pain. The plant’s wonderful astringent properties make great infusions for a mouthwash to ease mouth ulcers and inflamed gums. Poultices or compresses can be used on wounds and bruises. Decoctions can be used to relieve diarrhea and hemorrhoids, as the tannins in the herb not only tighten tissue but also help to control minor bleeding.

One amazing quality of Blackberry is that it contains powerful antioxidants that can destroy the free radicals that harm cells that lead to cancers, especially those of esophageal, cervical, and breast cancer varieties.

Here are some of my favorite magical and medicinal ways to use Blackberry-

If you are interested in using Blackberry for magickal purposes, we do carry Blackberry leaf in our shop apothecary. We also sell spell jars and charm bags, as well as most if not all of the materials needed in the above mentioned magical workings.

I hope you have fun learning how to use Blackberry in your own personal workings and home apothecary. Until next time!

Be well, Rey

References:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

Folk Magic and Healing /An unusual history of everyday plants by Fez Inkwright

magickalspot.com

mayernikkitchen.com