For this month’s magical herb I’ve chosen Cinnamon. Though more commonly known as a “spice” in the culinary world, it’s still considered an herb and is widely used in magic for a variety of purposes, plus, it invokes that beautiful Autumn feeling with its familiar scent that can be found in our favorite Fall treats. 

Cinnamon is a great herb to put on your Mabon altar (read more here), and in going with this month’s theme, I thought it would be a great choice to highlight as our herb of the month.

Cinnamon can be used in various forms. Cinnamon leaf is used in exotic culinary dishes. Cinnamon sticks can be infused into a variety of hot drinks, or ground into a powder to use in many recipes. All these varieties can be used in magick and medicine as well.

Cinnamon comes from a bushy Evergreen tree in the Laurel family. It’s leaves are harvested from the tree, and cinnamon sticks are made from it’s bark.

When I highlight herbs here on the blog, , I try to give you both the Magical and the Medicinal uses. Cinnamon has both plus the added benefit of being enjoyed solely for its’ taste. So I think it’s important to point out that there are a few different kinds of Cinnamon, and which ones are used for what. Let’s start with the edible versions first.

Cinnamomum Cassia & Cinnamomum Verum

Both of these Cinnamons are used in culinary, medicines, and magick. Cinnamon Cassia is often referred to as Chinese Cinnamon and is pretty common and sold as a spice by some reputable edible spice brands due to its’ strong and sweet flavor. However, this kind of Cinnamon contains a lot Coumarin, which can be toxic in high dosages. If you plan to eat a lot of Cinnamon, you might want to make sure it’s of the Cinnamom Verum variety known as Ceylon. While Ceylon has a more floral and less punchy flavor, it’s much safer when consumed in larger quantities.

Cinnamomum Camphora

This Cinnamon variety comes from a slightly different type of Laurel tree called a Camphor Tree and is used mainly in medicines. Medicines made from this variety include treatments of pain, fever, convulsions, stroke, sputum fainting, sputum coma, laryngeal pain, mouth pain, anthrax, and bloodshot eyes.

Here are some more Medicinal uses for Cinnamon-

Magickal Uses of Cinnamon

All three of the above listed varieties of Cinnamon can be used for magickal purposes, and all three will have slightly varying vibrations and therefore magical uses.

In general, adding Cinnamon to any spell or working can amplify the energies of the other ingredients. Traditionally, Cinnamon has been used in love spells, but you can also find it in workings for protection, well-being, and money. It’s also known to help develop and enhance psychic abilities. See the illustration below for more magickal ideas on how to use Cinnamon.

Honestly, the uses for Cinnamon are way too many to list here. But I hope I gave you some ideas for using it in your own workings at home.

Be sure to put some on your Mabon altar if you plan to celebrate the Autumn Equinox. Here’s to enjoying all those Cinnamon infused treats this season, may you invoke all it’s magical properties!

References:

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs – Scott Cunningham

Plant Witchery – Juliet Diaz