A sachet of leaves tucked under a pillow, a handful of berries strewn across a doorway: Herbal charms and remedies are one of the most familiar forms of magick. Herbal (“green”) witches keep elaborate pantries of herbal ingredients, each with a different power to enlighten or heal, bother or protect. (To be clear, we’re talking about the ritual use of herbs here, rather than the medicinal and psychoactive effects they can have on the human body.)

But how, exactly, does herbal magick work? How does an unassuming pinch of bark or leaf become a partner in a magickal charm or spell? There are a number of theories—not all of them at odds with each other.

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