Its no secret that herbs are widely used in magic. Herbs are widely used by people in general, we don’t have to dive into the esoteric to see that. Herbs are used to improve our lives from flavoring food, to making our spaces smell great and this isn’t limited to folk or domestic practices. Herbs and plants are used to produce many of the chemicals that make our modern world run. Herbs are magical on many levels!
The benefits of learning how to use premade mixes are easy to see:
- The herbs are easier to find than specialty magical herbs
- You likely already have some in your pantry
- Many herbs work even better when paired with their friends
- It allows you to keep less duplicate herbs between your magical pantry and your culinary pantry
- Some herbs are harder to find on their own in a common grocery store, but they can be found in a premade mix
How Are Culinary Spice Mixes Used In Herbal Magic?
The answer is just like any other herbal mix!
You have to keep in mind that some mixes are better suited for specific types of use, but common sense will help a lot here. For example, if you were going to make a calming tea and you were looking for mint, you may not have the intended outcome if you use a salty Mediterranean spice mix in your tea just because it included mint.
Salt is a huge factor in the usability of these mixes. Personally, I try not to buy culinary spices mixes with added salt when I can. It helps me in cooking just as well as it does with magic. On the flip side, salt IS used in magic as well and a mix like lemon pepper salt can be used with more “oomph” than just salt in a protection charm.
The key takeaway here is to use common sense and be aware of all the ingredients. If you wouldn’t use one of the ingredients in your work (like excessive salt in a calming tea) then you may need to skip that particular spice mix.
What Are The Ingredients In Spice Mixes?
See the table below for some common ingredients in spice mixes I personally use. Please keep in mind that salt is often added as well as de-clumping agents like corn starch. Those added ingredients typically won’t alter your magical effects, but remember that salty tastes aren’t always wanted or expected in tea!
| Spice Mix | Common Herbs |
| Italian | Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram |
| Pumpkin Pie | Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Cloves |
| Taco | Chili Powder, Cumin, Black Pepper, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Oregano |
| Cajun | Paprika, Garlic Powder, Ground Black Pepper, Ground White Pepper, Onion Powder, Oregano, Cayenne, Thyme |
| Curry Powder | Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, Ginger, Mustard, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cayenne Pepper |
| Poultry | Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Onion Powder |
| Steak | Black pepper, Minced Garlic, Minced Onion, Paprika, Coriander |
| Lemon Pepper | Lemon Zest, Black Pepper |
| Herbs de Provence | Thyme, Oregano, Lavender Flowers, Marjoram, Rosemary, Savory |
| Greek | Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Parsley, Dill, Cinnamon, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, (Sometimes Mint) |
| Chinese Five Spice | Star Anise, Fennel, Szechuan Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon |
| Jerk | Red Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Cumin, Nutmeg, Parsley, Powdered Onion, Powdered Garlic, Allspice, Cinnamon, Paprika, Thyme |
What Magical Uses Do Herbs Have?
Now lets take the above list and break it down into herbs to see some of the common uses these plants have. It’s, a lot, but keep in mind there is overlap! This is just some of the most commonly used applications, remember that there are many more uses than what I have listed below.
| Herb | Magical Uses |
| Allspice | Health, Luck, Money |
| Basil | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity/Friendship, Love, Luck, Money, Protection |
| Black Pepper | Exorcism/Banishing, Protection |
| Cardamom | Love, Lust |
| Cayenne Pepper | Protection |
| Chili Powder | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity/Friendship, Love |
| Cinnamon | Health, Love, Luck, Lust, Money, Prophetic Dreams/Spirituality/Psychic Power, Protection, Success/Power |
| Cloves | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity/Friendship, Protection |
| Dill | Love, Lust, Money, Protection |
| Fennel | Health, Protection, Purification |
| Garlic | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Lust, Protection |
| Ginger | Love, Money, Success/Power |
| Lavender | Joy/Happiness, Love, Protection, Purification |
| Lemon Zest | Fidelity/Friendship, Joy/Happiness, Love, Purification |
| Marjoram | Healthy, Joy/Happiness, Love, Money, Protection |
| Mint | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Lust, Money, Protection |
| Mustard | Mental Powers/Wisdom, Protection |
| Nutmeg | Fidelity/Friendship, Health, Money, Protection |
| Onion | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Money, Protection |
| Oregano | Joy/Happiness, Love, Money, Prophetic Dreams/Spirituality/Psychic Power |
| Paprika | Protection |
| Parsley | Lust, Protection Purification |
| Red Pepper Flakes | Protection |
| Rosemary | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Love, Lust, Mental Powers/Wisdom, Protection, Purification |
| Sage | Mental Powers/Wisdom, Prophetic Dreams/Spirituality/Psychic Power, Protection |
| Savory | Mental Powers/Wisdom |
| Star Anise | Luck, Prophetic Dreams/Spirituality/Psychic Power |
| Szechuan Pepper | Protection |
| Thyme | Health, Love, Prophetic Dreams/Spirituality/Psychic Power |
| Turmeric | Purification |
| White Pepper | Exorcism/Banishing, Protection |
Which Herbs Are Used for What Purpose?
See below for the herbs organized by use.
| Magical Use | Herbs |
| Exorcism/Banishing | Basil, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Cloves, Cumin, Garlic, Mint, Onion, Rosemary, White Pepper |
| Fidelity/Friendship | Basil, Chili Powder, Cumin, Lemon Zest, Nutmeg |
| Health | Allspice, Cinnamon, Coriander, Fennel, Garlic Powder, Marjoram, Mint, Nutmeg, Onion Powder, Rosemary, Thyme |
| Joy/Happiness | Lavender, Lemon Zest, Marjoram, Oregano |
| Love | Basil, Cardamom, Chili Powder, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Dill Ginger, Lavender, Lemon Zest, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme |
| Luck | Allspice, Basil, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Star Anise |
| Lust | Cardamom, Cinnamon, Dill, Garlic Powder, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Parsley |
| Mental Powers/Wisdom | Mustard, Rosemary, Sage ,Savory |
| Money | Allspice, Basil, Cinnamon, Cloves, Dill, Ginger, Marjoram, Mint, Nutmeg, Onion Powder, Oregano |
| Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power | Cinnamon, Oregano, Sage, Star Anise, Thyme |
| Protection | Basil, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Garlic Powder, Lavender, Marjoram, Mint, Mustard, Onion Powder, Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Red Pepper Flakes, Rosemary, Szechuan Pepper, White Pepper, Sage |
| Purification | Lavender, Lemon Zest, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Fennel, Parsley, Turmeric |
| Success/Power | Cinnamon , Ginger |
How Do We Apply This Information?
Essentially we’ve created a database using these tables. We use databases to look up and associate information between two seemingly unrelated things by using what they have in common. That’s a watered down explanation but the entire internet is run off that principal and you can use it to figure out which bottle of Off Brand taco seasoning you want to use in your full moon ritual.
We also want to go through the information and focus on what is most relevant. I do this by focusing on what uses are shared between the ingredients of the spice mix as well as what uses go well together. For example Cinnamon and Ginger are both used for Success and Power so Pumpkin Pie Spice may help you feel powerful. Drink up that latte! Also, uses like Protection go very well with uses like Purification or Banishing.
See the table below for the spice mixes organized with their potential uses based on the earlier tables.
| Spice Mix | Magical Uses |
| Cajun | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Joy / Happiness, Love, Lust, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification |
| Chinese Five Spice | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Love, Luck, Lust, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification, Success / Power |
| Curry Powder | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Love, Luck, Lust, Mental Powers / Wisdom, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification, Success / Power |
| Greek | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Joy / Happiness, Love, Luck, Lust, Mental Powers / Wisdom, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification, Success / Power |
| Herbs De Provence | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Joy / Happiness, Love, Lust, Mental Powers / Wisdom, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification |
| Italian | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Joy / Happiness, Love, Luck, Lust, Mental Powers / Wisdom, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification |
| Jerk | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Love, Luck, Lust, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic, Power, Protection ,Purification |
| Lemon Pepper | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Joy / Happiness, Love, Protection, Purification |
| Pie | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Love, Luck, Lust, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Success / Power |
| Poultry | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Joy / Happiness, Love, Luck, Lust, Mental Powers / Wisdom, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power, Protection, Purification |
| Steak | Exorcism/Banishing, Health, Love, Lust, Money, Protection |
| Taco | Exorcism/Banishing, Fidelity / Friendship, Health, Joy / Happiness, Love, Lust, Money, Prophetic Dreams / Spirituality / Psychic Power Protection |
Final Thoughts
I noticed that every one of these spice mixes can be used for exorcism and banishing. Also, a lot of these mixes have herbs meant to improve health and I wonder if that played a part in wide spread use of certain herbs in these cultural mixes.
I also urge you to dive deeper into Kitchen Witchcraft and try pairing these seasoning mixes with other recipes and experiment!
A book I highly recommend as a general reference on herbs for magical uses is Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham. This is the sourcebook for much of the tables above, along with my own experiences.
Note: This site contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links. (Don’t hate me, I spent a day making a free thing for yall <3 )
The one thing I don’t like about his book is that, in my edition at least, he’s missing general herbs like Oregano. I don’t understand how you can have Vandal Root, Poke Weed, and Flea Bane but you don’t have Oregano. That being said it is a wonderful resource and very easily searchable.
Searchability brings up another important point
Want An Easier To Search Copy Of These Tables?
You could use Ctrl + F and look up what you want on this page, or, you could download an Excel sheet I worked hard on!
The sheets let you filter out based on herbs, spice mix, and use. You can also alter the built in pivot table to take a look at what kind of relationships the herbs take on with the mixes.