In a time when most U.S. metaphysical shops, not being “essential businesses”, are closed, the spices and herbs sections of still-operating grocery stores are invaluable. As such, I thought it would be a great time to take a look at the spiritual uses of a few of the most commonly-available kitchen ingredients, available from everyday companies like McCormick, Spice Islands, and Badia.

Allspice: A great herb of success, allspice works well in conjunction with many other herbs (especially for business, though I’ve used it for other achievement-oriented tasks). On its own, it draws in money and business. Some people find its energy to be mentally soothing; try mixing it with herbs like Solomon Seal Root to promote mental clarity, or mix it with herbs like kitchen Sage and Smartweed for making good financial decisions.

Anise & Star Anise: Anise, or Anise Seed, of the Genus Pimpinella, is used in recipes to increase spiritual/psychic ability and can also be added to energy-cleansing herbal mixtures. The unrelated Star Anise (or Illicium verum), whose recognizable star-shaped seeds are sold, is used to affect a wider variety of mystical properties, such as dreaming true, warding off bad spiritual energies (such as the Evil Eye), and bringing in good energy or luck. These two seeds will work well together for psychic purposes, such as keeping away nightmares.

Basil: Sometimes called Holy Basil, this plant is known as Tulsi in India and is sacred to Vishnu (malas used by his devotees are often made of wooden beads of this tree). Also known as Sweet Basil, this herb’s culinary use has made it an accessible and powerful cleansing agent. It can be used to banish negative energies or malevolent entities, and is indispensable when protecting yourself or your home, as it can be used in most any method of practice.

Bay: A powerful protector, these fragrant leaves are most often employed to ward off negative energies–or to remove negative energies already present, which can be easily accomplished by washing with a tea made of bay. Carry one of the dried leaves in your pocket for some on-the-go protection against picking up unwanted energies or unwanted people. As it also encourages success, add it to Allspice and Cinnamon for a great mixture to overcome business or financial difficulties, and because it will smell amazing.

Black Pepper: Best used in conjunction with other ingredients, you can mix Black Pepper and Salt, and throw it out the door behind an unpleasant guest you don’t want returning; if you can sweep out the door after the mixture (and the guest) with a broom after, then all the better. (Particularly useful for unwanted visits if you’re in an area currently suffering from community spread of Covid-19/Coronavirus.)

Caraway: These protective and healing seeds are great when putting together an amulet/talisman. They mix well with other healing or protective ingredients, and some people believe its gentle energies are particularly effective when working for infants or children (such as mixing a protective oil to anoint a baby’s crib).

Cardamom: These seeds offer luck in love and sex, and work well when mixing a love or lust oil (which can be done by steeping the desired herbs and spices in sunflower seed oil) to wear on your person.

Cinnamon: One of the world’s favorite spices, cinnamon is usually just one ingredient mixed into recipes for love or business. Like (and often alongside) Ginger, it can “heat up” a passionate love affair. It is also commonly used in recipes to draw in business and money, alongside other ingredients like Nutmeg, and can mix well into recipes that have several total ingredients.

Cloves: These fragrant flower buds look kinda weird, but their readily-available whole form is one I enjoy using in all manner of money work. (Ground cloves are also readily-available and work fine, but I personally like whole cloves.) Most often combined with other ingredients, the right workings can bring luck in gambling, draw in money and business, and even promote friendlier feelings among colleagues and clients. Keep a jar full of honey and cloves in your office to sweeten the people you interact with; all the better if you can find an excuse to serve the scented honey at a business party.

Coriander: These seeds work well in recipes that draw and maintain love. They can also ward off illness; carry a few seeds with protective ingredients like Bay for some on-the-go help protecting against illness.

Cumin: Ask these protective seeds for their assistance and sprinkle them around your property or carry them on you. (That’s about all I got. Their energy feels a bit finicky if trying to mix it with other ingredients.)

Dill: This friendly herb’s peculiar range of specialties (along with its mild scent and pleasant physical softness) make it one of my favorites. Dill is great for breaking jinxes or crossings put on a person, especially in regards to love or professional and legal affairs. It makes one lucky in love, and helps one succeed in court. As an added bonus, it also wards off disease (for which I’ve certainly used and recommended it lately due to the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic). It works great when steeped in a base oil such as olive oil or sunflower seed oil, alone or with other herbs to strengthen a specific intention.

Ginger: This hot-tempered root, often in ground form, is usually mixed with other ingredients in recipes for protection, love, and money. The whole root can also be used for protection; carry it on your person or keep it under your pillow at night. It “heats” love and money spells, encouraging them to work faster. (However, easy come, easy go–that is, sometimes it’s worth giving the work time to build itself up, but that’s a decision that must be made depending on purpose and situation.)

Mint: A personal favorite, this culinary delight is available dry and also grows well in small indoor pots, and just wants to be your friend. I currently keep pots of Peppermint, Spearmint, Sweet Mint, and Chocolate Mint, and have found that my live mint brigade does a pleasant job of maintaining the energetic cleanliness of the space around them. These fragrant plant friends work well with other herbs when you need to lift negative energy that has been put on you. A mint leaf in your wallet will also help protect your money.

Nutmeg: This delicious-smelling spice can be used as a money-drawing ingredient in a more complex herbal working in its ground form, or the equally-accessible whole nutmeg may be carried on your person for luck in gambling. It blends well with other spices commonly utilized in money-drawing recipes (including those of “hotter” energies), such as Allspice, Cinnamon, and Ginger.

Rosemary: No stranger to magical use, rosemary is a powerful guardian, warding off evil and removing negative energies from home or person. Use a sprig of rosemary to asperge the home–that is, dip it in water that has been worked by the practitioner, and use the rosemary sprig to sprinkle it around the house for cleansing. While quite useful in protective recipes with other herbs such as Bay, it is also effective on its own.

Salt: A practitioner staple, with which I’m sure we’re all familiar for protection and cleansing. It can also help protect your money, however; I’ve been told “talk to your salt”, ’cause it’ll do what you tell it. Some people prefer Himalayan Pink for protection, due to its higher iron content (which causes the pink color, and repels certain types of spirits). Others prefer Kosher for any working purposes, due to its relation and conformity to certain Jewish dietary laws (in America, religious Kosher salt is often labeled as Kosher-Certified to distinguish from normal salts simply used for dry-brining meat). (I personally prefer Sea Salt. Just a note. I also generally like the sea.)

Sage: While most modern practitioners think of White Sage (used for cleansing), the unrelated common seasoning sage can also be a useful ally. True to its name, it promotes wisdom, while also offering protection. As an added bonus, it works well with certain prosperity herbs, such as Smartweed, to assist in making good financial decisions.

Saffron: These bright crimson stigmas and styles (often called threads) are harvested from flowers, and are one of the most expensive herbs. However, they make a lovely and powerful addition to most any of various methods of romantic or love work.

Tarragon: This peaceful home herb works well in mixes with few other herbs; it has an interesting energy itself, and does best when the other herbs are of more mild energy (such as Lavender), as it tends to have slightly more kick than most other ingredients used for peaceful home work. Let tarragon and a few other harmony-promoting herbs steep together in olive oil, then anoint around the house with it to promote a positive home atmosphere.

Thyme: This humble herb promotes peace of mind, and its gentle energy is good for work to bring mental peace during the day or while you sleep. It also mixes well with other green/leafy prosperity herbs for drawing and keeping money; sprinkle a bit in your wallet, or keep it with dollar bills.

Vanilla: This positivity-promoting bean offers good energies for a happy home or love work. Keep a bean in your sugar jar, to bottle up the love and keep it from leaving the house; or, feed the sugar to those having disputes to sweeten them. Steep a few threads of Saffron in a bit of pure vanilla extract, and use it to bake a love-inducing treat.