SOCIAL MEDIA

Friday, August 15, 2014

Magical and Medicinal Uses of Quince

Magical and Medicinal Uses of Quince. Includes FREE BOS page!
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Powers: Fertility, Love, Lust, Marriage
Magical Uses and History: The quince appears in numerous folk legends and myths around the world and is connected with a number of deities who "fall." In the Greek tale of Huntree Atalanta, Atalanta is able to outrun all of her suitors, remaining unmarried as a result. However, her fall comes with Hippomenes who threw 'golden apples' aka quinces on the ground in front of her to distract her as they raced. Each time Atlanta caught up to him, he would throw another off the path for her to retrieve. Ultimately, Hippomenes wins the race and therefore the hand of Atalanta. The quince was also the catalyst for the Trojan Wars. Eris, the goddess of discord, rolled a quice with the words "to the fairest" into the middle of a wedding banquet, which led Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena to vie for the position of fairest. When Paris, the most handsome of mortal men, could not choose, Aphrodite promised him Helen of Sparta. This, of course, led to the Trojan War, but as a result, the fruit became associated with Aphrodite. Others still attribute the fall of man in the Garden of Eden to the eating of a quince (golden apple). Either way, the quince is thus associated with downfall, but also with love. It was common for the quince to appear in Greek weddings due to its association with Aphrodite. In 594 BC Solon was elected chief magistrate of Athens and during his rule, he passed a number of social and cultural reforms, which included making the quince a wedding food. It is he that solidified the quinces role in weddings where it was used to sweeten the breath of the bride before she entered her marital chambers, baked into wedding cakes, and used in decoration to ensure a fruitful or fertile marriage. Its association with love continued on into the age of the Tudors in England, who had it cooked into marmalades and wrapped in golden foil to use as an aphrodisiac. The desire for quince was so strong that the marriage between Portugal's Catharine of Bragacanca and Charles the Second of England not only provided the country with money but also an ample supply of tea and quinces. As such, quinces can be used in love spells and rituals, specifically those designed to bring fertility, fidelity, and faithfulness, but it can also be used to break up love, as seen in some of the earlier stories of the quince. 

Quince can be used in a number of spells including:
         Love Spells
         Marriage Spells

Medicinal Uses:
Due to the high fiber content of quince seeds, they can be used as a gentle yet effective laxative, especially in cases of constipation. They are also used as an astringent to treat gastritis and enteritis and even mild burns. quince seeds are also anti-inflammatory and an expectorant making them great for mouthwashes to treat inflammation and dry coughs.

Preparation and Dosage:  For medicinal purposes, both seed and the entire fruit are used. They should be collected between September and October. Internally- For an infusion, soak seeds for 3-5 hours until a slime forms on the outer coats of the seed. Drink as needed or three times a day. For a tincture, take 1-2 milliliters as needed or three times a day (made from seed). Eating the whole quince can work just as well. Externally- Rub the mucus from the seeds on mild burns.




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1 comment :

  1. Awesome article lovely for you to share and much appreciated by me and my beloved! We keep seeing quince flowers all over San Francisco, and are making a fermented flower spirit and keep having the intuition to add quince flowers to the ferment! This article helps that impulse make much more sense!

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