Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Powers: Beauty, Courage, Creativity, Energy, Healing, Love, Lust, Prosperity, Strength, Success, Uncrossing
Magical Uses and History: While the origins of ginger (not to be confused with wild ginger Asarum canadense) are largely unknown, we do know that ginger has been used medicinally and magically for over 4000 years. The first written record of ginger appears between 475-221 BC in Analects by Confucius who encouraged his readers to eat ginger with every meal. Ginger was later introduced to the Mediterranean by the Arabs where it quickly became popular. By the middle of the 16th century, ginger had become so popular in Europe that they were importing more than 2000 tonnes of dried ginger a year and prices rose dramatically. It was kept on tables just like salt and pepper are today to ward off the plague and a pound of ginger was said to cost as much as a sheep. As such, ginger is associated with both healing and prosperity. It can be used in spells to attract wealth, encourage repayments of loans, and otherwise keep money flowing. Add ginger to prosperity spells to strengthen them or place a small piece of dried ginger root in your purse, wallet, cash register, or penny bank or even sprinkle dried ginger on bills to keep the money flowing.
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Powers: Beauty, Courage, Creativity, Energy, Healing, Love, Lust, Prosperity, Strength, Success, Uncrossing
Magical Uses and History: While the origins of ginger (not to be confused with wild ginger Asarum canadense) are largely unknown, we do know that ginger has been used medicinally and magically for over 4000 years. The first written record of ginger appears between 475-221 BC in Analects by Confucius who encouraged his readers to eat ginger with every meal. Ginger was later introduced to the Mediterranean by the Arabs where it quickly became popular. By the middle of the 16th century, ginger had become so popular in Europe that they were importing more than 2000 tonnes of dried ginger a year and prices rose dramatically. It was kept on tables just like salt and pepper are today to ward off the plague and a pound of ginger was said to cost as much as a sheep. As such, ginger is associated with both healing and prosperity. It can be used in spells to attract wealth, encourage repayments of loans, and otherwise keep money flowing. Add ginger to prosperity spells to strengthen them or place a small piece of dried ginger root in your purse, wallet, cash register, or penny bank or even sprinkle dried ginger on bills to keep the money flowing.
In China, ginger was quickly incorporated into traditional Chinese medicine where it was called sheng-jian and was used to "harmonize the stomach." It was used to treat morning sickness, food poisoning, hiccups, and other gastrointestinal issues. From China, ginger spread to India where it became part of the Ayurvedic tradition. Ginger was considered a universal medicine and was used as a digestive aid and to alleviate respiratory illnesses. As it spread across Europe through the spice trade, the Greeks and Romans incorporated ginger into their medicinal practices, and later Henry VIII recommended its consumption as a preventive measure against the Plague. By the Middle Ages, ginger was combined with liquors to create digestive drinks which later gave rise to ginger beer and ginger ale. The golden style ginger ale was created in the 1850s by Thomas Joseph Cantrell, an Irish surgeon and apothecary, who fermented the ginger ale to create a transparent, sweet-to-the-taste, ginger-flavored drink. Dry ginger ale was later created by Canadian John J. McLaughlin who combined soda water with ginger flavor extract in 1907 to create Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Both of these were often drunk to calm an upset stomach whether from food poisoning, morning sickness, motion sickness, or indigestion. Today, ginger (and ginger ale) continues to be used in much the same way. Magically, ginger can be added to spells for healing, added to healing charms and bags, or placed near the sickbed to encourage healing.
Apart from wealth and health, ginger also has strong associations with love. Its warming properties were believed to bring about love and lust, and therefore ginger was often used for such purposes. The Kama Sutra mentions ginger as an aphrodisiac long before many other sources where it was used in foods and drinks to inspire lust. Both Discordes and Pliny the Elder espoused ginger for its ability to stimulate sexual arousal, particularly in men. It was often prescribed as an aphrodisiac. Later, legends trace the first gingerbread men back to Queen Elizabeth I, who ordered her cooks to create molds of the ginger pastry to create edible caricatures of her favorite courtiers and other guests. It was around this same time that the belief arose that if a woman ate a gingerbread man that it would soon lead to marriage. In Germany, lebkuchen or gingerbread cookies were baked into heart shapes and inscribed with romantic messages to be given to those you loved. It was thought eating such a cookie would inspire feelings of love. Madame du Barry, the last mistress of King Louis XV, was said to "drive her men to a state of complete and utter submissiveness" by serving her lovers ginger. Portuguese slave owners were also said to have fed their slaves ginger to encourage sexual intercourse and therefore ensure more children were born into slavery. As ginger continued to spread across the Americas and South Pacific, introduced by European colonists, it was quickly incorporated into those cultures. In Melanesia, ginger was used to win the affection of a woman. As such, ginger can be used in spells to attract and secure love, promote lust, and induce arousal. Steep ginger in wine to create a potent love potion, add to candle magic to 'heat things up' in the bedroom, or diffuse in the bedroom to encourage sexual arousal. According to Blackthorn, ginger can also be used to attract a new, loving relationship by writing your name and birthday on a piece of paper, placing it between two fresh ginger slices, and bring with red thread. Carry the charm in your person to attract a lover.
Ginger's warming properties not only associate it with love and lust but also mental and physical stimulation, as well as protection. In 19th-century Britain, beer infused with ginger was sprinkled on the backs of horses to encourage them to prance more energetically around a show ring. Other sources say fresh ginger was used to energize and awaken the mind. Use ginger to inspire creativity, wake you up, strengthen spells and rituals, during astral travel to help your mind 'release' from your corporeal body, strengthen your resolve, or otherwise energize or strengthen you. Planted around the home or placed about the entryway is believed to ward off evil spirits, while burning ginger incense is believed to banish unwanted and negative energies from the home. Its also been used in uncrossing rituals to burn away jealousy, ill will, and ill intent.
Ginger can be used in a number of spells including:
Healing Spells
Love Spells
Love Spells
Strength Spells
Glamour Magic
Prosperity Rituals
Uncrossing Magic
Uncrossing Magic
Medicinal Uses: Ginger root can be used to stimulate circulation to treat poor circulation and cramps as it is rubefacient. It also acts as a diaphoretic, encouraging sweating and thus helping alleviate fevers. As a carminative, it enhances gastric secretion, helping to reduce or cure indigestion, flatulence, colic, and motion sickness. Externally it can be used as a cream to poultice to reduce pain from muscle sprains or fibrositis.
Preparation and Dosage: To create a ginger root infusion, combine one cup of boiling water with 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger root. Allow the mixture to infuse for 5 minutes. Drink whenever needed. An infusion can also be used as a gargle as needed. To create a decoction, combine 1.5 teaspoons of dried to finely chopped ginger root with one cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Drink whenever needed. Ginger root tinctures tend to come in two forms: weak Tincture B.P. (blood pressure) and strong Tincture B.P. Take 1.5-3 milliliters of a weak Tincture B.P. up to three times a day, or 0.25-0.5 milliliters of a strong Tincture B.P. up to three times a day. Use caution if you are taking aspirin, warfarin, or other anticoagulant drugs as ginger root can interfere with these medications.
Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy!
If you liked this post and would like to support future content, please consider leaving a small tip in the jar.