Witchy Wednesday - Cardamom
Witchy Wednesday - Cardamom Cardamom is a small bushy member of the ginger family of plants. It grows 3 feet in height with straight stems and long pointed green leaves and it flowers are light with white or blue stripes on them. The fruit grows in seed pods which bear 12 fruit per pod. It is a native to Asia and Australia. The name cardamom comes from a Greek word for cress. In Korea, medicinal cardamom and black cardamom are used in traditional tea called jeho-tang. It is also often used in baking in the Nordic countries, in particular in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where it is used in traditional treats such as the Scandinavian Jule bread Julekake, the Swedish kardemummabullar sweet bun, and Finnish sweet bread pulla. Cardamom seeds can be chewed after a meal to freshen the breath. It has a eucalyptus like flavor. People who have digestive problems, particularly with gluten, may find it helpful to have a cup of cardamom tea after a meal. Or Chai tea, which contains cardamom. It is also excellent for chest congestion. Cardamom is fragrant and often used in perfumery. Seeds can be placed in sachets and stored with linens to keep them smelling nice. Magickally To encourage a would-be lover, chew some cardamom seeds before talking to him or her. This is also useful in any situation calling for eloquence, when you must charm your audience. Cardamom seeds can also be added to lust drawing sachets. The herb is an ingredient in some Dark Age versions of kyphi, the ancient Egyptian incense that became a medicine, and is often given as a substitute for cinammon. Cardamom (as herb or essential oil) may be used in as an ingredient or substitute for magick spells and formulas related to Venus matters (beauty, compassion, fidelity, friendship, happiness, interchanges, joy, love, luck, meditation, pleasure, reconciliation, and youth).
