A Spoonful of Earth Magic
Spring is coming, but cold and flu season is still in full swing. Here are a few of my favorite remedies!
I read once that Earth is the element most associated with Winter. At the time I thought…what? Is that just because all the other elements were taken? Water for Spring, Fire for Summer, Air for Fall; they make sense. But why not Spring for Earth, when the earth is bursting vibrantly back to life after a dormant winter? Why associate the season in which the earth feels most “dead” with her element?
I cannot answer this from any kind of a professional standpoint, but as a forager and someone who relies heavily (not exclusively, but heavily) on natural remedies to navigate the often miserable and sometimes perilous cold and flu season, the Earth/Winter association is beginning to make more sense to me. Now in our third week of slogging through colds and worse, I am never more thankful for the gifts of Earth than during times like this—not even during those giddy first weeks of garden goodies. Winter has a way of making me feel fragile, but I have an entire arsenal of Earth-given remedies at my beck and call. Here are a few of those remedies I have been relying on lately:
Elderberry
This will come as no surprise. Elderberry has become so popular as an immune booster that I have learned to take care to stock up on elderberries before Fall, as they can become scarce during the winter. An article published in Molecules magazine had this to say:
Compared with other fruit, elderberry is a very rich source of anthocyanins (approximately 80% of the polyphenol content). These polyphenols are the principals that essentially contribute to the high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities and the health benefits of elderberry fruit extract. These health effects include attenuation of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory disorders, as well as anti-diabetic, anticancer, antiviral, and immuno-stimulatory effects.1
Since it’s pretty much good for everything, it’s easy to see why elderberry products have become so widely popular. What is less commonly known is that elder is one of the most sacred trees in the magical world. So sacred, in fact, that proponents of Christianity felt the need to vilify the tree by spreading nasty rumors associating the elder with such repugnant biblical events as the crucifixion of Jesus and the hanging of Judas Iscariot. Judika Illes, author of Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, states that the elder is also called “the witch tree,” and that witches were believed to be able to transform into elder trees “as surely as they could assume the form of a cat.” Elder trees were seen as protective and “friendly to people,” and were also considered to be portals to other realms. An elder tree growing near a dwelling was said to house the ghosts of the family that lived within. Grave diggers and funeral coach drivers would carry elder sticks to ward of malevolent spirits of the dead, and any part of the elder could be used as protection against hexes. The sap of the elder tree was considered so potent that it could be substituted in blood magic rituals (in fact, the sap was often called “blood” and so some rituals mistaken as “blood magic” may in fact have originally called for elder sap).2
As I am in the process of starting young elders on my property, I have not harvested any part of them for ritual use yet. I have been able to purchase frozen elderberries from a local source in recent years, and was gifted a large bag from my mother this year, whose well-established tree by their old house produced a bumper crop last year (perhaps a gift from the spirit of my sister, in whose garden the tree grew, still taking care of us from Beyond. Smile). Although I find the fruit too seedy for baking, I make elderberry syrup as soon as I run out of the last batch all winter long. Mixed with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, rose hips and honey, the syrup is good for coughs and sore throats and lovely in herbal tea. It is also excellent for disguising the taste of less palatable remedies. After the syrup has been cooked (minus the honey, of course) and strained, the berry mix can be further used to flavor home-brewed kombucha and water kefir (elderberry kombucha is my absolute favorite!).
Rose hips
The small, brilliant red seeds of the wild multiflora rose was always a favorite snack on wintertime hikes when I was a kid, worth wading into the brambles to fetch in our heavy, cold-weather coveralls. The seeds of all roses, called rose hips, are high in antioxidants, especially vitamin C. They have a pleasantly tart flavor that I enjoy adding to my elderberry syrup or to immune-boosting tea blends. Magically, the rose is closely associated with love, including self-love and self-care. Adding rose hips to tea or to a sachet spell is like giving your body a hug.
Ginger
One of my favorite wintertime flavors because it is just so lovely and warm, ginger is wonderfully anti-inflammatory and soothing to the digestive system. I relied heavily on ginger gum during pregnancy to take the edge off my morning sickness, and my mother’s favorite cold remedy was a tea made just with lemon, ginger, and honey (I’m drinking some as I write this). Ginger has also been used to aid weight loss, balance blood sugar, increase cardiovascular health, and even alleviate menstrual pain.3 Ginger is used in spellwork as a catalyst to speed up results, and has protective and attractant properties (drawing good things to you while keeping away the bad). With it’s heat and the yellow color of the flesh of the roots, ginger is a solar herb and associated with the solar plexus chakra and igniting your inner fire. It is also considered to be empowering and physically strengthening, so drinking ginger tea before sports or any other physically or mentally demanding activity can be helpful.
Lemon
The acidic nature of lemon makes it wonderful for cutting upper respiratory congestion and soothing sore throats. It is also high in vitamin C and flavonoids (both antioxidants), and when taken fresh aids the liver and kidneys in flushing toxins. Eating lemon regularly has been linked to better heart health and blood pressure, and a decreased risk of stroke in women. Drinking lemon water is believed to promote weight loss and relieve depression symptoms.4 Magically, lemons are also associated with the sun and the solar plexus chakra, and have purifying and uplifting attributes. A simple spell for protection and optimism is to fill a small vial with sea salt and add a few drops of lemon oil. The vial should be kept on hand, perhaps in a desk, purse or travel bag, and can be opened and inhaled whenever needed to ward off negative energy or boost positivity. Adding lemon oil to a spray bottle filled with vodka or witch hazel and water makes for a wonderful spritz to cleanse and lighten any space.
Garlic
Last but not least…the Sick Buster. Garlic packs a punch, taste-wise and health-wise. An article published in 2021 in Scientific World Journal had this to say:
Garlic, which is utilized as a spice and flavoring ingredient, is found to have fundamental nutritional components. Carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, water, and vitamins are all found in abundance in this plant. The plant also has a high medicinal value and is used to cure a variety of human diseases. It has anti-inflammatory, rheumatological, ulcer inhibiting, anticholinergic, analgesic, antimicrobial, antistress, antidiabetes, anticancer, liver protection, anthelmintics, antioxidants, antifungal, and wound healing properties, as well as properties that help with asthma, arthritis, chronic fever, tuberculosis, runny nose, malaria, leprosy, skin discoloration, and itching, indigestion, colic, enlarged spleen, hemorrhoids, fistula, bone fracture, gout, urinary tract disease, diabetes, kidney stones, anemia, jaundice, epilepsy, cataract, and night blindness.
Mic. Drop. It’s the best. Unfortunately, many of us have a hard time getting past the strong taste of garlic, and some (like me) have a difficult time digesting too much at once. One of my favorite supplement finds of all time is SuperGarlic 6000 made by Metagenics, the only garlic supplement I’ve ever been able to take without tasting it for hours afterward (no, I am not receiving any recompense for recommending this product, I am just really happy that it exists and is readily available). Increasing my intake of garlic, including this supplement, has often been enough to ward off a cold when I feel one coming on, and is helpful in speeding up the recovery when I do get sick. My favorite “sick food” is homemade chicken soup with as much garlic added in as I can manage, I pretty much lived on the stuff when I was down with pneumonia last month.
Given it’s powerful healing properties, it is no surprise that garlic is most closely associated with healing and protection in the magical world. It is also said to aid in banishment and warding off evil. Hanging garlic bulbs in the house was said to protect the inhabitants against all manner of harmful intruders, from thieves to vampires to plague. In modern magical practice, it is also used to banish negative energy and ward against “psychic vampirism” (those who are energetically draining), and is used in empowerment rituals.
I could go on, there are so many herbs I rely on during the cold months, but these are my highlights. As the earth rests, gathering her energy for the coming growing season, her gifts sustain us still. From soup to tea to tincture to syrup to spellwork: keeping us healthy, keeping us safe, keeping us warm, keeping us full.
Thank you, Mother. Sleep well.
Osman AG, Avula B, Katragunta K, Ali Z, Chittiboyina AG, Khan IA. :Elderberry Extracts: Characterization of the Polyphenolic Chemical Composition, Quality Consistency, Safety, Adulteration, and Attenuation of Oxidative Stress- and Inflammation-Induced Health Disorders.” Molecules. 2023 Mar 31;28(7):3148. doi: 10.3390/molecules28073148. PMID: 37049909; PMCID: PMC10096080.
Illes, Judika. Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World. United States, HarperCollins, 2015.
Leech, Joe. “11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger.” healthline. August 13, 2024. Accessed: February 5, 2025. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger
Ware, Megan. “How Can Lemons Benefit Your Health?” Medical News Today. July 24, 2023. Accessed: February 5, 2025. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283476