Herb of the Season: Blackberry by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

Blackberry (Rubus villosus)   

Folk names: Bly, Bramble, Bramble-Kite, Bumble-Kite, Cloudberry, Dewberry, Goutberry, High Blackberry, Thimbleberry   

Element: Water   

Deity: Brigit, Brighid   

Powers: Healing, Money, Protection  

Parts used: Root, leaf, bud, and berry  

 

Botanical    

The blackberry or bramble grows profusely rambling through hedgerows and ancient oak forests.  It is persistent and invades gardens. It is remarkably adaptable and mutates readily. Over 2,000 varieties have been recognized.    

Blackberry is one of the few plants bearing blossoms and fruit at the same time. The fruits develop through three colors: green, red, then purple-black and resemble tiny bunches of grapes.    

Folklore and History    

In the ancient lunar calendar, the blackberry is the tree that represents the tenth moon month, starting at the tenth New Moon after the winter solstice.  Celtic scholars agree that the “vine” of the Druidic tree alphabet refers to the blackberry bramble bush. Muin, the Celtic word, represented by the blackberry actually means vine.    

A loop of blackberry bramble served as a healing source in much the same way as a holed stone. In Ireland, to pass under such an arch and promise to devote oneself to the Devil’s service brought uncanny luck at playing cards. Brambles were often planted on graves to stop the dead from walking and to keep the sheep off the grave.    

One ancient legend tells how blackberries gathered and eaten during the waxing moon at harvest time assured protection from the force of evil runes. For refuge, in times of danger, one need only creep under a bramble bush.    

The blackberry is a faerie plant. In some rural regions of France and the British Isles it was considered dangerous to eat blackberries. The reason given was that the fruit belongs to the faeries and they resent it when mortals eat of the magical berries. A clue to the blackberry magic may be found in a piece of country wisdom. When frozen dew covers blackberry blossoms at dawn in early spring, the farmers rejoice and hail the event as a “blackberry winter.” Without this frost, the berries will not set. What may appear threatening turns out to be a blessing, for the hoarfrost is a harbinger of a rich harvest.    

Herbal uses    

Blackberry is astringent and antiseptic. The berries can be eaten straight from the vine, baked in pies, or transformed into jellies and wines. Blackberry wine is sweet, red and heady, rivaling the finest Chianti. Blackberry vinegar is an excellent remedy for a sore mouth or a touch of diarrhea. For sore throats and hoarseness, a tablespoon of blackberry jam can be sucked and swallowed slowly.  

It has many curative values and was recognized in medieval herbals. A major virtue was its reputed power to lift the spirits by restoring energy and hope. This thought continued in Victorian England, and physicians often prescribed blackberry cordial to cheer a depressed patient. The root is a classic remedy for diarrhea and is reputed to clean the kidneys and urinary tract of stones and gravel. The buds and leaves are used fresh in poultices for wounds, buns, mouth sores, and sore throats. The berries are slightly binding (as in blackberry wine) and are useful in diarrhea, as are the leaves.   

There are stories involving traditional rites involved passing a baby through the loop three times to secure good health. It was also said that the whooping cough could be cured by passing a sick child under a bramble arch that is rooted at both ends. It was important to also leave an offering of bread and butter. The leaves may be used in healing.  It is also possible to dry the fruit and make a powder out of it. A very pleasing infusion or tea use can be made from the powder to be used in a ritual cup when working rituals for health and healing. Blackberry brambles may be gathered and woven into pentagrams or wreaths, hung in auspicious locations within the home to provide protection.   

The bark of the root and the leaves contain tannin, and have long been esteemed as a capital astringent and tonic, providing a valuable remedy for dysentery and diarrhea. The fruit contains malic and citric acids, pectin and albumen. The root bark when used medicinally should be thin, tough, flexible bands. It is strongly astringent and somewhat bitter. It should be peeled off the root and dried in the sun. The leaves are also used for the same purpose.   

Magical uses    

Sacred to Brighid, the leaves and berries are used to attract wealth or healing. This is a Goddess herb and is ruled by Venus. Blackberry was considered to be sacred to some of the old Pagan deities of Europe, and was used in worship. To the present day, blackberry pies are baked on Lughnasadh in commemoration of the first harvest.  

A bramble bush that forms a natural arch is a great aid to magical healing. On a sunny day, crawl through the arch backward and then forward three times, going as nearly east to west as possible. Old tales say that using blackberry will make boils, rheumatism, and whooping cough to disappear. According to Scott Cunningham in Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs:   

“The blackberry leaves are used in spells of wealth, as are the berries themselves and the vines are protective if grown. The blackberry plant is also used to heal burns by dipping nine blackberry leaves in spring water and then laying them against the wound gently, while saying the following chant three times to each leaf (27 times in all):   

 

Three ladies came from the east, 

One with fire and two with frost. 

Out with fire, in with frost.” (Cunningham, page 59)   

He believes this is an old invocation to Brigit, the ancient Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.  

The following protection charm and wealth spell come from Patricia Telesco’s A Floral Grimoire (page 138).  

Protection Charm: Take a small, dead blackberry branch with the brambles and soak it in water overnight. Once it’s pliable, bend it into a circle and place it around an item that symbolizes that which needs safety and protection. Leave the brambles and the item in place until the trouble passes. At this point you can grind the wood into powder and use it as a base in a warding incense.  

Wealth Spell: Wrap a large blackberry leaf around a silver coin. Take a braid of gold, silver and green thread to bind this in place saying “Where gold and green are joined, blessed herewith by a silver coin, wealth, and prosperity, to me … to me.”   

Divination    

Choosing a blackberry wand in divination, means you are in for an interesting time. It brings a phase of joy, unbridled enthusiasm and exhilaration. This can come in the form of intoxication or with an idea, sex, passion, or any impulse that masters the mind and breaks down barriers, quashing what would have previously been personal or cultural taboos.    

It can bring a temptation, a chance to practice excess, or a new enthusiasm, for a religion, person, or political creed.  If a person is carried away with an impulse brought by the blackberry, it could lead to ruin. But if channeled correctly, it can transform both you and others, opening floodgates to creativity and the dissemination of ideas.  Whatever passion it brings, you will never be the same.  Expect news of a celebration or exciting event, a chance to dance, drink, and even love.    

Sources    

Beyerl, Paul. A Compendium of Herbal Magick. Custer, WA. Phoenix Publishing. 1998 

Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul, MN. Llewellyn Publications. 2000 

Dathen, Jon. Ogham Wisdom of the Trees. Somerset: Capall Bann Publishing; 2003

Grieve, M. A Modern Herbal. Mineola, NY. Dover Publications, Inc. 1971 

Griggs, Barbara. A Green Witch Herbal. Rochester, VT. Healing Arts Press. 1994

Hopman, Ellen Evert. A Druid’s Herbal for the Sacred Year. Rochester, VT. Destiny Books. 1995

Pepper, Elizabeth. Celtic Tree Magic. Rhode Island: The Witches’ Almanac, Ltd.; 1996

Telesco, Patricia. A Floral Grimoire. New York, NY. Kensington Publishing Corp. 2001