Erba Della Paura Seeds from Alchemy Works - Seeds for Magick Herbs and Pagan Gardens

Stachys recta flower Stachys recta
Erba della Paura, Fear Herb
This magick herb grows throughout Europe and is a traditional protective herb in northern Italian witchcraft (stregheria) and folk magic. Typically, it is collected in the spring or sometimes on summer solstice, especially from places in the forest, because woodland plants are considered more powerful than those growing in fields or meadows. It is carefully dried and saved for treating an individual who has been hexed, given the evil eye, or suffered from some shock, and who subsequently is experiencing intense fear, sometimes so great that they can't eat or sleep. Other times, the hex has taken the form of a pain in a particular part of the body. A bundle of the herb - called a "fist" in Italian because it will fight the fear - is about 20g or 2/3s of an ounce. The fist is simmered in a a quart/liter of water - don't boil - and then it is let cool and strained. The body is then washed off three times, starting with the head and washing down. The person doing the washing should not be related to the person being washed, so that they won't catch the fear). The same hand should be used for washing. The water is often collected in a basin. The motions are similar to those used to smoothe or groom an aura - brushing down and away from the body, starting at the top. The water that drips off and is collected in a basin will sometimes appear mossy or turn jelly-like with the congealed fear. Some people save it to check it the next day. If it's clean, the fear has been removed, and the individual will usually be relaxed and sleep well that night. The washing should occur three nights in a row, preferably Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Top

Erba della paura As a mint, erba della paura is a Venus herb. The fragrant leaves have proven antibacterial properties. In Russia, some types of jaundice are treated with this herb. It is also known as stiff hedgenettle, yellow woundwort, seaport hedgenettle, strega eretta, stregonella, and strigonella. Top

How to grow it: Barely cover seeds to germinate slowly at room temperature over a period of a couple months. I am going to try the baggie method with this little-grown seed and will report my results here. This plant is hardy to zone 5, which means it likes a temperate climate, not very hot or very cold. It has not traditionally been grown in North America, so how it will behave here is unknown. The plant grows by forming rhizomes, so it might be invasive in some places (especially since it's in the mint family, which is often very aggressive). In Europe, it tends to grow in grassy meadows at high elevations (up to 6800ft/2100m) as well as in steppes. It makes pale yellow blooms from June-October and gets 8-24"/20-60cm tall. General growing info Top

Uses in Witchcraft & Magick:

Protection Spells
Venus Herb