Herbs + Essences for the Haunted

 In some ways, we’re always dealing with ghosts when it comes to healing. We’re haunted by past events, words spoken to us at tender times, promises broken, pleasure denied, the shock of trauma, and the weight of memory. When someone seeks my services as an herbalist and Witch I am not only meeting them in the moment, but I gaze back and forward along their weblines, trying to see what they’ve brought with them and where they might be headed. I get to meet younger and elder you while sitting with the present you.

The shadowlands which we all of us spend time in, meeting with or enthralled by our ghosts, grow all sorts of strange plants that sprout up in our life as grief, anger, shame, despair, loneliness, and more. In other words, the list of recommendations I could have for plant allies that help us to deal with our hauntings could be vast and neverending. That’s not very useful. In fact, the open secret is that if an herb, any herb, is helpful to you on your path of healing, it is an ally to you in facing your ghosts. So, knowing that there are a great many choices out there, I’ve chosen herbs and essences that I’m fond of, that I think are far-reaching in their scope, and because they are the ones that came forward at the time of writing this post.

Image by @frostroomhead

The Herbs

Thorn magick, such as Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Rose (Rosa spp.) is a very valuable ally in working with our ghosts. I’ve written more about working with thorn medicine plants here. In short, Rose helps us to deal with our grief instead of running from it and Hawthorn helps us to open our heart again to life.

Mugwort (Artemisia spp.) is our dream ally as so much of what we feel haunted by can be accessed in liminal states. It’s an incredibly powerful herb for integration and in traditional western herbalism it is honored as one of our eldest of herbal allies. Working with herbs like Mugwort, which are considered spiritual elders, to actual ancient plants Gingko (Gingko biloba), and Rose (Rosa spp.) that have been on this planet for millions of years is useful in haunting work. These plants have the ability to travel through our timelines with strength, wisdom, and discernment. Use the essence of Mugwort, too, especially if dealing with nightmares.

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is an herb that I talk about a lot and that’s because it is so useful when it comes to dealing with excessive mental chatter, anxiety, and the inflexibility that can arise from both conditions. When it comes to our personal ghosts, Skullcap helps us to move out of our heads and into our bodies. Some of us try very, very hard to logic our traumas, to make sense of our ghosts, and while sometimes we can build stories that make sense, that’s not always the case and that’s not always necessary. Sometimes it’s just about recognizing, deeply and making space for the emotions that arise, that something hurt and that once we do that we can begin to leave that pain behind. Skullcap is a good ally to work with if you don’t know quite where to begin - you feel like there are ghosts everywhere and they’re all talking. Skullcap can help come in and quiet everyone down.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is another liminal spaces herb and one intimately linked with the Good Folk. In my tradition, the Good Folk are some of our eldest ancestors (you’ll see a theme emerging with my recommendations so far - work with the Old Ones). Trauma and the things which we are haunted by can sometimes happen over a slow period of time and sometimes it happens suddenly, shocking the system. There is a lot of lore tied to the Good Folk and shock - they are often accused of being the source of ill but I think they are often the ones who show us that we are already suffering we just hadn’t realized it yet. Another way to understand this pattern of energy is to recognize Yarrow as a plant ally for the wounded warriors and wounded healers among us. They are the ones who facilitate some of the most beautiful and profound healing spaces for others because they carry a great wound themselves. We are at a moment that as a species we are carrying the vast wound of environmental degradation caused by the choices we’ve made and the distance we’ve created between ourselves and the rest of our living planet. I highly recommend Yarrow as an essence and learning more about the Yarrow Environmental Essence that the folks at the Flower Essence Society has created.

Image by @anniespratt

The Essences

The essences listed below are either available as part of the Bach Flower Remedies or the Flower Essence Society collections.

Aspen (Populus tremula) is helpful for those who are afraid of the unknown that lies beyond their current state of being. It can be scary to imagine what our lives would be like without the familiarity of our ghosts, even if we know that we no longer wish to be haunted. Aspen helps us to face our fear and move beyond it.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa) helps us to let go of our ghost, releasing attachments to the things, places, and beings which are no longer with us.

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris) helps us come to release feelings of being somehow “contaminated” with our trauma and that makes us impure or unfit for healing and connection with others. 

Evening Primrose (Oenothera elata) is a great ally when we are processing childhood trauma and its impact on us today. Take before and after your therapy and healing sessions.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium) helps us to arrive back in the present moment so that we can move on with our lives.

Rock Rose (Helianthemum nummularium) helps us to befriend the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. For those who are afraid of dying or loss of self.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) helps us to get out of own way, accept the fact that we have and should change as we grow, and come to accept ourselves for who we are now.

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) for those of us who don’t believe we have the capacity to heal, that our minds and bodies are broken beyond repair. Self-heal reminds us that our healing is possible, assists us in reaching out to others for help, and learning how to trust ourselves again.

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) helps us to deal with the shock of loss. We’re not always able to deal with the initial feelings of loss in our life and have to make time and space for it at a later point. Star of Bethlehem helps us to navigate that meeting with our feelings.

Wild Mustard (Sinapis arvensis) is one of my favorite essences for the type of sorrow that feels like there is no light left in our life. It helps to bring back the sun.

Willow (Salix vitellina) helps us to forgive, release bitterness, and move forward with out lives.

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Working With Herbs + Essences When You’re Haunted

Before you use any herb or essence, do your research by referencing reputable materia medicas (i.e. books full of plant profiles) to determine if a plant is right for you and the correct dosage. In general, googling a plant is not the best way to find accurate information or appropriate use. Please use discretion, practice empowered choosing, and ask your local herbalist for help, too!

There is something about water-based remedies that I find to be particularly powerful when it comes to working with the stuff that haunts you. We live on an ocean planet, we are made up of so much water ourselves, and we are formed and shaped in a watery womb. If you have access to a bath, I highly taking an herbal bath. If you don’t have a full bath to use, you can still do a foot and/or hand bath, as well as making a shower rinse (i.e. make a strong infusion of herbs and water, strain, and wash with as part of your shower). Teas are another simple way to use herbs in ghost work and adding a few drops of an essence into your morning water is great, too.

Once you’ve chosen what plant allies to work with begin by stating your need to the plant. Begin by setting up a space in a sacred manner - it can be as simple as cozying up on your favorite comfy chair, wrapped up in a blanket or more similar to casting a circle. Once you’ve set space for the work to begin, set your intention with your plant ally. You might already know the work you want to do and the haunting you want to clear from your soulshrine (i.e. your body and sacred being). Or you might not, in which case it is helpful to journal, cast cards or spend time in meditation. Take a moment to greet your plant ally, introducing yourself and speaking to them with reverence and kindness. Once you’ve determined what haunted room you want to walk into, state to your plant ally:

{Plant Name}, I wish to release the ghosts of my past. I am haunted by {describe your haunting}. With your aid, {Plant Name}, I seek to release it. Thank you, {Plant Name}, for guiding me in my healing work.

Repeat this simple ritual for the next three, six, or nine days. Pay attention to how the description of your haunting may or may not change during this time. Take time for journaling, casting cards, talking with your friends and family, your dog, your therapist. Sharing the stories of our hauntings can help to shed light where there was once murkiness - and then at some point the story may feel all told out. Invite your ancestors in, especially the really old ones whose names have been forgotten but are no longer afraid of earthly haunts.

Image by @anniespratt

As for how long to take the herbs in haunting work - that depends on the herb and you. In general, using an herb or essence for a cycle of the Moon and reassessing at the end of that cycle can be a good place to start. Does this mean that it only takes a cycle of the Moon to release a haunting? No. Healing work is circuitous, mostly lengthy, and on rarer occasions it feels instantaneous. But when we’ve found the modalities of healing that serve us best, feeling better day by day can become a very familiar feeling. I wish a swift and steady healing for all of you.

May this and all Samhain seasons be ones of reconciliation and healing, of happy reunions and blissful revelations.