Friday, June 24, 2011

Wildcrafting: Aster

Aster





Latin: Aster alpinus


Other Names: Bushy Aster, China Aster, Michaelmas Daisy, Starwort


Magickal Attributes: Calming, Faery magick, Feminine magick, Love, Soothing, Water magick


Medicinal & Other Uses: Animal poisoning, Bleeding, Colds, Coughs, Dysentery, Dyes, Ear ache, Epilepsy, Fevers, Hangover, Hemorrhages, Malaria, Pulmonary ailments, Teas


Deities: Faeries, Venus


Gender: F
Planet: Venus
Element: Water


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Harvest Time: Late Spring - Early Summer


Garden Uses: Edging, Clumps


Culinary Uses: N/A


Other Uses: N/A


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Parts & Their Uses


Flowers: Dried and steeped in boiling water for tea. Tincture with flowers & grain alcohol calm the nerves (more so than the root tincture).


Drying Flowers: These turn to fluff and go to seed almost immediately, so drying must be done by placing the heads in a bag before hanging, to catch the seeds & flower heads.


Leaves: Dried, may be smoked or used for smudging.


Roots: Macerate for several months in grain alcohol. Tincture drops placed under the tongue have a calming effect on the nerves (less so than the flower tincture).


Whole Plant: Burned for smudging.


Tinctures: Half dozen roots to tincture, 1:2, in grain alcohol. If the upper lungs seem very tight, hot & dry, use it combined with fresh Wild Lettuce tincture. Combined with Plantain, it addressed irritation in the windpipe that’s causing irritating coughing & throat clearing. It works well with Mullein also.


Oils: N/A


Infusions: A hot tea will promote perspirations to help address colds, flus, & fevers. 


Infusion Recipe: Handful of flower heads placed in boiling water for Aster Tea, add honey if needed.

2 comments:

  1. Organized content is the best way to display or post an article, thank you for making it easy to digest your

    Flower seeds

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  2. :) Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. I try to present the materials in a logical format, which is something that I look for when I'm going through other sites, or looking in books. It's easier on the brain that way! Less trying to decipher and put the information in order, just read it, understand it, and absorb it if it is something of pertinence to the reader. Again, thank you! :)

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