A Witchy Farmer’s Market Guide to the Best Herbs and Plants for Summer Spellwork

By Amber C. Snider

​With the earth’s bounty at its peak and in full bloom, summer is a great time to turn to plants and herbs to aid in healing, health, and happiness. Here, we’ve rounded up nine herbs and plants (that you can readily find at your local farmer’s market) for summer tinctures, teas, ritual baths, smoothie additions, cleansing waters, and more.

Dandelion tea. Image by Silvia from Pixabay

Lavender 
You can find beautiful, fragrant bundles of lavender at most farmer’s markets, and that's a good thing since lavender is known for its calming, tranquil properties, as well as culinary versatility. Steep a teaspoon of lavender (and mix it with other herbs) in hot water for 5 minutes, let it cool, and make it into an iced tea (served with lemon). Also, to add flavor to your coffee, mix some of dried blossom in with the grinds each morning and brew as usual. You can also make your own lavender syrup which pairs really well with iced coffee or teas. All you need to make the syrup is a medium pan, water, and sugar: bring water to a boil, let simmer, and strain out the blossoms afterwards. Add to an empty (sterilized) mason jar or once it’s cool, any sterilized bottle will do. 

Other ideas include adding the blossoms to empty tea sachets for ritual balms involving peace, serenity, and relaxation, or add a few blossoms to your sacred oils. On a spiritual level, lavender is associated with relaxation, happiness, invoking joy, peace, luck, and protection. 

Irish Moss
Used for luck, prosperity, and money spells, Irish moss also has major health benefits since it contains ‘lots of vitamins and antioxidants. Buy an ounce or two of dried sea moss at your local farmer’s market and put it in water for 24 hrs. Then empty out the water and repeat the process (although it doesn’t have to be another full 24 hours). This simply cleans and removes the salt from the sea moss. Once it’s spongy and soft, add it to a blender and it will create a “gel” that you can add into your daily summer smoothies (about a teaspoon of irish moss for each smoothie). 
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Lavender fields. Image by Hans from Pixabay

Chamomile
Chamomile is good for anxiety, helps ease tummy issues, and works as a mild sleep aid, so it’s great after a long day of frockling in the sun with friends or after a big summer cookout. Magically, it's an herb used to invoke abundance, prosperity, purification, and balance in all areas of your life, so sip a calming tea with intention, add some flowers to your bath, or add some in a small cauldron mixed with other herbs (like lavender or rosemary) for a cleansing incense. You can also steep chamomile in water, add vinegar, lemon, and some Castile soap for a magical cleaning spray. In magic, chamomile is connected to sun gods/deities, making it a great herb for summer rituals.  

Looking for a summer spell? Try the 7-day Solar Blast Candle to invoke happiness, growth, and luck. 

Calendula
The bright yellow blossoms of calendula, also known as marigold, really shine in the summer months. Associated with healing, on the physical level calendula helps with eyesight, healing wounds, skincare, and contains many antioxidants so it’s super healthy. On the spiritual plane, it’s associated with the sun/sun deities, the element of fire, and used to evoke prosperity, growth, and confidence. It’s connected to the solar plexus (you can read more about that here), which is the energetic center of the body that deals with self-esteem and emotions, so it also has a balancing effect on the body and spirit. 
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Calendula, aka marigold. Image by Hans from Pixabay

Rosemary
Are you prone for forgetfulness? Or maybe you’re feeling a little mentally fatigued? Rosemary is a powerful herb that evokes good memories, assists with alertness, and is also purifying and cleansing. It contains plenty of antioxidants, so use it generously on your dishes (stews, BBQs, roasted veggies). You can also steep some in hot water and when it cools create either a cleansing, magical room spray or cleaning spray to use on your countertops, windowsills, and bookshelves. It’s a protective herb and great for cleansing spaces, adding positivity into a home, dispelling negative energies, and promoting mental clarity. *Note that Enchantments' herbs are for magical use only (baths, oils, smoke cleansing, etc). and are not to be ingested. Visit your local farmer's market for fresh and dried herbs for teas, tinctures, and culinary uses. 

Honeysuckle
A beloved favorite during the summertime, honeysuckle blossoms are fragrant little jewels that can be made into solid perfumes, added to baths, or used to adorn sacred altars. It’s a plant often associated with beauty, sensuality, and “sweetness” so if you’re trying to add an extra dose of those elements in your life, try honeysuckle. Having a large bush near your house also draws in these properties and you can sip the luscious drops of nectar from the stem whenever you want. 
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Honeysuckle. Image by Ellen Chan from Pixabay

​Nettle
So it may sting the skin, but boy is it good for your insides. This purifying, cleansing, hardy plant has an array of health benefits, especially when made into simple tinctures and teas. It’s known to help reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, alleviate pain, and balance your system, plus it contains antioxidants for good health. Magically, it’s also good to use as an ally plant for maintaining boundaries, getting into better routines and making better life decisions, and promoting healing. 

To make a nettle tincture, try to find fresh herbs at your farmer’s market and fill a sterilized mason jar with the leaves. Next, add 80 proof vodka into the jar, fill it up to the very top, and seal the jar for 2-3 weeks. Then, add your tincture to a sterilized dropper bottle and take a few drops under your tongue each day. 
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Lemon balm tea. Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Lemon Balm
Another easy farmer’s market find is lemon balm, which you can buy fresh and use for tinctures, teas, sacred oils, and ritual baths. It has a wonderful citrus scent and helps with psychic vision, calming anxiety, protection, and promoting happiness. To easily dry your lemon balm for teas, hang a bundle up in a dry place in your kitchen or add it to the microwave on a paper towel. 

Sweet Grass
A great alternative to sage, sweet grass bundles can be used for smoke cleansing to promote good energy in the home and help consecrate and cleanse a sacred space. It’s used in magical practices around the world, but especially throughout North America and Europe. It has a sweet scent and can be braided into strands and either added to the home, burned with magical intention, or added to incense blends. 

What to know more about sacred herbs and oils? Check out our Plant Magic section here. 

*Please note that Enchantments' herbs and flowers are not for ingestion and should only be used for magical purposes only (baths, oils, smoke cleansing, etc.). For fresh, edible herbs and flowers, visit your local farmer's market.