Herbs Magickal Properties Lesson #5

By Kaeli A.- Merry Meet! Todays Lesson will be looking at Almonds and their uses and properties.

Lets Begin!

Herbs: Almond

American Name- Sweet Almond, Bitter almond

Family: N.O. Rosaceae

Description : The tree is of moderate size, usually from 20 to 30 feet high, with spreading branches the leaves lance-shaped, finely toothed (or serrated) at the edges. The flowers are produced before the leaves - in this country early in March; and in great profusion. There are two principal forms of the Almond the one with entirely pink flowers, Amygdalus communis, var. dulcis, producing Sweet Almonds; the other, A. communis, var. amara, with flowers slightly larger, and the petals almost white towards the tips, deepening into rose at the base, producing Bitter Almonds. Botanically, they are considered merely variations of the one type, and the difference in variety has been supposed originally to be mainly owing to climate, the Bitter Almond being a native of Barbary. The Sweet Almond is the earliest to flower, and is cultivated more largely than the Bitter Almond. It is valuable as a food and for confectionery purposes, as well as in medicine, being rich in a bland oil, and sustaining as a nutriment: the staying power conferred by a meal of Almonds and raisins is well known. It is only the Bitter Almond in the use of which caution is necessary, especially with regard to children, as it possesses dangerous poisonous properties.

Scientific name- Prunus dulcis

Origin- The Almond tree is native to the warmer parts of Western Asia and North Africa, but it has been distributed over the warmer temperate region of the Old World and cultivated in all countries bordering the Mediterranean. It was very early introduced into England, perhaps by the Romans and occurs int he Anglo Saxon lists of plants.

Category- Fruit, related to rose, plum and cherry.

Height- 20 to 30 feet high

Grow Zone- Middle East, West Asia, Europe

Planet-Mercury.

the plant rules male or female- Masculine

Element: Air

Deities: Attis, Mercury, Thoth, Hermes

Toxic or Non Toxic: Non-Toxic

Description:

Medicinal uses- -Fresh Sweet Almonds possess demulcent and nutrient properties, but as the outer brown skin sometimes causes irritation of the alimentary canal, they are blanched by removal of this skin when used for food. Though pleasant to the taste, their nutritive value is diminished unless well chewed, as they are difficult of digestion, and may in some cases induce an allergic reaction and feverishness. They have a special dietetic value, for besides containing about 20 per cent of proteins, they contain a low amount of starch and are often used in baked goods for diabetic patients.

On expression they yield nearly half their weight in a bland fixed oil, which is employed medicinally for allaying acrid juices, softening and relaxing solids, and in bronchial diseases, in tickling coughs, hoarseness, costiveness, nephritic pains, etc.

When Almonds are pounded in water, the oil unites with the fluid, forming a milky juice -

Almond Milk - a cooling, pleasant drink, which is prescribed as a diluent in acute diseases, and as a substitute for animal milk: an ounce of Almonds is sufficient for a quart of water, to which gum arabic is in most cases a useful addition. The pure oil mixed with a thick mucilage of gum arabic, forms a more permanent emulsion; one part of gum with an equal quantity of water being enough for four parts of oil. Almond emulsions possess in a certain degree the emollient qualities of the oil, and have this advantage over the pure oil, that they may be given in acute or inflammatory disorders without danger of the ill effects which the oil might sometimes produce by turning rancid. Sweet Almonds alone are employed in making emulsions, as the Bitter Almond imparts its peculiar taste when treated in this way.

Blanched and beaten into an emulsion with barley-water, Sweet Almonds are of great use in the stone, gravel, strangury and other disorders of the kidneys, bladder and biliary ducts.

By their oily character, Sweet Almonds sometimes give immediate relief in heartburn. For this, it is recommended to peel and eat six or eight Almonds.

Almonds are also useful in medicine for uniting substances with water. Castor oil is rendered palatable when rubbed up with pounded Almonds and some aromatic distilled water.

The fixed Oil of Almonds is extracted from both Bitter and Sweet Almonds. If intended for external use, it must, however, be prepared only from Sweet Almonds.

The seeds are ground in a mill after removing the reddish-brown powder adhering to them and then subjected to hydraulic pressure, the expressed oil being afterwards filtered and bleached, preferably by exposure to light.

Magical Uses- This herb is used in money magick. You can use oil, wash or incense to anoint magickal wands or ritual candlesticks. Almond wood can also make excellent wands, especially for use in love magick. Placing almonds, leaves and wood in your pocket may be used to lead you to treasures.

Culinary Uses- Used in cakes, to make milk, to make oil, added to foods. In closing the Almond has many different uses and tastes great!

This concludes lesson #5

Thank you for reading! We hope that you found this lesson informative and as always you can contact us here or on Fb @ facebook.com/triplemoonministries with any questions or comments.

text by Kaeli A. with credit to Earthwitchery.com and Botanical.com

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