Herbs Of The Sun, Moon & Planets

Yes, you read the title correctly, and are no doubt wondering how there can be any herbs growing on any of the other heavenly bodies of our solar system.

- Steve Andrews

As far as scientists know there are none but that didn’t stop the ancient herbalists like Nicholas Culpeper assigning herbs to planetary rulers. In astrological terms each planet has a corresponding deity with a number of characteristics. This meant that a plant that had associations with love, such as the rose, was a herb of Venus, the goddess of Love, while herbs with something aggressive about them would be likely candidates for being under the dominion of Mars the god of War.

Herbs ruled by the Sun often have flowers coloured golden yellow, such as those of the St John’s Wort and the Sunflower. The first of these herbs is harvested at midsummer, a time at which there is maximum sunlight, and its flowers are star like. The Sun, of course, is a star. The Sunflower’s petals radiate out around a central disk just like the rays of the sun. The Chamomile doesn’t have yellow flowers but its white petals radiate out around a central yellow disk and so this herb is also regarded as ruled over by the Sun.

The Mistletoe is ruled by the Sun as well, and was traditionally gathered by Druids using a golden sickle at the time of the Winter Solstice. If they found the plant growing as a parasite of the Oak it was regarded as even more potent as a magical herb.

Herbs of the Moon have something to do with the night about them, or they have white flowers or sap, or perhaps they have rounded leaves, which could remind us of the full moon. The White Water Lily is one such herb and the Wild Lettuce is another. The second of these plants has a milky white sap or latex, which when dried is used as “lettuce opium.” The Jasmine is another herb ruled by the Moon. It has white flowers and its perfume is strongest at night.