The Herbs I Use Most Often In My Practice

The questions I get asked the most are around ingredients and specifically herbs and botanicals.

Whether I'm creating a ritual candle, preparing a spell jar, blending a ritual tea, or putting together one of the ritual pouches that accompanies my work, herbs are the first ingredients I include in the planning. Every plant carries its own symbolism and energy, and over time you begin to develop a relationship with them. Certain herbs naturally find their way into specific workings again and again.

Living in Australia also means we have access to an incredible range of both traditional magical herbs and native botanicals. Many of them grow easily in home gardens, making them accessible for anyone wanting to begin incorporating herbs into their own practice.

These are the herbs I use most often, what they represent, and some practical ways you can work with them.

Rosemary, The Herb I Never Run Out Of

If I could only keep one herb in my apothecary, it would probably be rosemary.

Purpose: Protection, cleansing, mental clarity, strength, remembrance and purification.

I use rosemary in protection rituals, cleansing work, clarity rituals and whenever I need to strengthen the energy of a working. Historically it has been associated with remembrance, purification and protection, which is why you'll find it appearing in countless magical traditions around the world.

When I'm creating a ritual for protection or release, rosemary almost always finds its way into it somewhere.

Practical Uses:

• Adding it to spell jars

• Burning it with other herbs during release rituals

• Including it in ritual pouches

• Placing it near entry points to the home

• Adding it to cleansing baths

• Dressing ritual candles

One of the reasons I love rosemary is its versatility. In many traditions it is considered a substitute for almost any magical herb when needed.

Lavender For Peace And Emotional Healing

Lavender is probably the herb I use most when creating rituals focused on emotional wellbeing.

Purpose: Peace, emotional healing, relaxation, sleep, self-love and calming anxious energy.

People often associate lavender with sleep, but I find it incredibly useful for calming emotional energy, creating peace after difficult periods, and bringing softness into situations that feel overwhelming.

When I create self-love candles or healing rituals, lavender is often included alongside rose petals.

Practical Uses:

• Ritual baths

• Dream pouches

• Healing spell jars

• Self-love rituals

• Candle work

• Ritual teas

Its scent alone can help shift the atmosphere of a space.

Sage For Clearing Energy

Few herbs are as widely recognised as sage.

Purpose: Cleansing, purification, renewal, wisdom, releasing stagnant energy and spiritual protection.

While it has become popular for smoke cleansing, I personally use sage as one tool among many for clearing stagnant or unwanted energy. Whenever I finish a ritual or complete a particularly heavy piece of work, I like to cleanse both the space and the tools before moving on.

Practical Uses:

• Smoke cleansing

• Protection pouches

• Ritual fires

• Home cleansing rituals

• Altar work

Sage helps create a clean energetic foundation before beginning any new working.

Bay Leaves For Manifestation

Bay leaves are one of my favourite ingredients because they are so simple to work with.

Purpose: Manifestation, prosperity, success, achievement, confidence and goal setting.

When creating manifestation rituals, abundance workings, or intention-setting ceremonies, I will often write a word or intention directly onto a bay leaf before incorporating it into the ritual.

Practical Uses:

• Manifestation rituals

• Abundance spell jars

• Prosperity bowls

• Intention-setting ceremonies

• Candle rituals

They are one of the easiest herbs for beginners to start working with.

Basil For Prosperity

Basil has long been associated with luck, success and prosperity.

Purpose: Wealth, abundance, luck, success, opportunity and harmony.

While many people think of basil as simply a culinary herb, it has a strong history in magical traditions associated with attracting prosperity and encouraging growth.

Practical Uses:

• Money bowls

• Prosperity spell jars

• Business rituals

• Wealth candles

• Opportunity and career workings

I often pair basil with cinnamon and chamomile when creating abundance-focused rituals.

Chamomile For Abundance And Peace

Chamomile is surprisingly powerful for abundance work and is often overlooked in magical practice.

Purpose: Prosperity, abundance, luck, peace, restful sleep and emotional balance.

Many people know chamomile as a calming tea, but in magical traditions it has also been strongly connected to attracting good fortune and encouraging positive outcomes.

Practical Uses:

• Ritual teas

• Prosperity rituals

• Sleep sachets

• Abundance spell jars

• Peace and healing work

Cinnamon For Momentum And Success

When the ritual requires abundance herbs, cinnamon is usually the first that comes to mind.

Purpose: Wealth, success, abundance, motivation, confidence and fast-moving energy.

I use cinnamon whenever I want to add momentum to a working. It has a strong, active energy that feels like movement and action.

Practical Uses:

• Money bowls

• Wealth rituals

• Candle dressing

• Abundance spell jars

• Business and career intentions

Combined with basil and chamomile, it creates a powerful prosperity blend.

Mugwort For Intuition And Dream Work

Mugwort has been used in magical traditions for centuries and remains one of the most respected herbs for intuition and spiritual awareness.

Purpose: Intuition, psychic awareness, dreams, divination, spiritual insight and inner guidance.

Whenever I'm creating a ritual connected to dreams, divination or inner guidance, mugwort is usually included.

Practical Uses:

• Dream sachets

• Intuition rituals

• Meditation work

• Ritual pouches

• Divination practices

Mugwort has a long history of being used to support visionary and spiritual practices.

Rose Petals For Self-Love And Healing

Rose petals are one of the most versatile ingredients I use.

Purpose: Self-love, compassion, emotional healing, beauty, friendship and heart-centred work.

Rose petals bring softness and healing to a ritual. They are not just for romantic love. I use them more often for self-worth, self-acceptance and reconnecting with personal power.

Practical Uses:

• Self-love rituals

• Ritual baths

• Healing candles

• Spell jars

• Altar offerings

They pair beautifully with lavender in emotional healing work.

Cloves For Protection And Personal Power

Cloves carry strong, protective energy and appear regularly in my rituals.

Purpose: Protection, courage, personal power, breaking stagnant energy and strengthening boundaries.

When someone is working through a period of major change, or needs support stepping into their own power, cloves are often included.

Practical Uses:

• Protection pouches

• Ritual fires

• Spell jars

• Boundary-setting rituals

• Home protection work

They bring strength and resilience to a working.

Peppermint For Clarity And Focus

Peppermint is another herb I use regularly.

Purpose: Mental clarity, focus, communication, energy and motivation.

Whenever a ritual is focused on clear thinking, decision-making or improving concentration, peppermint is often part of the blend.

Practical Uses:

• Ritual teas

• Study rituals

• Focus candles

• Workspace cleansing

• Motivation workings

Its fresh scent alone can help clear mental fog.

Australian Native Botanicals

Over the years I've become increasingly drawn to working with Australian botanicals.

There is something special about incorporating plants that grow in the landscape around us.

Lemon Myrtle

Purpose: Cleansing, renewal, positivity, fresh starts and uplifting energy.

I often associate lemon myrtle with clearing away what is no longer needed and creating space for new beginnings.

Eucalyptus

Purpose: Healing, protection, purification, resilience and clearing heavy energy.

Eucalyptus has long been associated with healing and purification and is one of the most recognisable Australian botanicals.

Tea Tree

Purpose: Cleansing, protection, healing and energetic purification.

Tea tree carries a strong association with clearing and restoring balance.

Wattle

Purpose: Growth, resilience, optimism, new beginnings and personal strength.

Wattle feels hopeful to me. It represents growth through challenges and finding strength in change.

Banksia

Purpose: Endurance, transformation, perseverance, stability and overcoming challenges.

Banksia is often associated with resilience and the ability to weather difficult seasons while continuing to grow.

While traditional magical correspondences for native plants are still evolving, many practitioners associate them with cleansing, resilience, healing, transformation and connection to place.

I find they bring a uniquely Australian energy to ritual work.

Start With What You Already Have

One thing I've learned over the years is that you do not need dozens of rare ingredients to begin working with herbs.

In fact, many of the most powerful herbs in my practice are sitting in the average kitchen cupboard.

Rosemary, basil, bay leaves, chamomile, cinnamon and cloves have all been used in magical traditions for generations.

The key is understanding their symbolism and working with clear intention.

Every herb tells a story. Every herb carries a purpose. When combined with intention and action, they become powerful tools for personal transformation and ritual practice.