Symbolic Herbs

Symbolic herbs, also known as charm herbs, are plants from old folk belief that were used against so-called "invoked" ailments. These were complaints not explained naturally, but attributed to bewitchment, curses or evil words.

The term does not come from the modern German word Beruf (occupation), but from old expressions such as berufen or beschreien, meaning to bewitch or curse. In folk medicine, these herbs were used for washes, baths, smoke cleansing or small rituals to ward off harmful influences.

Typical symbolic herbs include, besides fleabane (Erigeron spp.), toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica), kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), hedge woundwort (Stachys recta), baneberry (Actaea spicata), common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) and hyssop-leaved germander (Teucrium hyssopifolium).

Today, symbolic herbs are of particular interest for ethnobotanical and historical gardens. They connect folk medicine, superstition and plant knowledge, and fit well into medicinal herb gardens, cottage gardens or themed beds with a cultural-historical focus.