Banishing Herbs: 9 Herbs to Make Bad Juju Be Gone

Ah, banishing herbs.  There’s nothing like sending an icky vibe, a difficult person, or a bad habit on its way.  Used with intention, banishing herbs are meant to do just that. 

So, let’s take a look at some of the most common banishing herbs and some creative ways to use them in your magic.

What is banishing?

Banishing is the magical art of moving something along. 

Like other forms of magic, banishing acts on intangible influences rather than literal objects or people.  However, the overall effect may impact the relevant parties or things.   

For example, in theory, if you banish the intangible influence of temptation, it may indirectly result in less time spent with your friend who also eats too much chocolate when you get together.

In general, banishing is best done during the dark or waning moon.

Pine Needles

The fresh scent of pine is an ideal spell component for clearing negative energy from the home.  Boil a pot of water and place a handful of pine needles on your stove to clear your home of residual bad vibes or to calm moodiness in the home.

Sage

Sage is a great, all-purpose banishing herb.  However, it’s especially useful for banishing bad habits.  Carry a spell bag with dried sage and a piece of garnet when you’re trying to break a negative cycle in your life.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is an extremely versatile spice for protection.  It can be eaten, burned, or steeped in water.

The essential oil should be used with extreme caution because it irritating to the skin.  However, it makes a great addition to essential oil blends to be added to love spells.

Dragon’s Blood

Dragon’s blood may be used to both attract and repel love interests, depending on your intentions and the context of the spell.  To banish unwanted romantic interest, write the name of the person on a piece of paper.  Fold the paper into thirds with a piece of dragon’s blood inside and burn it in your fireplace, cauldron or in a bonfire.

Oak

Oak doesn’t suffer foolishness.  Leave oak leaves on the altar to banish confusion or difficulty thinking clearly when trying to make an important life decision. 

Garlic

You know those cheesy vampire flicks?   The ones with the undead vampires that shrink and wilt when the heroine shoves garlic in their faces? 

That campy storyline is descended from a long tradition of European folklore.

Use garlic in kitchen witch spells and serve it up at the dinner table to help banish bad vibes from domestic life.

Cedar

There’s a reason your grandmother put her wool in her cedar chest, and it’s not just to keep the insects away.  

All parts of the cedar tree—-leaves, roots, bark and stem—are excellent for dispelling negative energy. 

Especially the kind that creeps in when you’re not looking.

Mugwort

The sacred mugwort plant has many uses in modern magic.

In the context of banishing, it’s fantastic for banishing nightmares and nighttime anxiety.  Burn some in your bedroom during the dark moon.  Then, open all the windows to air out bad vibes.  

Rosemary

The pointy leaves of rosemary betray its reputation for thwarting psychic attack.

If you aren’t comfortable with more combative forms of magic, a banishing spell with rosemary is a nice alternative because it’s primarily defensive.  

Think of rosemary like a spike strip.  It’s nasty, but it’s not aggressive.  A person with bad intentions must willfully cross the line to be ensnared by it.

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Sources & References

Claims Based on Documented Sources

• Banishing as a magical practice and intention-based ritual: Documented in contemporary witchcraft and pagan spiritual literature
• Pine needles for energy clearing: Traditional use in folk magic and herbal practices
• Sage for banishing habits and cleansing: Documented in modern witchcraft, shamanic traditions, and herbal magic practices
• Cinnamon for protection and versatile magical use: Recognized in culinary and herbal magic traditions
• Dragon’s blood resin for attraction and repulsion magic: Documented in contemporary spell work and magical herbalism
• Oak for clarity and dispelling confusion: Traditional folklore and botanical magical correspondences
• Garlic in European folklore and protective magic: Documented in historical European traditions and folk practices
• Cedar for dispelling negative energy: Traditional use in indigenous and contemporary spiritual practices
• Mugwort for banishing nightmares and anxiety: Documented in historical herbalism and modern witchcraft traditions
• Rosemary for thwarting psychic attack: Recognized in herbalism, folklore, and defensive magic practices
• Waning moon timing for banishing work: Documented in lunar magic and pagan ritual practices

Claims Based on Personal Practice & Experience

• Effectiveness of banishing herbs in spell work from 20+ years of pagan community observation (Lumina Indigo)
• Practical applications and creative uses for banishing herbs from kitchen witch expertise and culinary magic experience
• Client results and observable effects of banishing work from 20+ years of professional tarot reading and magical practice
• Observed effectiveness of specific herbs in banishing intentions from professional magical consultation
• Integration of banishing herbs into daily magical practice from kitchen witch and culinary magic background
• Understanding of herbal correspondences and magical properties from 20+ years of spiritual practice and community engagement
• Effectiveness verification from teaching and guidance within the modern pagan community

Recommended Reading

• Cunningham, Scott. Magical Herbs: A Practical Guide (2005)
• Herbal correspondences, magical properties, folk uses, and spell applications for herbs including pine, sage, cinnamon, oak, garlic, cedar, mugwort, and rosemary
• Starhawk. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess (1999)
• Banishing, circle work, moon magic, and practical witchcraft practices within modern pagan traditions

About the Author

Lumina Indigo founded Moody Moons in 2012 and brings 20+ years of experience with the modern pagan community to her writing and practice. She is a professional tarot reader and kitchen witch specializing in in-depth research and reporting on contemporary spirituality. Her work integrates practical magical applications with traditional herbalism and culinary magic expertise.

Note

This article explores banishing herbs and their traditional magical uses from a practitioner’s perspective, presenting documented folklore and contemporary witchcraft practices alongside personal experience with these materials. The herb suggestions are based on traditional correspondence systems and modern magical practice rather than scientific evidence. Results from magical practice vary based on practitioner intent, belief, and proper execution of spellwork.