Using Elemental & Magical Frameworks for Daily Herbal Formulation – Herbalism Series

In today’s post, I share an approach to herbal formulation that basically combines western magical systems (like the seven-element system) with herbal formulation and crafting herbal blends.  This is essentially a synthesis of magical frameworks and herbal practices. A version of this article recently appeared in Plant Healer Quarterly‘s Spring 2024 issue :).  This is also part of my herbalism series of posts, for more on this series, please visit my Herbalism and Magical Herbalism page.

One of the distinguishing factors that separate traditional schools of herbalism around the globe is their different uses of elemental or cosmological frameworks.  Some of the most common frameworks in herbalism include the traditional Western four-element system (earth, air, fire, water), the three doshas of Ayurveda (vata – air/space; pitta – fire/water; kapha – earth/water), or the five elements present in Traditional Chinese Medicine (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal). These basic frameworks tie not only to traditional ways that humans orient and categorize all matter in the world but also to how our constitutions or issues of illness manifest within ourselves. There are numerous other systems out there who use some combination of three, four, five, seven, nine, or twelve elements or themes to create what are essentially magical roadmaps that help classify and explain both the world around us and the world within us.

These frameworks are a way to take the complexity of matter and spirit and put it into an accessible system that can be worked, adapted, and understood. They are not always perfect, and there are always fuzzy edges and overlap. And yet, the foundations of these systems work because they have endured for thousands of years, having been passed down through the herbal wisdom of countless cultures. That’s because what they are really doing is working with us on the level of our subconscious: they are archetypes of matter and spirit that we experience every day. These systems are made up of symbols: symbols are simplified things (e.g. a word, an image) that stand in for something else or represent it, usually a set of much more nuanced and complex concepts. Symbols help us interpret and understand the world.  What these kinds of frameworks do is to offer a simplified and systematic way to represent the world through the language of symbols.

As an herbalist, you may already be working with such a framework—usually these frameworks can help us understand a person’s underlying temperament, the temperament of plants, and the temperaments of illnesses.  But what I have found is that they can also be used very productively for creating balanced herbal formulations: both for medicine of the body and medicine of the spirit. Thus, I will describe how these ancient frameworks can be used to craft powerful healing herbal formulations, with an emphasis on using herbs for long-term health and daily herbal blends.

Selecting an Energetic or Magical Framework

Perhaps you already work with one of the above frameworks in your herbalism: a four-element framework coming out of Traditional Western Herbalism, the five Chinese elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine, or the three Doshas from Ayurveda. If you have a spiritual practice or practice occultism, you may also already be working with a framework from your tradition. Some frameworks beyond the herbal ones include the five-element or seven-element framework (expanded from the traditional four elements including either one or three aspects of spirit); the Cabala (Tree of Life), the three worlds of Celtic mythology, the nine Norse worlds on Yggdrasil (Tree of Life), the nine planets, or the twelve signs of the zodiac.  Each of these frameworks represents some complex system (the human body, the earth, the heavens) and each offers a rich history and tradition to explore.

As a traditional Western herbalist and a druid heavily influenced by druidry as a tradition of nature spirituality descending from the British Isles, I follow a lineage that works working with an expanded understanding of four elements that come to us by way of Ancient Greece, Persia, and Tibet. Thus, I will use an expanded version of that system—one that I work with every day as a druid—as a model in this article as a sample system.

Sample Framework: The Seven Element System

In ancient Persia around 600 BCE, the philosopher Zarathustra (Zoroaster) first documented the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. He described the four elements as “sacred” and “essential for the survival of all living beings and therefore should be venerated and kept free from any contamination.” Several centuries later, in ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote about the four classical elements as “roots” (450 BCE) and he was likely the first author to attribute “spirit” to an element as well.  He called spirit quintessence.  In Egypt a few centuries later, Hermes Trismegistus through the Hermetica also explored fire, water, air, and earth—and with his texts of much occult philosophy that later became known as hermeticism. These ancient roots identified a system that is so useful and practical that it has survived in many different forms to the present day. This ancient elemental lineage continues to be taught in many schools of herbalism today.

The following chart offers just one of many connections of the four elements to aspects of the world and the human body.

Earth is the element tied to the solidity of form—to mountains, clay, stone, trees, and what classical writers would call “the firmament.” In our bodies, Earth represents the physical bones and structure of our body, the flesh itself. Earth is often tied to qualities of grounding, stability, strength and perseverance and in traditional western herbalism this is tied to the Melancholic temperament.

Air is the element tied to the wind, sky, clouds, and the rustle of leaves that blow in the breeze. In our bodies, the air is in the lungs and each breath we take, as well as in the sharpness of our minds. Air is tied to qualities of clarity, cheerfulness and optimism. Air is tied to the Sanguine temperament.

Fire is the element tied to the energy of the fire—the sun at noon, the heat of the summer, and the energy that is found in all of us. In our bodies, fire is both our vitality and our blood.  Fire is tied to qualities of leadership, ambition, and direction and is associated with the Choleric temperament.

Water is the element tied to the energy of the hydrologic cycle: rivers, springs, rain, clouds, oceans.  In our bodies it represents many of the fluids in our own bodies as well as our emotions. Water is tied to qualities of patience, empathy, and being easygoing and is associated with the Phlegmatic temperament.

These four elements are pretty well known, and can be very useful as a place to start.  When I began elemental herbal formulation, I used them fairly extensively.

The tradition of druidry that I practice by way of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (aoda.org) adds three aspects of spirit—which I find particularly useful for herbal formulation, particularly for daily herbal blends. These aspects are:

Spirit above / Solar Current:  The Solar current is tied to the sun, the life bringer in our solar system—the light of the sun reflects off of the nine planets, and the path of the sun is responsible for our seasons, climate, and all life on earth. The Solar current in nature is connected with the sky clouds, birds, or the peaks of the tallest mountains. The Solar current is the energy—physical and metaphysical—that comes from the sun, our ultimate source of life. Additionally, I have found that certain plants also can draw and radiate solar energy quote effectively—Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, dominant in the spring); St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum, dominant in at midsummer), and Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis, dominant in the fall) are three such plants. Solar energy, being directly tied to the sun, changes based on the position of the sun in the sky on a daily basis.

Spirit below/ Telluric Current: The deep energy of the earth herself is another core current of energy that we have in the world. The word “Telluric” refers to the energy of planet earth, both gravity and earth’s molten core. The name comes from the ancient Roman goddess Tellus, the goddess who was the earth herself, also know as “terra mater.” The movement of the tectonic plates that drive and shape the overall landforms and waterforms on the earth, the gravity that holds us to the planet and holds a breathable atmosphere, the energy from ancient springs, and even the great soil web of earth are all tied to the telluric current.

Spirit within/ The Lunar Current: The energy that happens when we bring these two great currents of the sun and the earth together—we get the spark of life, the ability for life to begin and life to exist here on this beautiful planet.  This is the moment when the seed germinates and sprouts, this is the spark of life that animates each of us. We each carry this spark within us from the day we are born until it goes out the day we die.

Here is a chart that depicts the seven elements and their ties to human qualities:

This elemental framework is the one that I use on a daily basis in both my spiritual practices and daily life, and over time, I realized it would be a very useful approach to create herbal formulation blends that offered a balance of energy for both the body and spirit.

The Elements in Herbal Formulations and Long-term Herbal Blends

While there are so many outstanding theories for herbal formulation, many of them are primarily rooted in the pragmatic needs of the person: considering what herbs might work best for the person, based on both their temperament as well as their specific situation.  And I think this method of formulation works wonderfully for acute conditions or short-term issues.

But, if we are thinking about using herbs to support long-term chronic issues and also to promote long-term well-functioning and a long life, then I would argue another approach may be more valuable: and this is where I turn to elemental formulations.  You can use any elemental system—and I’ll explore two examples below.

Daily Herbal Blends

As I see it, a daily formulation is something we are taking each day to strengthen the body, support health and well-being, and enhance longevity. These are not for acute issues or those where we need a lot of herbs fast, but rather for putting ourselves on herbs for maintenance mode, to prevent illness, and so on. I personally use an herbal blend to manage and treat chronic and long-term conditions like asthma, and also to support the immune system, fight the potential of getting cancer, and generally assist the body in being healthy in a world that is increasingly toxic and stressful. I work with many others in the same way: considering how herbs can be allies of health to strengthen the body, sharpen the mind, manage chronic conditions, and promote longevity.  Obviously, this is a very different approach than people may be used to in their experiences in allopathic medicine, but once they start taking their specifically formulated daily blends, they are often amazed by the power of plants and mushrooms as healing medicine.

Primarily, I have used this elemental formulation to establishing a regular practice of herbal use based on chronic conditions and/or long-term herbal needs. That is, I don’t really use this framework to address a specific acute condition, but rather, create blends of these for people based on the constitutional needs, medium-term goals for health and wellness, and to manage chronic conditions with herbal support.

I’ve crafted a wide range of these blends for people over time.  Generally, I create a long-term herbal blend using yet another druid-based spiritual framework: crafting blends for the turning wheel of the year, and the four seasons: thus, I will reevaluate the daily herbal blend and make adjustments and changes in the spring, summer, fall, and winter at regular intervals. This means that I do a new round of daily elemental herbal formulations around the spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, and winter solstice. This means that as I formulate and mix blends, I make enough for a three-month period for daily use, then reassess the needs of the individual and change the blend accordingly. Of course, I am also thinking in this formulation how the individual herbs may interact with each other and strengthen the overall blend.

We all have certain plants or mushrooms that we should be taking on a regular basis for the rest of our lives. For me, a family tradition of heart disease means that I take hawthorn every day as a preventative (Crataegus spp.).  I have been managing chronic Asthma for the last 15 years with New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), and since I want to live a long time and not get cancer (among many other benefits), I also regularly take double-extracted mushrooms such as Reishi and turkey tail—all of these five are abundant in my ecosystem or in my garden.  These four form the basis of the daily blend I craft for myself using the seven-element system. The other three herbs I add rotate based on the season: I may add alteratives in the spring (nettles, Urtica dioica), allergy support in the fall (Goldenrod) or general adaptogens and nervine support (Milky Oats (Avena sativa), Schisandra (Schisandra spp.) or even in the winter when I’m in my busiest season at work. Thus, using myself as an example, the blends I craft using this system often have some changes but there are always the core 3-4 plants and mushrooms I take every day.

But there are also plants and mushrooms that are my spiritual allies—and I may choose to include these in the daily blend (especially those in my ecosystem) over other options because of those relationships, which I’ve written about extensively on this blog.

Herbal Elemental Formulations

There are really multiple ways you can use the above framework for formulation.  What I like to do is to consider both the traditional elemental associations tied to certain plants based on anything from longstanding tradition (e.g. Culpeper’s or Grieve’s herbals) to using other principles like the doctrine of signatures or how the herb works upon specific body systems tied to the elements.  You can also look at what affinities a plant has, as many plants may have both general actions but specific affinities (e.g. Stinging Nettle has an affinity for the kidneys and adrenals, among others). Now, while you can get really in the weeds with this, I suggest as you are starting this process to use your knowledge, do research, and recognize it can take time to think about how you might assign specific elemental qualities to herbs.

To my understanding, the elemental system can work on multiple levels.  As I have used this approach, I recognize it as a framework to aid in thinking about the herbs and ultimately how a person may be using herbs in relationship to their mind, body, and spirit.

To see the art of elemental formulation in action, here are two samples of these elemental daily formulations using the seven element system:

Four-Element Formulation for an Elementary Teacher:  Here is a sample formulation using a four-element system crafted specifically for a client who worked in a school setting and who wanted daily immune support combined with support for an exhausting and draining work environment (which the pandemic made much worse):

• Air: Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata): to strengthen the mind and serve as a nervine; this is particularly useful for intellectual pursuits and focus and was particularly indicated for this person and their temperament having that strong type A personality. Since the primary function of this herb is to strengthen the mind, we are placing it in the air category.
• Fire: Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis): as an adaptogen to help bring balance to ease stress and bring good energy. In TCM, this berry is also associated with the vital life force, the inner fire.  We place this berry here in the realm of fire to assist in bringing energy and passion to the work.
• Water: Black Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis): for immune support. Elderberry is a plant that grows in damp, wet conditions and also is strongly protective for the immune system (which the teacher needs, given that elementary schools are often places that spread illnesses like colds, flus, etc.)
• Earth: Reishi (Ganoderma Tsugae): for a long and healthy life on the earth. This mushroom has innumerable benefits for our teacher, including being an adaptogen, offering immune support, serving as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, reduction of fatigue, supporting well-functioning and fighting cancer…among many other things. Mushrooms are often associated with the element of the earth; we also placed the Reishi here because our teacher has fond memories of finding these mushrooms in her favorite woods, and “getting into the earth.”

What we can see from the above list is that I was pretty flexible with how I assigned each herb to the four elements above for the school teacher.  In most cases, I considered a range of factors. The primary consideration was how the plant was functioning in relationship to the blend and to the person (e.g. why we were putting it into the blend based on the person’s needs) and what relationship the person has with that specific plant or need.  In some cases,  I also drew upon both traditional associations in materia medicas and occult texts and where the plant grows and what the plant looks like (doctrine of signatures).

            Seven Element Formulation for the Druid:  Here’s another sample formulation using the 7-element system that I crafted for myself this past winter. I use some version of this blend most of the with a core of 4 herbs and mushrooms based on my own chronic conditions and needs, and then a rotating cast of 3. I’ll share a more brief overview of these.

• Air: New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae): trophorestorative for the lungs; supports a healthy breathing, and keeps my chronic asthma fully under control; in 2023 also deals with smoke from wildfires and protects the lungs. Air is the obvious choice for this beautiful plant as she is focusing on lung health and the breath.
• Fire: Hawthorn (Crategus spp.): Support for my heart and to combat heart disease that runs in my family; offering solid protection for my emotional self. With fire’s association with the blood, I place Hawthorn in this blend here to bring vitality and keep the blood moving and my heart pumpking strong.
• Water: Black Elder (Sambuccus nigra): for immune support in my day job (and especially in trying to avoid getting COVID again), and for magical protection/connection to the world of spirit. Water in the druid tradition is associated with the otherworld, as is the mighty elder tree, who sits on the edges of the water to open and protect the gateways to spirit.
• Earth: Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor): I live in an area of the country with a lot of toxins and pollution from fracking wells and coal fired powerplants (earth-based issues), and Turkey Tail is the most abundant medicinal mushroom on our landscape. Thus, I work extensively with turkey tail as a primary herbal ally for the many benefits Turkey tail offers, not the least of which being to fight cancer and live a long life.
• Spirit Above: St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum). For uplifting the spirits and brightening the mood, connecting to the incredible yellow flowers that I harvested last summer solstice.  Johns sits in the position of spirit above to bring light and joy into my life in a otherwise demanding and dark time in my life and also a dark time of year.
• Spirit Below: Reishi (Ganoderma tsugae): for all the wonderful things Reishi does that I’ve already listed above. I also associate Reishi personally with the mycelial network and deep connection to earth itself; as a strong spirit ally for me, Reishi symbolizes my connection to the planet.
• Spirit Within: Wood Betony (Stachys betonica): Offering gentle nervine and trophorestorative action while connecting me to my creative practices, offering a way forward to be my best and most authentic self, and channel my inner light into the world. Wood betony has a specific action on the nervous system, allowing me to remain in a parasympathetic state where I can do my best creative work.  I also personally associate betony with my connection to the spiritual and magical traditions I practice, making it an outstanding choice for the center of my being.

One of the things you can see from the herbal blend I created for myself, compared to the one I created for someone else above, is how my own herbal blend is very much tied to my personal relationship with these plants and the way that I see them functioning in my life. This is what I mean about the four or seven elemental system being flexible—each person can meld the elemental system to their own needs to create herbal blends that offer balance, meaning, and good health.

Herbalism as a Magical and Spiritual Practice

Part of what I see the contribution of the above is ties directly to my practice of herbalism that connects with mind-body-spirit and sees herbalism as a metaphysical practice as well as a physical practice. Thus, the last part of this will talk a bit about the esoteric implications of using an elemental formulation blend when you are also doing some kind of regular ritual practice in the same framework.

I began to experiment with the traditional four element and expanded seven elemental frameworks for daily herbal formulations about five years ago when I was looking for connections to bridge my physical health with my spiritual practice.

As I briefly explained above, one of the core traditions of my spiritual practice is druidry, and in my druid tradition, we have a daily protective ritual that uses the seven-element framework for wisdom, balance, and protection.  This is specifically done through a ritual called the Sphere of Protection, taught through the Ancient Order of Druids in America among other places (which you can read more about here: https://aoda.org/publications/articles-on-druidry/introduction-to-the-sphere-of-protection/). For almost 20 years, I have done this ritual each day. This offers me energetic protection and balance throughout my day, and serves as a good way to begin my day in a state of peace.  The way it is taught in AODA is very flexible: each druid chooses what energies that they want to call on tied to the seven directions.  One can call on almost anything: seven planets, seven divine beings, seven animals, or seven trees.  Since I’m an herbalist, I began working on an herbal version of the Sphere of Protection to work with my closest plant allies.

After doing the herbal Sphere of Protection for a few months, I decided to use this to formulate my daily blend (before that time, I simply put herbs together for a daily blend without a framework).  I thought to myself–why not use this same framework to offer protection to my health and body using herbs as I take my nightly herbal blend?  Thus, in the same way that I would bring these things together to create a protective ritual, I bring these things together to create a daily protective and nourishing blend. Thus, by selecting seven herbs for daily blend that are tied to the above elemental framework, I can nourish mind, body, and spirit.

This way I bookend my day by connecting to the magical framework that offers me much in my life and have created, in essence, a ritual in a bottle of my herbs that I also take at night—this reinforces the magical work and carries it into the realm of dreams. When there are days that I can’t do my physical ritual (when I might be too sick to get out of bed), I can still take my daily blend and bring that work inside of me.

But the other thing that this allowed me to do was to meaningfully engage both physically and metaphysically with some of my most important plant, tree, and mushroom allies each day. This strengthens and deepens my connection to them and is a way of honoring their teachings and healing in my life.

As above, so below. As within, so without. To me, the more ways in which we can engage with these elemental frameworks, the more integrated they become within us, and the more we can use them to understand and shape our health and experience.

Conclusion

Using any elemental or magical system of representation in the world offers you a range of possibilities for herbalism practice.  While I’ve focused this article on herbal formulation, you can use the same principles in other methods:  for example, I’ve also been working a seven-element-based intake form to gather information from people I am working with and an approach to discussing health that considers these from that perspective (and I’m hardly the first person to do this kind of work).  I hope that this article inspires you!

References

Culpeper, Nicholas. Culpeper’s Herbal. Sterling Publishing Company, 2007.

Habashi, Fathi. “Zoroaster and the theory of four elements.” Bulletin for the History of Chemistry 25, no. 2 (2000): 109-115.

Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal, vol. II. Vol. 2. Courier Corporation, 2013.