Wild garlic ~ Allium ursinum
This perennial plant usually grows in large swathes of carpet in damp woodlands, fenlands, and by rivers. You can easily detect wild garlic - often before you see it! - by the smell in the air. It is a wild relative of chives, and is also known as Ramsons, Wood Garlic, Broad Leaved Garlic, and my favourite - Bear Garlic - as described by its binomial name. It has broad, flat leaves, and white star-shaped flowers with six segments.
The English naturalist William Turner in 1548 knew the plant as Ramsey, with the town in Cambridgeshire (just down the road from my mum! ) sharing its name, along with Ramsbottom in Lancashire (where my sister used to live!) meaning “Ramson valley”.
Its leaves have grown up through the ground now, and it will be in full flower in April and May. It is used to make pesto, pancakes, soups, stews, rissoles, and anything else you would use garlic for. Its leaves are delicious in sandwiches, and you can eat the flowers, which are stronger than the leaves.
The word ‘ramsons’ was a metaphor for bitterness in Irish folklore, but this plant was valued there, where bulbs were planted in the thatch of cottages to deter faeries. Churches were once decorated with wild garlic on the feast day of St. Alphege (19th April), which must have scented the church as it has such a strong smell.
It was once believed that wild garlic scared away venomous creatures such as snakes, and that it could be used medicinally to treat snake bites. Chewing the plant before a race was said to ensure victory, and a similar belief was held for battle.
Considered a great healer by the Celts, it is often used in healing spells, and of course has the protective qualities of any garlic. It is often associated with the magical correspondences of bear medicine due to its name.
Magickal Correspondences for Wild Garlic:
Strength
Wisdom
Healing
Action
Power
Spiritual connection
Familial bonds
Strength
Wisdom
Healing
Action
Power
Spiritual connection
Familial bonds
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