LICORICE ROOT
Few herbs carry a magical résumé as long or as varied as Glycyrrhiza glabra, commonly known as licorice root. Known across traditions by folk names including Sweet Root, Lacris, Reglisse, and Yashtimadhu, licorice has been used in Hoodoo, Conjure, and traditional European sorcery, making it a worthy addition to any witch's arsenal.
Its sacred history stretches back to the ancient world, and some of the earliest evidence of licorice use comes from Egyptian tombs of pharaohs. In 1923, archaeologists discovered a large amount of well-preserved licorice in the tomb of Tutankhamun. That the root was buried among royal treasures demonstrates without a doubt that this was a plant so valuable, respected, and beloved that it was deemed necessary for the journey into the afterlife.
Licorice root falls under the planetary rulership of Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter — a triple correspondence that encodes its powers of persuasion and communication, its ties to desire and attraction, and its long reputation as a mental and physical restorative.
In rootwork, licorice is valued for the breadth of its applications: love and attraction, spiritual protection, prosperity drawing, and above all commanding work, where it lends particular force to any spell aimed at bending a situation or person to one's will. In matters of the heart and loins, licorice root covers considerable ground: love sachets, lust workings, fidelity spells, and charms for sexual potency all call on it. The versatility of licorice root has a binding, amplifying quality that makes it less a specialist than a magnifier, deepening the force of whatever working it joins.
Whether commanding a reluctant heart, petitioning the planets, or accompanying a pharaoh into eternity, the sweet root is a powerful ally.
Licorice root, toasted tonka bean, and cardamom.
Proceeds from this 5ml perfume oil will be donated to Juntos, a “community-led, Latine immigrant organization in South Philadelphia fighting for our human rights as workers, parents, youth, and immigrants.”