Who does not like a book dedicated to modern witchcraft and magickal herbs that discusses the secret, inner wisdom of these subjects and add in what they can teach us and how to use them in our practice. This book was perfect for me, as a very spiritual person and as someone who values the use and properties of herbs in everyday and magickal life, and I really enjoyed what this book had to offer. This book would make an excellent gift too!

Being a huge fan of herbalism, I knew this book would be right up my street. The illustrations are beautiful and the descriptions are brilliant.

A lovely resource to keep around!
I have enjoyed reading it, however it might not be the standard from front to cover type of read, more of a handy resource.
I would definitely recommend for anyone interested.

This book is the type of book you keep around to look things up for reference. It's good to have books like this around when working with new things. Very helpful.

This is a book that I found reading sporadically, it’s very interesting and full of knowledge but definitely more of a “dictionary” type of vibe

This book was a wonderful, educational read.

While the ebook formatting was a little off-kilter and difficult to decipher, at first, things seemed to smooth out and the knowledge was able to be had. I'm not totally complaining, or taking stars off for the formatting, as I'm grateful to have been able to receive an ARC of this!

Right from the beginning, I really loved the section "Herbs as sentient partners in magick." I'm an animist and believe all things, including plants and herbs, have a spirit, so this section was especially helpful to my path. I appreciated the scientific backup that was present in this section as well - always love when spiritual thoughts can be backed up with hard science!

Having a chapter on sustainability also made my through the roof excited! Herbcrafting is a wondeful part of witchcraft, but without being responsible, can lead to horrific outcomes for Mama Earth, I'm glad that the author and publisher are responsible and speak on this thoroughly.

Of course there had to be a chapter on kitchen witchery, but I was so pleased to see recipes that I hadn't seen elswhere and while I haven't tried them yet, I'm looking forward to doing some more cooking with these recipes!

The second section on herbs was helpful, and I can't wait to purchase a hard copy of the book so that I'll have this right there, right when I need to look up an herb!

There is so much information, I know this review can't cover all the ways this book is amazing and needs to be on every witch's shelf!!

I wonderful overview on herbal magick. This book covers the history of herbs medically and magically, the various types of herbal preparations and herbs natural connection to magic. It also delves into the many herbal correspondences to help you layer your rituals and spells, including planetary and seasonal correlations. There is a section on planting and caring for your own herb garden whether grown inside in pots or in an outdoor plot. There are sections on kitchen magic and culinary herbs, essential to separates those safe for human consumption. The are many recipes/spells for infusing you cooking with magic. There are also spells for beauty, love, prosperity, divination and healing. There is also more heavily magical sections on rituals tools, alter setting and the traditional "dark magic"/poisonous herbs, which is perfect for the more serious practitioner and I found particularly interesting. Finally, there's a glossary of 100 herbs that covers their history, traditional uses and magical correlations.
I found this book easy to absorb and entertaining to read. Most impressively, it was able to cover such a wide variety of topics with enough depth that you felt you got a grasp of the topics and gained a great starting off point for further research if you were so inclined. More than just a skim or introduction on topics, but some real substance!

This book is fantastic. This book is a lovely resource on herbs. There are witchy uses for herbs, the history, medicinal and culinary uses of herbs, as I well as growing and harvesting the herbs. This book is too good not to have as a resource on your shelf. As a practicing green witch even I learned some new things.

From GoodReads )

Incorporate herbs into spells, rituals, and divination with this all-inclusive guide to the benefits of using herbal magic in witchcraft.

From creating potions to using dried herbs in rituals, herbal magic is a natural way to practice witchcraft. Herbs can be used in many different ways to help set the intention through every part of a witch’s process.

In The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs, learn everything you need to use the most powerful herbs and use them as an essential part of your practice. Including information on which herbs are best for what kinds of spells, how to use herbs in divination and rituals, and step-by-step guides to making herbal bundles, potions, and sprays, this guidebook has all the important facts to make your herbal witchcraft a success.

Jam-packed with herbal ideas, this guide is perfect for both beginners and experienced witches looking to incorporate more herbs into their practice. Beautiful and functional, it is easy to navigate and offers a detailed guide to herbal magic!


What I thought) A witch always needs a good guide on herbs and this is a really good one. :)

I really loved this, I'm trying to use more natural ingredients and to even grow some of my own herbs. I love the more modern take on it as well

Herbs have long been used to perform "magic". From chewing mint leaves for stomach ache to chamomile to calm, our mothers and grandmothers did not have access to drug stores so they used what was available and learned from their mothers and grandmothers how to keep their family healthy and happy. I had never seen a book focused on how modern witchcraft utilizes herbs in their craft so this was a look into another use for my home grown herbs. This book will stay in my kitchen while I experiment and learn. Judy Ann Nock deserves more than 5 stars but that's all they give us!

I am all about the herbs and this one is a great detailed list to add to your collection. I loved the layout as well as the attention to detail.

This book is utterly fantastic. What a wonderful guide to using herbs with magick. This will be a staple on my shelf with my other similar books. Would highly recommend it.

The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs is a interesting book on herbs. The written is good and There is some good information on herbs.

This is recommended to those who have an interest in Kitchen/green witchcraft. I am not a practitioner, but I do enjoy reading and learning about the craft. This book is full of information on herbs, their association and ways to incorporate them into everyday life. Focusing on the history of herbalism, the herbs themselves and rituals and spells this is an excellent source for anyone discovering herbs for the first time. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always fancied myself as a bit of a wich and now I have the book to guide me. A fascinating tale into the world of herbs. A very insightful and informative read.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.
My review opinion is my own. I highly recommend this book.

This is a must read for all who practice their magic with herbs and all who want to learn more about herbal use, the history of and the magical properties of herbs. I found this extraordinarily helpful in my personal limited knowledge of basic herb use. This will expand your education for witches and non witches alike.

The author has given the reader the scope of the history of herbs which is critical knowledge for all of us who practice with herbs. I enjoyed learning so much more then I ever imagined. You will find yourself incorporating new herbs and new spells with this knowledge. You may even be planning a new spring garden. She has included the basics of using herbs with wonderful receipes i found very fun and helpful to my personal practice. The book then delves into magical and medicinal properties. To summarize I found this extraordinary in scope and very useful for my personal use. I highly recommend this book,

Lovely resource not just on the witchy ways of herbs, but on the history, medicinal and culinary uses, and growing/harvesting as well. Nock is a good writer and infuses this book with lovely descriptions and sentiments, as well as a handful of ideas for rituals, potions and magical objects.

This is definitely one of the best and most useful craft-related books I’ve picked up thus far, and I really recommend it to anyone interested in green and/or kitchen witchcraft! It details pretty heavily on both, as herbal magic is incredibly important in both walks of life (and to be fair, many green witches are also hearth/kitchen witches, and vice-versa). The other most notable thing I appreciate is that this isn’t a book for beginners or seasoned witches; it fits both quite easily and I think anyone could find something worth learning or considering here.

The book kicks off with a bit of history into the art of herbal magic and some basic definitions of different types of herbs, the difference between herbs and spices, and so forth. There’s a whole section on gardening and giving back to the earth, including a super informative how-to guide on building your own indoor or outdoor compost! There’s also a healthy amount of information on the history of how different cultures have approached herbal magic, whether it’s the Ayurvedic route, Traditional Chinese Medicine, or even Culpeper (considered by many to be the first general practitioner) and the ways he merged herbs with science.

For the aspects on kitchen craft, there are some great general tips as well as ideas for ways you can make teas, tonics, etc. Part II features an index of 100 herbs with illustrations, correspondences, and uses, before moving on to Part III, which features a long line of spells split into chapters related to their purposes such as divination, luck, etc. (including a chapter on dangerous herbs to avoid).

The only complaint I have about this entire book is that the beginning focuses a fair bit on “the law of three”, which if you’re unfamiliar with it, states that everything we do returns to us threefold, so we must only put positivity and light out into the universe. While that’s a major facet of the Wiccan belief system, this isn’t marketed as a Wiccan book (to my knowledge), and many non-Wiccan witches such as myself don’t necessarily abide by the law of three. I’m not particularly bothered by its inclusion, but I thought it was worth mentioning in this review! Honestly, though, like I said: this is one of my favorite books on witchcraft I’ve ever read, and I’ll definitely be grabbing myself a physical copy to flip through for referencing and spells in the future!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Blog: Flying the Hedge
Posted on: December 5, 2019
Link: https://www.flyingthehedge.com/2019/12/book-review-modern-witchcraft-magickal-herbs.html
Review: "Time for another book review witches and I am so excited to share this one with you! I just finished The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs by Judy Ann Nock and I am in love! This is one of the best witchcraft herbal books I have ever read in all of my life. Yes, it's better than Cunningham. Blasphemy, I know.

Nock begins the book by breaking down common uses of herbs, from medicine to gardening to cooking, with magical correspondences sprinkled throughout. I absolutely loved all the little historical asides, myths, and folklore on the different herbs or uses she was discussing. These asides offer a glimpse into the past and offer a deeper understanding of how magical traditions regarding plants developed over time and why we have many of the magical correspondences we do today. To add to my love, Nock also takes a scientific approach to herbs, advising readers to be aware of reactions and always consult a physician or herbalist when using herbs.

In the section on gardening, which is one of my favorites, Nock introduces "sacred sustainability," or the idea that we should live and harvest sustainably and that this act is sacred in and of itself. This resonated with me as an environmental science teacher and as a witch. She discusses creating your own magical garden as well as how to create your own compost with a magical spin. Her discussion of compost and how creating it is a magical act tied to the Wheel of the Year, the Elements, and the Triple Goddess was deeply profound. I honestly had never thought about compost as being magical, but after reading her explanation, I'm converted. If anything, she taught me at that moment to recognize the magic in even the most mundane of acts. She evens offers an amazing composting ritual to do when you begin your gardening journey. I've never been so excited to create compost in my entire life. Haha!

She follows up with a great section on kitchen witchery, which, while short, introduces the idea that cooking is a magical act. This section could have been longer, but there are lots of great books on the topic out there and I believe Nock was just trying to briefly introduce the subject to peak interest. The following chapter covers herbs in wellness. Here, she breaks down the different schools of thought on treating disease. I was thankful she pointed out some of the flaws of homeopathy but would have liked to have seen more in this section explaining the controversy behind it. Homeopathy is based on the idea that like cures like and through dilution we make a cure more powerful. There is ZERO, and I mean ZERO, scientific evidence to support homeopathy, which is very different from naturopathy and other holistic forms of medicine. But I digress. This is definitely an argument for another time.

Following this introduction to the uses of herbs comes a beautifully illustrated section covering 100 herbs and their history, associations, and magical uses. I would have liked to have seen this section fleshed out a little more, especially regarding the history, but fully understand that to cover each herb in such detail would take many a book. Despite this, the section is great and offers some new information, even for me! I look forward to seeing the illustrations in the physical copy. They are beautiful in the electronic copy I read, so I can only imagine they are even better in person.

Part 2 is all about using herbs in magical workings. Her uses and suggestions are new and inventive and have given me so many ideas for future spells. This is the first time in at least 2 years that I have read through spells and been like, "Oh! How thoughtful and inspiring! I am going to use this!" Her spells cover everything from self-care, luck, love, divination, shadow work, and healing. Nock also offers suggestions on how herbs can be used as magical tools and on your altar. There is mention in this book of the Rule of Three, but it was so brief that it didn't turn me off from the rest of the book. There is so much more to this book than Wicca.

I can't even begin to stress how much I loved this book. In fact, I went ahead and preordered a copy because I just had to have the physical copy to make notes in. If you only purchase one book this year, make sure its this one. It is an absolute must-read for all witches, new or not. The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs by Judy Ann Nock will be available on December 10, 2019, so preorder your copy today!"