If you have a spell and you don't have all the ingredients, you may be able to swap out one thing for another. Check this list to see if you can substitute your hard-to-find item with something easier to obtain. Make sure you research your substitutions to make sure they really are what you're looking for and listen to your own intuition. Herbs can be used for different purposes and it's a good idea to thoroughly research the herb you're trying to substitute to determine its purpose in the spell and then thoroughly research potential substitutes for true compatibility. You can't just swap out one thing for another without really considering its purpose.
If you can't find what you're looking for here, find out the planetary correspondence of the item you're looking to substitute and visit that planet's page as a starting point. Ingredients that correspond to the same planet carry similar energies and can sometimes be used for the same purpose in a spell.
Keep in mind that these substitutions are for magic and spellwork only and should not be relied upon for healing or culinary use.
Sources and More Information:
- The Complete Guide to Oils, Incense and Brews, by Scott Cunningham
- Magickal Ingredient Substitutions from Zindoki.com
How can we improve this section?
What is the substitution for oak?
It depends what you're using the Oak for, but Oak is a Jupiter tree, so I would think another Jupiter tree would be the way to go.
What is a substitute for vervain
It depends what you're using the Vervain for, but it's a Venus plant and you could probably find a suitable substitute from among the family of Venus plants.
what would be a substitute for cinnamon though? I'm allergic to it and it is widely used in many spells :(
It depends what you're using it for. It's a Fire herb, so most fire herbs will work. Allspice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, depending on the application any of these could work.
what could be a substitute for lemon peel?
Lemon grass
What are other substitutes for patchouli and vetivert?
(Thanks in advance :))
Nice list!
What would be the substitute for dried and crushed to powder snakes head?…thinking of gooferdust..
I might try Fritillaria based on name alone, but for some reason Equisetum arvense speaks to me for this purpose.
Shed Snake skin is the substitution for that.
Are there any substitutions for Eyebright (euphrasia)?
Please be careful with juniper . This isn't the only reason but….ted bundy used juniper trees to hide his last corpse and she has never been found. A blessing or cleansing from a third party should remove any malevolent energy from juniper. I know , it's not strictly in a book ,but, ………its a small concession.
Hello! What would be a substitute for the daffodil?
That depends what you're using it for. If you look at the Narcissus article, you'll see that Daffodil corresponds to the element Water and the planet Venus, so you'll probably find suitable alternatives among plants with similar correspondences.
Is there a substitute for rosemary?
It depends what you're using it for. I might combine lavender and oregano.
It's for a glamour spell
It doesn't matter what the spell is, what matters is the purpose of the herb in the spell. Lavender has similar effects on the mind as rosemary, but is more soothing and less stimulating. The oregano kick should offset that. Something else stimulating would too. Like peppermint.
Thank you so much