The Witches Garden: Sorrel

 

Sorrel 
Rumex acetosa

Sorrel is a wonderfully useful old European herb, best known for its sharp, lemon-like flavour. In Britain, the plant most commonly meant by sorrel is common sorrel (Rumex acetosa), a perennial member of the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. It is native to Britain and much of temperate Eurasia and North Africa. 

Its pointed leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their distinctive sour taste. Sorrel has consequently occupied an interesting position between food, folk medicine and folklore for centuries.

Historical uses

Food and wild food

Sorrel was once a much more important cultivated vegetable than it is today. Kew records that it was cultivated as a vegetable in Europe and was particularly popular before improved varieties of related plants became widespread. Today it is more commonly gathered as a wild edible or grown as a culinary herb. 

The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like spinach. Their acidity makes them particularly useful in:

• soups and sauces
• salads
• fish dishes
• egg dishes
• vegetable dishes
• herb sauces
• soups where a lemon-like acidity is wanted

The French have traditionally used sorrel in sauces and soups, while throughout Europe it has been regarded as a useful spring green.

A natural source of vitamin C

One of sorrel’s most interesting historical roles was as a spring source of vitamin C.

Before citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons became readily available in northern Europe, wild greens were important sources of vitamins after winter. Sorrel was eaten in spring partly because of its vitamin content, and historical accounts associate it with the prevention of scurvy. 

Ancient Greek and Roman use

Sorrel has a particularly long culinary history. Kew’s Grow Wild account notes that the leaves were reportedly chewed by Greeks and Romans after feasting, traditionally to settle the stomach. 

The Romans also valued various Rumex species as food and medicinal plants.

Traditional herbal medicine

Sorrel acquired a reputation as a cooling, cleansing and diuretic herb.

Traditional herbalists used different parts of the plant, including the leaves, aerial portions and roots. Kew’s Medicinal Plant Names Services documents medicinal use of Rumex acetosa in sources from Europe and numerous other regions, with leaves, roots and aerial parts appearing in traditional medicinal records. 

Historically it was used for purposes including:

Fever and overheating

Sorrel was regarded as a cooling herb. Preparations made from the leaves were traditionally used during fevers and conditions associated with excessive heat.

This is part of the old herbal concept of balancing the body’s “heat” rather than evidence that sorrel itself treats fever by modern medical standards.

Diuretic and urinary use

Sorrel developed a reputation as a mild diuretic, encouraging urination. This was traditionally interpreted as helping the body eliminate excess fluid and unwanted substances.

Kew still describes the leaves as having traditional diuretic and cooling uses. 

Skin problems

Traditional European herbal practice also used sorrel externally for various skin complaints. Historical accounts include applications to:

• boils
• irritated skin
• minor wounds
• inflammatory skin problems
• ringworm

Kew’s Grow Wild specifically records historical topical use for skin complaints and ringworm. 

Mouth and digestive uses

The pleasantly sour leaves were traditionally chewed or used in preparations intended to stimulate the appetite and digestion.

Its sharp flavour probably contributed considerably to its reputation as a digestive stimulant.

Metaphysical and magical properties

There is considerably less historical documentation for sorrel as a formal magical herb than there is for plants such as mugwort, vervain, rosemary or rue. Consequently, it is useful to distinguish documented historical herbalism from the correspondences attributed to it by modern witchcraft.

Nevertheless, sorrel’s characteristics make it a fascinating magical herb.

Cleansing and purification

Sorrel is commonly associated in modern herbal magic with cleansing and purification.

Its sourness and traditional reputation as a cooling and diuretic plant lend themselves symbolically to the idea of:

removing what is unwanted and restoring freshness.

It can therefore be incorporated into rituals concerned with clearing stagnant energy, particularly when beginning a new phase of life.

Renewal and freshness

Because sorrel is one of the plants that appears fresh and edible early in the growing season, it can symbolise:

• renewal
• spring
• rejuvenation
• fresh beginnings
• recovery after hardship
• vitality

This makes it particularly appropriate for spring rituals and renewal magic.

Healing magic

Sorrel’s long association with traditional healing naturally gives it a place in modern herbal witchcraft as a herb of:

• healing
• restoration
• vitality
• recovery
• cleansing

A dried leaf could, for example, be placed in a healing sachet or added symbolically to an altar dedicated to health and renewal.

Water and purification

Because sorrel was traditionally regarded as a cooling and diuretic herb, modern magical practitioners sometimes associate it symbolically with Water.

Its watery correspondences can be interpreted as:

Water → cleansing → emotional release → renewal.

Magical correspondences

Property	Sorrel correspondence
Element	Water
Planet	Moon, sometimes Venus
Colours	Green, red, silver
Energy	Receptive, cleansing, restorative
Magical uses	Purification, healing, renewal, protection
Season	Spring
Symbolism	Fresh beginnings, vitality, cleansing
Chakra association	Heart and Sacral
Deities	No firmly established ancient deity association
Best magical purpose	Renewal and cleansing

The Moon association is particularly understandable within modern witchcraft because of sorrel’s relationship with water, cooling, receptivity and cycles of renewal, although it should not be presented as a documented ancient attribution.

⚠️ An important caution about sorrel

Sorrel’s distinctive sourness comes largely from oxalic acid. This means that, although young leaves can be perfectly reasonable as a food in normal culinary quantities, consuming large quantities is not advisable.

Kew specifically warns that its oxalic-acid content can pose problems for people susceptible to kidney or bladder stones and some rheumatic conditions. Kew’s Grow Wild guidance likewise advises against consuming large quantities because oxalic acid can interfere with nutrient absorption. 

This is particularly important if sorrel is being considered as a medicinal herb rather than simply an occasional food.

Sorrel in witchcraft

For a modern witch, sorrel has a lovely symbolic profile. Rather than being a herb of aggressive protection or banishing, I would regard it primarily as a herb of cleansing, renewal and restoration.

Its magical symbolism can be understood almost as:

Sourness → purification → removal → freshness → renewal.

That makes it particularly appropriate for a spring cleansing ritual, a healing altar, or workings intended to help someone move beyond an old situation and begin again.

And there is something particularly appealing about using a plant that has genuinely been gathered and eaten by people for centuries. Sorrel isn’t simply a modern “magical correspondence”—it has a substantial history as a British wild food and traditional medicinal herb. 

One final distinction: “sorrel” can refer to several different plants. Common sorrel is Rumex acetosa, while sheep’s sorrel (Rumex acetosella), wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), and red-veined sorrels are different plants with different chemistry and histories.  Ensure you are using the correct plant for your work.

Salt of the Earth Part 3. More salty uses

 

More salty stuff!

Salt in Religion and Ritual

Salt has acquired remarkable religious significance across cultures.

Because salt preserves food and resists decay, it frequently became associated symbolically with purity, permanence and protection.

In ancient Mediterranean religions, salt could be incorporated into offerings and sacrificial practices.

In Jewish tradition, salt has a significant biblical symbolism and is associated with covenants. Salt was also historically connected with sacrificial offerings.

In Christianity, salt became a symbol of preservation, wisdom and spiritual influence. The biblical phrase “salt of the earth” is one of the best-known examples.

In Japanese Shinto practice, salt is traditionally associated with purification. Salt may be placed at entrances or used in purification-related customs.

In folk magic throughout Europe and elsewhere, salt has often been regarded as a protective substance. Circles or lines of salt have been used in later magical traditions as symbolic barriers against unwanted influences.

These magical practices belong to cultural and religious traditions rather than being scientifically demonstrated protective mechanisms.

Salt as a Symbol of Friendship and Hospitality

Salt has frequently represented the bond between people.

In several cultures, sharing salt and food could establish or symbolise hospitality.

The idea of a salt covenant appears in ancient Near Eastern and biblical traditions, where salt could symbolise an enduring agreement.

The durability of salt made it a natural metaphor for permanence.

Even today, expressions such as “worth one’s salt” preserve traces of the extraordinary cultural importance once attached to this humble mineral.

Salt and Trade

Salt’s greatest historical importance may ultimately have been economic.

Because every human community required salt, regions with accessible salt resources could trade it to areas without them.

Salt travelled by:

• caravan;
• river boat;
• coastal ship;
• wagon;
• pack animal;
• and later railway.

Salt routes therefore helped connect otherwise distant communities.

Some towns became wealthy because they controlled salt springs, mines or coastal production areas. Governments recognised this value and sometimes imposed taxes or monopolies.

In several historical societies, controlling salt production was effectively a way of controlling a basic necessity.

Salt Taxation

Salt’s importance made it particularly attractive to governments seeking revenue.

The Chinese state developed sophisticated salt monopolies. European governments also imposed salt taxes.

One of the most famous examples was the French gabelle, a tax on salt that became deeply unpopular and contributed to social tensions before the French Revolution.

Britain’s own salt industry was affected by taxation and regulation at various periods.

Salt therefore provides an excellent example of how an apparently ordinary household substance could have major economic and political consequences.

Salt and Warfare

Salt was indirectly important to warfare because armies required preserved provisions.

Armies operating far from home needed food that could survive transport and storage. Salted meat, fish and other preserved foods were therefore valuable military supplies.

Control of salt-producing regions could also have strategic importance because armies and populations depended upon reliable access to salt.

Salt production itself could become a major industry supporting towns, workers, merchants and governments. More on this in a future chapter.

 in Modern Times

Industrial salt production has transformed the ancient salt industry.

Modern producers can extract enormous quantities of salt through mining, solution mining and controlled evaporation.

Salt today is used not only in food but also in:

• chemical manufacturing;
• water treatment;
• road de-icing;
• leather processing;
• textile production;
• industrial chemistry;
• agriculture;
• and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Much of the world’s salt is therefore never eaten.

The chemical industry uses enormous quantities of sodium chloride as a raw material for producing substances such as chlorine and sodium hydroxide.

In the next chapter I’ll look more at the importance of salt in spiritual practices and witchcraft