Herbs of Ogum: Know their ritualistic meanings and uses!

Leaves and herbs are used in rituals, offerings, spells and other types of spiritual work since antiquity in different beliefs. With Umbanda and Candomblé it is no different, different types of plants are also used for certain purposes.

Each leaf, each herb, each flower, each type of plant has its meanings and energy vibrations that help in certain paths of life such as prosperity, love, protection, among others. For each purpose there is a plant and a way to prepare it.

The use of plants for energy work requires a good knowledge of each one before going out using them all, the ideal is to avoid using them in rituals without the guidance of a trusted father or mother of saint. Read this article to learn everything about Ogun leaves and herbs, the history of this Orisha, how to use the plants correctly and more!

To know how to use Ogum’s leaves and herbs in an offering, you need to know the meanings of each one, in addition to knowing about the history of this Orisha and what pleases him. Therefore, read the following topics and understand more about Ogun’s leaves and herbs before performing any pleasure or ritual.

In both Umbanda and Candomblé, Ogun is the warlord and the one who executes divine laws, being the closest Orisha to human beings, along with Exú. He has his human origins, prone to impulsiveness and working for his father as a warrior in the kingdom of Ife, fighting endlessly with any enemy that challenged him.

One day he was asked to go to a battle with no end date and asked his son to dedicate one day a year in his name while he was in battle that the entire population fasted and remained silent. However, this battle lasted seven years, and when he returned home hungry, he asked for food in several houses, but no one answered him.

Ogun was so infuriated by the lack of consideration that he decimated the entire village with his sword, stopping only with the help of his son and Exú. Then, he reminded his father of the request made before going to battle, and, with the feeling of remorse, the mighty warrior dug a hole in the ground with his sword, burying himself in feet.

In syncretism, Ogum is associated with São Jorge, the Holy Warrior worshiped in the Catholic religion and celebrated on the same day as the Orixá, which is April 23rd. Despite the two being the same entity, there were changes in history and physical characteristics when being sanctified in Catholicism to attract more people to the religion.

While Ogun is the lord of war and who passed his knowledge on to humanity, São Jorge is described as the warrior of the Army of God and protector of soldiers who fought against a dragon and other beings of darkness on top of his white horse to defend the world. Kingdom of Heaven.

The energy of each leaf and each herb is different, each one has its own vibration, attracting health, protection, prosperity, among other things. Just as it has healing effects on the physical body, being used in cleansing, love, prosperity baths, in specific foods, in offerings, smoke or burning.

The energy of the plants also vibrates in the same range as the Orixás, therefore, some specific herbs must be used in rituals of certain entities, the majority being cultivated in the terrain of the terreiro or shed. As the entities are linked to nature, they also express themselves through the leaves.

Among the various types of existing herbs and plants, some are more used within Umbanda, such as rue, rosemary, lavender, São Jorge sword, guinea, basil, laurel, eucalyptus, chamomile, sunflower, bamboo, pomegranate and sugarcane. -of sugar. These herbs are also used in Candomblé and it is common to see some being used in cleaning baths and opening paths.

Within Umbanda, herbs are classified as aggressive or hot, which serve to carry out a deep energy cleaning. Excessive use of these plants can cause an imbalance in the aura and energy field, such as wormwood, rue, guinea, mastic, peregun, camphor, tobacco, among others.

The lukewarm or balanced ones are those that rebalance the person’s energy, especially if those classified as hot cause an energy imbalance. Some warm plants are: mango leaf, rosemary, lavender, sage, calendula, rosemary, basil, chamomile, fennel and mint.

There are also cold herbs, which have specific characteristics and use, handling is usually guided by the entity or by the mother and father of saint. In addition, they can be classified according to their purpose, such as cleaning, protection, prosperity and others.

Some cold attracting herbs are: red rose, artemisia, cinnamon, mallow, apple and Indian clove, while the energetic ones have sunflower, jurubeba, coffee leaf and guarana. The calming ones are: lemongrass, passion fruit, melissa, valerian, peach and pineapple.

Before carrying out any offering or work with an Orixá, it is necessary to have the guidance of a Mãe or Pai de Santo from Umbanda or Candomblé, as they have the knowledge on how to work with these entities, what they can or cannot do and what can be done. or not use.

For those who want to make a simpler offering, regardless of the reason, you can light a white, blue or red candle, putting together a liqueur wine, beer, and some carnations (flowers). All items must be placed in a field, path or crossroads.

If you want to make a more elaborate offering, but which is still easy, you can prepare an Ogun Toothpick Holder, starting the preparation with positive and elevated thoughts. When finished, deliver under a tree or on a train track with a blue candle lit beside it for 7 days.

Ingredients:
– 1 character or 1 yam;
– 1 pack of mario sticks (or toothpicks);
– Bee’s honey;
– Palm oil.

Method of preparation
Start by cooking the yam or yam with the skin until it is very soft, remove from the heat and let it cool, carefully removing the skin when it is cold. Place the yam or yam inside a bowl and spread some sticks over the surface of the food, sprinkling it with honey and palm oil to finish.

There is a wide variety of leaves and herbs that are related to Ogun, being used in rituals, baths and other purposes within Afro religions. See below all the plants that belong to this Orisha, what purposes they serve and what their benefits are.

This herb is used in unloading baths, shaking (deeper and highly effective spiritual cleansing) and obligations, both inside the terreiro and outside. It is also used in smoke and the color of its energy is white.

In health, it helps to control diarrhea, heal wounds, bronchitis, ulcers, laryngitis and treat rheumatism, in addition to cleaning the blood and improving vaginal flow. It has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiarrheal, antipyretic, depurative and astringent properties.

Popularly known as Cebola-Cencém, Açucena-rajada is a herbaceous plant that has a large bulb and beautiful flowers, being cultivated in Brazil and India. In Afro religions, the bulb part is more used and must be handled correctly.

Its bulb is used in rituals and home shaking, mainly for cleaning work, discovering falsehoods and finding lost objects. When it is used as a medicinal herb, the leaves are cooked as an emollient, eliminating its dryness.

Alevante, or Mentha spicata is a herbaceous plant used in alternative medicine, as it is a diuretic, antioxidant, antifungal herb, in addition to serving as an insecticide. In Afro religions, it is considered a powerful herb for unloading and cleaning baths.

To take a bath in Alevante, you need to check if you have some of the symptoms: headaches, excessive tiredness, constantly yawning without sleep, lack of energy, lack of initiative, emotional instability, malaise and excessive anger and irritation.

There are several species of arnica in Brazil, but the real one has European origin. Despite being beneficial to health, Brazilian arnica must be applied to the skin, as it is toxic, if ingested it can cause vomiting, cardiac arrhythmia and miscarriage.

Arnica is used in head obligations, ceremonies and abôs (baths) for purification, strengthening, protection and energy balance. Some works use this herb to bring back the vitality of the individual and get his feet back on the ground.

The aroeira is a small tree with a dark red bark and yellowish green leaves, which can reach up to 8 meters in height. This plant serves as an astringent, heals wounds, ulcers, cystitis, cough, toothache and heals the genital region.

The white mastic is toxic and you should avoid ingestion of it. In rituals and works, it is used to prepare flushing baths, head obligations, smoke against astral larvae and cleaning crystals and amulets.

Cana-de-macaco, or cana-do-brejo, is a medicinal plant used in gardening and can be found in the Amazon region. It has anti-inflammatory, diuretic, tonic and astringent properties, helping to treat kidney and menstrual problems.

This herb is used to prepare protective, unloading and cleaning baths, in addition to being used for washing beads. The children of Ogum need to drink a few daily doses of monkey cane tea in their abôs, always after lunch and dinner.

Just by the name, you can tell that this is a toxic plant, however, very efficient in spiritual works and against the evil eye. It is recommended that you do not buy one if you have small children or pets at home to avoid problems.

It acts energetically and spiritually in its natural state, without being used in bath or tea preparations. It is usually placed in adornments or planted in a vase near the entrance door to absorb negative energies from visitors.

Dracena-rajada, or Peregun-rajado, is a warm classification plant, that is, it strengthens, readjusts, recalibrates, forwards and conducts energies. In addition, this plant is easily found in Candomblé centers.

Its leaves are used in shakes, baths and rituals, for example, at the end of the 17 days of initiation into religion. It can also be planted around an Ogum house, forming a living fence and replacing objects…