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The Museum of Witchcraft

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Healing

Warts can be cured by placing a piece of stolen meat on the warts and then burying the meat; as the meat decayed the warts would vanish. Another method was to sell the warts to an Ash tree. An offering of money or food was placed under the tree and a spell recited.

Ashen tree, Ashen tree,
Pray thee buy this wart of me.

Cecil Williamson's herb collection

Cecil Williamson's herb collection

Another method is to tie a knot in a piece of string for each wart to be removed. Carefully touch each knot to its wart and bury the string. As the string decays the warts will be cured. There are still wart charmers in Boscastle today who will charm warts with incantation or by touch.

To stop a nose bleed (Cornish tradition) - Tie a knot in a red cord.

Many of the old spells include Christian references suggesting that not only did the Christian Church incorporate pagan beliefs but the medieval witches incorporated Christian magic.

To cure a burn:

There were three angels from out of the East
One for fire and two for frost.
Out with the fire and in with the frost!
By Father Son and Holy Ghost.

The witches of old were expert herbalists and thousands of traditional herbal remedies have been passed down.

Hazel Nut

They are under the dominion of Mercury. The parted Kernels made into a electuary, or the milk drawn from them with mead or honied water, is good to help cure a cough, and a little pepper put indraws rheum from the head. (Culpeper 17th Century)

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