Anethum graveolens syn.
Peucedanum graveolens
planetary ruler: Mercury
element: Air/Fire
associated deities: Mercury, Hermes
magical virtues: Protection, communication, mental activity, study, love
The name dill comes from the Old Germanic word dilla, meaning “to soothe,” which may be an allusion to the herb’s well-known soothing effect 78 on the digestive system but also refers to the belief that it is soothing and calming in other ways; ancient Greeks even covered their heads in dill leaves to help them sleep. In folk magic it brings peace in the home. You can hang up a Dill Peace Talisman to ensure harmony. If there has been an argument, burn some dill seeds on charcoal to cleanse the atmosphere. Dill was thought to be so powerful in this respect that brides in Flanders wore sprigs of dill on their wedding dresses to ensure a harmonious marriage.
When it comes to romance, dill has a mixed reputation. Hildegard von Bingen praised dill for its ability to suppress sexual impulses, and while Dioscorides thought it was good for many ills, he thought too much caused impotence. Pliny, on the other hand, recommended wild asparagus water mixed with dill as an aphrodisiac. It seems to be a question of quantity—a little promotes lust (particularly if combined with a phallic-looking herb like asparagus), while too much is lulling; in this I suppose it can be said to be like alcohol. To promote love and affection, try drinking a little Dill Love Cup together—but drink too much and performance might be a problem! You can add three or five dill seeds to a talisman or charm bag for a love spell, combined with other herbs of love if you wish (see appendix 1), or anoint a pink or red candle with Dill Weed Infused Oil and burn over three nights. This is a recipe for a loving relationship, rather than for the satisfaction of transitory lust.
Dioscorides called dill the seed of Mercury, the god of communication and messenger of the gods, the trickster, the patron of inventors and intellectual endeavour, as well as the god who transports souls to the otherworld. Culpeper assigned it to the planet Mercury, which rules the mind, intellect, and communication, saying, “Mercury has the dominion of this plant, and therefore to be sure it strengthens the brain.” 79 Dill can be used in all rituals and spells designed to aid communication and study, mental clarity, magical writings and travel, including shamanic and trance journeys to other realms, since Mercury is a god of mystery and magic who is a guide on these journeys. The power of dill helps ground ideas and mental energy into the world. Used in an incense with other Mercury herbs (see appendix 1) or drunk as Dill Seed Tea, it helps clear the mind and strengthen your personal focus. Dill Flower Essence can help when you are trying to make sense of the overload of information that comes with the modern world, assimilating and absorbing it into the bigger picture, connecting to the greater consciousness.
Dill was thought to heal wounds more quickly. Roman gladiators rubbed dill oil into their skin to speed up healing. The Romans believed that dill had fortifying qualities and they covered the food given to gladiators with the herb. In the Middle Ages, injured knights were said to have placed burned dill seeds on their open wounds to speed healing. Use Dill Seed Tea when you are in need of strength and healing.
Dill is also a protective herb, used to counter magical attack and negative energy. In the Middle Ages it was used in charms against witchcraft; as Drayton wrote in Nymphidia, “Therewith her Vervain and her Dill/That hindereth Witches of their Will.” 80 It was one of the Saint John’s Eve herbs valued as a protection at the summer solstice, a dangerous time when spirits, fairies, and witches were abroad causing mischief. It can be added to incense used for protection and cleansing sacred space. For modern witches, dill is a sacred herb of Midsummer and can be used in incense, cast on the bonfire, or used in the ritual cup. The seed heads hung in the home bring protection to those who live there. They can be hung in a baby’s cradle to protect the child. Dill Weed Tea can be used as a wash to cleanse sacred space or added to the ritual cleansing bath. Dill Protection Potion can be used to seal protective talismans or wiped around doorways and windows against negative influences.
culinary uses
Dill is an aromatic herb with delicate, feathery green leaves. It produces flat brown seeds that have a flavour similar to caraway. Both have been used in cookery since ancient times. The herb is native to the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, and was introduced into Britain by the Romans. Theophrastus wrote of it as a typical Greek kitchen garden plant along with beets, lettuces, and onions.
In the United States the leaves are referred to as “dill weed,” and these are best used fresh, as dried leaves rapidly lose their flavour. They go well with tomato dishes, soups, and sauces. Fresh sprigs are frequently used to garnish Scandinavian open sandwiches and go well in potato salad and coleslaw. The seeds, whole or ground, are used to flavour stews, sauces, breads, cakes, pastries, and pickles, especially German-style pickled cucumbers.
cosmetic uses
The ancient Egyptians used dill widely in the production of cosmetics and perfumes, while in ancient Greece a dill perfume was a sign of wealth. Dill oil is still used in cosmetics and perfumes, and as a fragrance for detergents and soaps.
Dill seed is one of the few substances that is able to stimulate the production of elastin in the skin, which naturally decreases as we age, leading to sagging. 81 Try using Dill Weed Infused Oil as an anti-aging night serum or pound two teaspoons of dill seeds into a powder and mix with a tablespoon of slightly warmed honey. Leave this overnight, then apply to the face and neck (or hands) and leave it on for twenty minutes before rinsing with warm water. Follow with a splash of cold water and moisturise as usual. To treat your body, pour two cups of Dill Seed Tea into your bathwater.
To strengthen your nails and improve the appearance of the skin of your hands, soak your hands in double-strength Dill Seed Tea for five to ten minutes, rinse, and follow with your usual hand cream.
medicinal uses
actions: anti-congestive, antidiabetic, antihistimic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, appetiser, aromatic, carminative, disinfectant, emmenagogue, germicide, hypnotic, sedative, stomachic
As already mentioned, the English word dill is related to the Old Germanic word dilla, meaning “to lull” or “soothe” because it soothes the stomach. Dill was mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian herbal dating to c. 1550 BCE, where it was described as a remedy for flatulence, dyspepsia, and constipation. The Romans chewed dill seeds to promote digestion, while the Frankish emperor Charlemagne (742–814 CE) insisted that crystal vials of dill oil be placed on the banquet tables to stop the hiccupping of overindulgent guests. The English herbalist Culpeper commented in his herbal that dill “stays the hiccough…(it) is used in medicines that serve to expel wind, and the pains proceeding therefrom.” Commercially available dill water was used for centuries to soothe colic in babies, while adults might have preferred to take dill wine to soothe their upset tummies. Drinking Dill Seed Tea or simply chewing dill seeds serves to aid digestion and prevent flatulence. Chewing the seeds stimulates saliva, which is the start of the digestive process, while the carvone present in them freshens the breath owing to its antimicrobial nature.
To discourage urinary tract infections, add some double-strength Dill Seed Tea to your bath. A cup of Dill Seed Tea can be taken before bed to prevent insomnia and promote restful sleep. The flavonoids and vitamin-B complex in dill are believed to activate the secretion of certain enzymes and hormones which have a calming effect, and this can also be useful for tension headaches.
Caution: Dill is considered safe for most people when consumed as a food or taken by mouth as a medicine. However, as dill is used in herbal medicine to start menstruation, it is not safe to take in more than small amounts during pregnancy, and to be on the safe side it should be avoided when breastfeeding. Dill lowers blood sugar marginally, so if you are diabetic, you should monitor your levels carefully. Stop taking medicinal amounts of dill for at least three weeks before surgery. Do not take dill if you are on lithium because it acts as a diuretic and may affect how much lithium is in your body. Fresh dill can cause contact dermatitis in some sensitive people, so exercise care. Fresh dill on the skin can also increase the photosensitivity of the skin, making you sunburn more easily.
Recipes
Dill Seed Tea
1 teaspoon crushed seeds
250 millilitres (1 cup) water
Put the seeds and water in a pan and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat, leave to stand for five minutes, strain, and drink.
Dill Weed Tea
Add a sprig of dill herb to a cup of boiling water and infuse for ten minutes. The resulting infusion may be added to water for cleansing the sacred space or to the ritual cleansing bath.
Dill Weed Infused Oil
Pack a clean glass jar with dill herb. Fill the jar with vegetable oil (such as sunflower) and leave on a sunny windowsill for two weeks. Strain the oil into a clean jar. Stopper tightly and label. Dill oil can be used to seal protective talismans, doorways, and windows against negative influences.
Dill Protection Potion
500 millilitres (2 cups) boiling water
½ teaspoon dill seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon rosemary, chopped
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon thyme
At the full moon, pour the boiling water over the herbs and seeds and infuse, covered, for twenty minutes. Strain and use to wipe around the doors and windows of your house or any other areas you feel need protecting.
Dill Love Cup
250 millilitres (1 cup) red wine
1 teaspoon dill seeds
Put the wine in a saucepan and add the dill seeds. Warm the wine gently for five minutes, but do not boil or all the alcohol will evaporate. Strain and pour into a goblet and share with the one you love. Dill seeds infused in wine are considered to be an aphrodisiac, and magicians traditionally used dill in their love spells. This drink also makes a good loving cup for the couple at a handfasting.
Dill Flower Essence
Gather five or six mature flowers. Float them on the surface of 150 millilitres spring water in a bowl and leave in the sun for three to four hours. Make sure that they are not shadowed in any way. Remove the flowers. Pour the water into a bottle and top up with 150 millilitres brandy or vodka to preserve it. This is your mother essence. To make up the flower essences for use, put seven drops from this into a ten-millilitre dropper bottle, and top that up with brandy or vodka. This is your dosage bottle. The usual dose is four drops of this in a glass of water four times a day. When making this, it is important not to handle the flowers—it is the vibrational imprint of the flowers you want to be held by the water, not your own imprint.
Dill Peace Talisman
white bag
3 teaspoons dill seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
3 basil leaves, dried
1 dove feather
1 piece rose quartz
silver cord
On a Sunday, assemble the ingredients and place into the bag, concentrating on the intent of peace and harmony. Tie up the bag with a silver cord. To consecrate, light a charcoal block and set some dill seeds on it to burn, and consecrate the talisman in the smoke.
78 D’Andréa, Ancient Herbs in the J. Paul Getty Museum Gardens.
79 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal.
80 Michael Drayton, Nymphidia: Or the Court of Faery (George Routledge and Sons, 1906).
81 V. Cenizo et al., “LOXL as a Target to Increase the Elastin Content in Adult Skin: A Dill Extract Induces the LOXL Gene Expression,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16842595, accessed2 January 18.