25 Different Herbs and What They Represent

An alphabetical list of herbs with their purposes and symbolic meanings

Last Updated: December 5, 2022 References

You may be familiar with the language of flowers… but did you know that herbs also carry special meaning and symbolism? From angelica and basil to chamomile and lavender, all herbs have special meanings, medicinal purposes, and magical properties—and we’re here to cover all of them. Scroll on to learn a little more about your favorite herbs, and how you can use them in your bouquets, natural medicine, and/or magic rituals.

Things You Should Know

The color of an herb can influence its meaning. Dandelion, for instance, has different meanings depending on if it’s yellow, pink, or white.
Dill, basil, blue hyssop, echinacea, lavender, and yarrow all represent love. Blue hyssops specifically signify brotherly love, while echinacea stands for motherly love.
Herbs like parsley and hyssop have special significance and symbolism in certain faiths.

1

Aloe vera

Aloe represents bitterness. Many herbs have positive and uplifting meanings—but this definitely isn’t the case for aloe vera, which stands for bitterness.^{[1]
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Research source} Symbolically, it might not be the best plant to include in a bouquet, but it’s great to have on hand for burns!
- Medicinal properties: May help with burns, wounds, psoriasis, herpes lesions, and oral lichen planus^{[2]
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  Mayo Clinic
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- Magical properties: Assists with protection, peace, and prosperity^{[3]
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2

Angelica

Angelica stands for inspiration. Historically speaking, angelica plants were used for protection—for example, in witch hunt-era America and Europe, women used angelica to signify that they weren’t practicing witchcraft. Nowadays, angelica stands for inspiration and support.^{[4]
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- Medicinal properties: Sometimes used to treat certain GI issues (low appetite, excess gas, etc.)^{[5]
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- Magical properties: Offers protection and blessings^{[6]
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3

Basil

Basil represents love. In Italian tradition, a single woman would stick a basil pot on her balcony when she was ready to start a relationship. According to the same tradition, a man could steal a woman’s heart if he showed up to her place with a sprig of fresh basil.^{[7]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with respiratory illnesses and diseases^{[8]
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- Magical properties: Offers protection, blocks negative vibes, encourages loving energy^{[9]
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4

Bay laurel

Bay historically represents success and wisdom. Through the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, the bay laurel (which produces bay leaves) came to symbolize great success and achievement. Bay leaves also played an important role with Apollo’s priestesses, who would chew them before divining the future.^{[10]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with rashes, digestive issues, and body aches^{[11]
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- Magical properties: Offers protection, strength, purity, and prosperity^{[12]
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5

Calendula

Calendula can represent solidarity, prosperity, and passion. In Indian culture, calendula flowers can signify passion and or fertility, and are sometimes used in floral arrangements for weddings. In Mexico, this yellow-orange blossom is meant to bring warmth and prosperity into a person’s home. If you look to Victorian England, calendula represents the concept of “my thoughts are with you,” making them a common addition to funeral bouquets.^{[13]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with wound healing, dermatitis, and ear infections^{[14]
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- Magical properties: Helps with happiness and psychic capabilities^{[15]
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6

Chamomile

Chamomile symbolizes comfort and growth after a difficult time. As a multicolored flower (white and yellow), chamomile has a multi-faceted meaning. The white petals symbolize rebirth and a sense of innocence, while the yellow center stands for warmth and happiness. When put together, chamomile is a powerful symbol for the growth and healing that come after great sadness.^{[16]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with relaxing, easing anxiety, and lowering inflammation^{[17]
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- Magical properties: Offers love and healing energies, helps eliminate stress^{[18]
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7

Chives

Chives stand for longevity. In Chinese culture, Chinese garlic chives (also known as 韭菜or “jiǔcài”) specifically stand for the concept of eternity and living a long life.^{[19]
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Research source} Traditional chives also stand for eternity, and can also represent affluence and balance.^{[20]
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- Medicinal properties: Potentially helps with circulation and blood pressure^{[21]
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- Magical properties: Offers protections, eliminates bad vibes^{[22]
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8

Coriander

Coriander represents hidden merit. Historically speaking, this makes a lot of sense—in ancient Rome, coriander was touted as a cure to cure snake bites, carbuncles, and more. British herbalist John Gerard (active in the 1500s and 1600s) also praised coriander as a cure for certain GI issues.^{[23]
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Research source} That’s a lot of hidden worth (even if coriander isn’t actually a medicinal cure-all)!
- Medicinal properties: Helps treat type 2 diabetes^{[24]
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- Magical properties: Helps with peace and protection; assists with love potions and charms^{[25]
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9

Dandelion

Dandelions can symbolize happiness, affection, and innocence. The common yellow dandelion specifically represents positivity, prosperity, and the bright warmth of friendship, while the pink dandelion signifies fondness, playfulness, and romantic love. White, puffy dandelions stand for innocence and purity, along with healing after a difficult time.^{[26]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with digestion and appetite^{[27]
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- Magical properties: Assists with divination^{[28]
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10

Dill

Dill stands for long-lasting love, prosperity, and protection against evil. If you’d like to get more specific, take a look at the color of your dill plant. Yellow dill flowers stand for jubilation and friendship, while green dill flowers symbolize prosperity, positivity, and good health.^{[29]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with stomach problems, hiccups, excess gas, and hemorrhoids^{[30]
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- Magical properties: Helps with love charms, wards off children’s bad dreams^{[31]
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11

Echinacea

Echinacea often represents healing and prosperity. Like other herbs and flowers, echinacea blooms often have more specific meanings depending on their color. White blooms, for instance, represent purity, purple blossoms are linked with regality and refinement, orange flowers symbolize jubilance, pink petals signify maternal love and womanhood, and yellow blooms are associated with prosperity. As a whole, though, echinacea stands for good health and recovery.^{[32]
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- Medicinal properties: Potentially helps with cold prevention^{[33]
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- Magical properties: Assists with inner strength and good fortune^{[34]
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12

Fennel

Fennel symbolizes flattery. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Ophelia insults the king by famously offering a bouquet of fennel and columbines to the king. In this example, the fennel was meant to stroke the king’s ego, while the columbines signified stupidity and infidelity.^{[35]
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Research source} While fennel on its own doesn’t have a terrible meaning, the concept of flattery often has a more negative connotation in the world of floral and herbal symbolism.
- Medicinal properties: Assists with appetite and digestion^{[36]
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- Magical properties: Assists with protection, healing, and sanctification^{[37]
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13

Feverfew

Feverfew represents a close bond or connection. According to the language of flowers (officially known as floriography), feverfew carries the meaning “you light up my life.” ^{[38]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with arthritis, fevers, and migraine prevention^{[39]
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- Magical properties: Helps protect against accidents and illness^{[40]
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14

Hyssop

Hyssop biblically symbolizes purification and hope. In the Judeo-Christian scriptures, hyssop is plant used for purification and cleansing. In story of Moses specifically, hyssop is famously used to mark people’s doors for protection from the Angel of Death, which gives hyssop an element of rebirth and hope.^{[41]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with colds and respiratory illnesses^{[42]
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- Magical properties: Helps with sanctification and protection^{[43]
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- Blue hyssops specifically symbolize peace and brotherly love, pink hyssops represent happiness and festivity, and purple hyssops signify regality and devotion.^{[44]
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15

Lavender

Lavender stands for devotion, purity, trust, grace, and more. Throughout European history, lavender has represented both devotion and love. This versatile herb can also signify the purity of the Virgin Mary, along with virtues like grace, trust, and tranquility.^{[45]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with nausea, stress relief, and certain skin conditions^{[46]
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- Magical properties: Assists with feelings of love, tranquility, and healing; helps with clairvoyance and meditation^{[47]
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16

Marjoram

Marjoram symbolizes happiness (and sometimes marriage). This flowering herb can have pink, purple, or white petals—but in all of its forms, marjoram continues to represent a sense of jubilance. In Greek culture, marjoram is linked with marriage, since the herb is commonly used in wedding wreaths. According to a Greek superstition, you’ll have dreams about your future partner if you rub yourself with marjoram around bedtime.^{[48]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with indigestion and irritated nasal skin^{[49]
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- Magical properties: Assists with love, safety, and healing^{[50]
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17

Mint

Mint represents virtue, freshness and hospitality. Mint is one of the best-smelling herbs out there—in fact, it’s often used to hide less pleasant smells. Because of this, mint tends to be connected with virtue, freshness, and a welcoming energy.^{[51]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with indigestion, IBS, and flatulence^{[52]
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- Magical properties: Helps with wealth, money, luck, strength, and healing^{[53]
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18

Oregano

Oregano signifies prosperity and happiness. Back in the Elizabethan era of European history, oregano represented luck, fortune, and abundance. Pink oregano flowers specifically stand for friendship, innocence, elegance, and womanhood, while purple oregano flowers represent wisdom, reverence, and great achievement.^{[54]
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- Medicinal properties: Potentially helps with cough, digestion, and certain bacterial/viral infections^{[55]
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- Magical properties: Helps with spells for protection, love, joy, peace, protection, and vitality^{[56]
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19

Parsley

Parsley can symbolize rebirth in the Jewish Passover Seder. In Jewish culture, the Passover Seder is a sacred meal that represents the escape of the Jewish slaves from Egypt as they journey into the promised land. One element of this meal, known as Karpas, often involves dipping parsley in salt water—the represents the tears of those who escaped Egypt, as well as the rebirth that awaited them.^{[57]
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- Medicinal properties: Potentially helps with digestion, gout, and some eye conditions^{[58]
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- Magical properties: Helps repel bad spirits^{[59]
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20

Rosemary

Rosemary represents remembrance. Ever since ancient times, people have associated rosemary with memory. Over time, rosemary has become a symbol of remembrance—in Australia, for instance, citizens pin rosemary to their coats on ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day to honor and memorialize soldiers who fought (and lost their lives).^{[60]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with headaches, fevers, epilepsy, bad circulation, and dandruff; may help boost memory^{[61]
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- Magical properties: Assists with lustful and/or loving feelings; helps with sleep^{[62]
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21

Sage

Sage stands for wisdom and immortality. Sage has long stood for wisdom in the English language—in fact, the very word “sage” has come to mean “wise” and “experienced.” Sage also represents longevity; this makes sense, seeing as the salvia(the scientific name for sage) can be defined as “to be in good health.”^{[63]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with sore throats, coughs, and headaches^{[64]
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- Magical properties: Eliminates negative vibes, offers protection and wisdom^{[65]
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22

Thyme

Thyme represents courage and praise. This herb’s name originally came from the Greek word “thymon,” or “to sacrifice”; so, it makes sense that thyme represents a sense of courage and bravery. Historically, thyme (the scent of thyme, specifically) is sometimes associated with praise and refinement.^{[66]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps stimulate a productive cough (like during a cold)^{[67]
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- Magical properties: Helps with cleaning, assists with psychic capabilities, repels bad vibes^{[68]
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23

Valerian

Valerian can stand for strength and awareness. Stemming from the Latin word for “to be strong” (valere), it’s no surprise that valerian symbolizes a sense of strength. This herb also symbolizes awareness (which is a bit ironic, considering that valerian is a somewhat popular sleep aid).^{[69]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps promote sleep and lower anxiety^{[70]
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- Magical properties: Assists with love, sleep, sanctification, and relaxation^{[71]
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- White valerian flowers specifically represent loyalty, while pink blooms stand for comradery and gratitude.^{[72]
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24

Vervain (Verbena)

Vervain represents healing and holiness.^{[73]
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Research source} Throughout history, people have used vervain as a treatment for both physical and mental ailments.^{[74]
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Research source} So, it makes sense that vervain is so closely linked with the concept of healing.This herb also has a history of being used for blessings and purifications, which gives it an element of holiness.^{[75]
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- Medicinal properties: Has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities^{[76]
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- Magical properties: Helps with cleansing, purification, luck, and protection^{[77]
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25

Yarrow

Yarrow typically symbolizes love and healing, but it depends on the color. White yarrow stands for tranquility and purity, pink yarrow represents love and festivity, orange yarrow symbolizes happiness and gratitude, red yarrow signifies passion and strength, and yellow yarrow is associated with optimism and friendship. In general, yarrow’s healing symbolism likely comes from the Greek myth of Achilles, who treated his soldier’s injuries with the herb.^{[78]
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- Medicinal properties: Helps with cuts, bruising, and allergies^{[79]
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- Magical properties: Helps with divination, good for marriage charms, helps ward off bad vibes^{[80]
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