Item #HPASC:
Passion Flower, Cut

Having been quite popular in Victorian Times, Passion Flower is now cultivated widely in gardens for cosmetic purpose throughout the world. In India, it is known as the Rakhi Flower, named such after the festival of Rakhi, in which it is used, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Passion flower has also seen many years of use among the varied Native American tribes, but is particularly noted among the Aztecs. They used it as a tea for treating insomnia and hysteria, as well as epilepsy, valuing the flower`s ability to function as a sedative. They also valued the flower for its pain killing properties. In some lore Passion flower is also said to aid in seeking emotional balance, peace, and friendship. Some uses also prescribed it as an aid in achieving prosperity and heightening libido, functioning as an aphrodisiac and perhaps providing the flower with its name.

Herbalists have found that Passion Flower can be used in calming muscle tension and twitching without effecting respiration or mental function. Because of this it can be used in treating anxiety and high blood pressure. It can also be put to use in treating pain that results from muscle tension as well as, in some cases, emotional turmoil. In Europe it is added to medications that are used to treat nerve disorders, heart palpitations, anxiety and high blood pressure. Unlike most mild sedatives, Passion Flower has also been show to be non-addictive.

Item #HPATC: Patchouli Leaf, Cut

Description The heavy, strong scent of Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin in Latin) has been used in perfumes, incenses, and oils for hundreds of years, and is still popular today. Indeed, it is a component in more than half of the colognes sold for men. Today, it is also still an important ingredient in East Asian incense. All of this was perhaps born of the 18th and 19th centuries, when silk traders from China traveling to the Middle East packed silk cloth with dried patchouli to prevent moths from laying eggs in the cloth. This scented the cloth, and spread the popularity of the fragrance throughout the western world. Indeed, this is often considered the reason why Europeans of the era considered patchouli and luxurious scent; Queen Victoria was even said to have used patchouli in her linen chests for similar purposes. In herbal folklore in numerous Asian countries, including Japan and Malaysia, patchouli is considered an antidote for snake venom. In Chinese Medicine, it is also used in treating toothaches, colds, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Traditions of metaphysical lore hold that Patchouli also contains magical properties, making it potent in reversing spells and the driving away of troublemakers. Some traditions hold that it can also be used in clairvoyance and other forms of divination, as well as spells involving passion, love and sex magic, and even spells designed to acquire money.

Item #HPAUC: Pau d' Arco, Cut

This ancient plant has been held as popular among the Native Americans of South America, including the Incas, Aztecs, and Indio tribes of Brazil, and the other indigenous peoples of the South American Rain forests. Roughly translated from Portuguese, the name Pau D`Arco means "Bow Tree and it was indeed used for bows as well as numerous other tools. Natives also held that it was a potent cure for diseases, as well as a tonic for strength and well being, and in treating toothaches and backaches. European settlers observed and adapted these uses, with the usage slowly spreading until it can now be found in health food stores globally.

As a health food supplement, it can be found to have antiviral qualities, as well as possessing the ability to strengthen the immune system, particularly after it has been weakened by disease. In this way, it is currently being tested in treating and aiding in the recovery from AIDS and cancer. Pau d`Arco has also long been a known treatment for Candida and other funguses a well as other skin disorders. Herbal lore has also shown that it was useful in treating polio and influenza, and maintains that it can be of use in treating arthritis, diabetes, liver disease, and venereal and rheumatic disorders.

Item #HPENC:
Pennyroyal Leaf, Cut

Also known as Mentha Pulegium in Latin, Pennyroyal Leaf can be found mentioned in herbals and other documentation by the other common names as Run-by-the-Ground, Look-in-the-ditch, and Pudding Grass. A common cooking herb among Greeks and Romans, it remained popular within culinary practices throughout the mid-ages. The famed writer Pliny listed Pennyroyal as quite conductive to good health, suggesting that it be hung in sleeping rooms. It has also been mentioned in literature of old as being able to purify water, making it drinkable. It was also said to purify blood, cleansing it of illness, and it was often taken with honey for this purpose. Old traditions hold it as being a valuable cure for headaches and giddiness, and prescribed that one wear it around one`s head for this. It was also given as an antidote for spasmodic, nervous, and hysterical conditions. In spiritual traditions, it draws on some of these properties to aid in protective and purification magic, and aid in exorcisms.

Modern herbalists use it in another traditional sense, where it is taken to stimulate menstrual flow. In eras past this was used for the purpose of abortion, though this unregulated use was often dangerous and even life threatening to those who used it. Otherwise, it is also used for treating flatulence and gall ailments, and some herbalists still hold that it is a potent aid in treating lung disease, hepatitis, and gout.

Item #HPEPC:
Peppermint Leaf, Cut

Long known to be a popular herb for its smell and taste, there is evidence of Peppermint Leaf (or Mentha piperita in Latin) being cultivated dating as far back as the Ancient Egyptians. The Romans too were known to have loved it, and through this it spread from Southern Europe throughout their vast empire. Medical interest in the leaf was first recorded by the Roman philosopher and writer Pliny, and other documentation dating back to works of the 14th century show it being used for medical purposes by the people of Iceland. By the time of the Elizabethan period, more than 40 ailments were reportedly remedied by mint. Today, however, it is most commonly used in herbal teas and capsules, though the leaf itself is occasionally chewed as a breath freshener. Old lore also holds that it is quite good for stimulating visionary dreams and psychic ability.

Modern herbalists speak of it as an agent that aids in the elimination of foreign particles, and therefore digestion, and within this process can calm the stomach. It has also been shown to relax intestinal muscles, and reduce cramping. It can also be used as a natural relief to respiratory difficulties, and is said to reduce nausea and heartburn. Some herbalists also claim that it can improve bile production, and flow, as well as discourage the growth of harmful bacteria.

Item #HROSP: Pink Rose Petals

Rose petals have been used throughout the history of man, both in decoration and in spiritual rituals, and as such can be found throughout ancient texts and the writings of more modern scholars. They have been used to flavor wine and scent perfume, and are highly valued as parts of floral gardens. The Romans would often crown brides and grooms with wreaths of roses, or use them to crown the sacred icons of their gods, such as Cupid, Venus and Bacchus. Within spiritual practices, these pink rose petals are also quite commonly used within rituals of happiness, emotional balance, and love spells.

When used to scent water they can sometimes help soothe headaches and ease stress, and in this way are often utilized by herbalists and aromatherapists. Of old, it was also said that a tonic could be made from them for the treatment of mouth sores, soothing the heart and nerves, and even helping to ease menstrual cramps.

Item #HPOMW: Pomegranates

Native to Persia, Pomegranates have been cultivated throughout that region and the rest of the Mediterranean for several millennia. Indeed, wild groves of Pomegranate trees often mark the borders of ancient, abandoned settlements of the whole region. Carbonized remnants of the fruit have even been unearthed in ancient Bronze Age cities, with further tale of Pomegranates being popular among the ancient Egyptians. From the Mediterranean the fruit was spread to Asia via the Silk Road and sea trade, and in the years that followed it was similarly spread to Latin America with Spanish exploration. Most commonly, the fruit is applied to culinary purposes, wherein it is broken open, with the seeds being plucked out from the center and eaten whole and raw. The juice has also been quite popular in the Middle East, and has the trend emerging recently in the US and Canada. Metaphysical lore has long held that the pomegranate seeds are quite useful when used in divination, and the fruit is also said to be of great aid in spells seeking good luck, wealth, and fertility. Some cultures and traditions also use the fruit in methods where they seek to have their wishes brought to fruition.

Modern herbalists see the pomegranate as possessing a great deal of Vitamin C and B, making it a popular source of these nutrients. It is also said to possess some value born of its antioxidant properties, and s said to help reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as possibly inhibiting some viral infections.