A sure sign of spring is the sweet scent of lilac that fills the air. Lilac is edible, and has so many wonderful properties both medicinally and magically.
Lilacs, or Syringa Vulgaris, are a short term blooming shrub. Most lilacs will only bloom for about 2-3 weeks. Lilacs are available in 5 colours ranging from white, to magenta, to the traditional lilac purple.
Our lilacs draw bees, birds and butterflies with its tantalizing scent so we always try to keep them blooming.
Lilacs prefer full sun and a slightly alkaline soil to grow and bloom.
Lilacs are astringent, aromatic and a bit bitter. While most of the medicinal uses stem from the leaves and fruit, the flowers still have their own uses.
Gastric issues such as excessive flatulence or constipation are normally remedied very quickly by eating just a few small flowers.
Most commonly, lilacs are used for garnishes and flavoring for foods and drink. sugared flowers on cake to lilac ice-cream and lemonade; there’s plenty of treats you can make with lilac flowers.
Cass' Favourite Uses for Lilac:
Tea
Infused Oil
Lemonade
Infused Honey
Lilacs Magical Properties
Blooming Lilacs show up for a short period during the Spring, typically between Beltane and Litha. (May-June).
Lilac contains spring energy and helps to jump start your life. Use it to give yourself a motivational boost, a mental or physical spring cleaning, or as an energy charge for a refresh on a new chapter in your life.
Lilacs are commonly used for spells involving:
Exorcisms, banishing negative energy, love and lust spells.
Protection spells and spells symbolizing the balance between life and death.
Plant lilacs around your property to protect those inside its boundaries. Planting lilacs by your front door keeps negative energy from entering your home.
Bringing cuttings into your home is supposed to help banish negative energy and spirits.
Hanging lilac branches over a newborn’s crib was said to encourage them in growth of knowledge and wisdom.
RECIPES:
Lilac Oil Recipe:
Lilac oil is good for sunburn relief or soothing scratches, light burns and itches.
Adding lilac oil to your wrists and behind the ears helps to draw love your way.
Ingredients:
Lilac Flowers
Jar
Carrier Oil (coconut oil, grapeseed oil or jojoba oil)
Process:
sift through lilac flowers to ensure there's no bugs, were not going to wash them and dry them because we want to keep the fragrant properties of the flowers.
making sure there are no leaves or stems, put flowers inside a jar, filling the jar at least 3/4 with lilac flowers
add your carrier oil until all the flowers are covered
close the jar, shake to ensure even distribution and store in a cool dark place for 3 weeks, shake it regularly
after 3 weeks strain flowers out of the oil into a dropper jar and use for two months *throw away after two months if you still have any oil left over*
Lilac Tea:
Lilac tea is soothing and said to aid in digestion. Many people report that a cup of lilac tea is calming and relaxing for the stomach.
It is also possible that lilac flowers are good for eyes and eyesight. They contain carotenoids (the pigments/color you see in the flower) which are known to be good for your eyes.
Ingredients:
Dried lilac flowers
Boiling water
Process:
Just hang lilac bunches upside down to dry. Once completely dehydrated, pull of the petals and store in an air-tight jar or tin, and steep as you would any loose herbal tea.
Lilac Honey:
Ingredients:
2 cup of lilac flowers (stems removed)
1.5 cups of raw honey
Process:
Cut the lilac flowers off the stem with scissors and put into a pint size mason jar.
Once the jar is full of lilac flowers, pour in raw honey to completely cover the blossoms.
Let the honey settle down into the jar for a bit, then top off the jar with more honey to cover the flowers.
After a bit the lilac flowers will inevitably float to the top of the honey, and that’s ok.
Cap the jar and let the honey infuse for at least a few days and up to several weeks before using, stirring the flowers up a bit as often as you think of it.
When you are ready to use the honey you can easily scoop out the mass of flowers from the top of the jar with a spoon. You can alternatively leave them in if you’d like as they are edible.
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