The herb library · Touch of Magick Book of Shadows
A long-cultivated forage plant, explored here through modern prosperity symbolism and the care of everyday resources.
At a glance
| English / Spanish | Alfalfa / Alfalfa |
|---|---|
| Botanical identity | Medicago sativa |
| Plant family | Fabaceae |
| Part discussed | Dried herb |
Getting to know alfalfa
Alfalfa is a perennial legume with leaves divided into three leaflets and clusters of pea-shaped flowers, often purple. Kew accepts Medicago sativa in the pea family. Its familiar place in agriculture gives this plant a very different documented history from a herb whose reputation comes chiefly from household folklore.1
History & documented traditions
University of Massachusetts Extension describes alfalfa’s movement from Asia Minor through North Africa and southern Europe, and later into the Americas. A 2025 review in Horticulture Research discusses its longstanding agricultural importance, regrowth, and nitrogen-fixing biology. These sources document the plant’s cultivation and biology; they do not establish ancient magical uses.24
Spiritual uses
The modern Llewellyn working Money Spells includes alfalfa in a money pouch. That is evidence of a contemporary prosperity association, rather than proof that farmers across history understood the plant in the same spiritual terms. Our suggested practice connects this symbolism with stewardship: noticing what sustains you and tending the resources already in your care.3
Correspondences
Associations depend on the tradition and author. Historical and practitioner examples below are sourced; the shop themes, elements, and colors are our own symbolic choices.
| Documented spiritual theme | Prosperity and money workings — contemporary practitioner example.3 |
|---|---|
| Shop practice themes | Stewardship, gratitude, and care for supplies — Touch of Magick suggestions. |
| Suggested element / colors | Earth; green and gold — Touch of Magick symbolic choices. |
A practice for your own Book of Shadows
Place dried alfalfa in a closed container with a note naming a resource you want to tend: time, food supplies, a creative skill, or a small savings habit. Write one manageable action beneath it. Make an inventory, set aside time to practice, or review a recurring expense. Revisit your note after a week. The herb serves as a symbolic reminder; this original exercise makes no promise of financial results.
Journal prompt
What resource already supports me, and what small act of care would help it last?
Bring alfalfa into your practice
Find the matching herb at Touch of Magick. Check its listing for available forms, sizes, and stock.
Shop AlfalfaOur supplies are spiritual curios. This practice uses contained herbs and does not call for eating, drinking, burning, or applying them to skin. Keep herbs dry and out of reach of children and pets.
Sources & further reading
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Medicago sativaAccepted botanical identity and plant family.
- University of Massachusetts Extension: AlfalfaAgricultural history, growth, and plant description.
- Llewellyn: Money SpellsA specific contemporary practitioner example, rather than a universal historical attribution.
- Advances in basic biology of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), Horticulture Research (2025)Scholarly review of alfalfa biology and agricultural history.
Botanical and scholarly sources support identification and documented history. Practitioner sources describe particular spiritual uses. The exercise, shop themes, elements, and colors are our own additions.