Back to Compendium New
Botanical Name
Myrrhis odorata
Needs Review

Details

Sweet cicely is a tall herbaceous perennial of the celery family, and the only species in the genus Myrrhis. Wikipedia gives its other common names as cicely, myrrh, garden myrrh and sweet chervil. It is native to the mountains of southern and central Europe, from the Pyrenees to the Caucasus, and smells strongly of aniseed when crushed. Its leaves are used as a herb, raw or cooked, with a sweet taste like anise, and its roots and seeds are also edible. Wikipedia says it has a history of use as a medicinal herb, and that, like anise, fennel and caraway, it can flavour akvavit. Neither Cunningham nor Kynes has an entry for it, so no magical correspondences are recorded here.

References

#1#2

Correspondences

Elements
No elements recorded.
Celestial Bodies
No celestial bodies recorded.
Zodiac Signs
No zodiac signs recorded.
Colours
No colours recorded.
Deities
No deities recorded.

Folk Names

  • Cicely
  • Garden Myrrh
  • Myrrh
  • Sweet Chervil

Categories

  • Grief Work
  • Joy
  • Nightmare Protection
  • Renewal
  • Spirit Work

Substitutes

No substitutes recorded.

Forms

Leaf

Wikipedia says the leaves are used raw or cooked, with a sweet taste like anise.

References

#3

Seed

Wikipedia says the seeds are edible and chewed raw.

References

#4

References

Notes

  1. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Chervil".
  2. Wikipedia, under "Cicely."
  3. Wikipedia, under "Cicely."
  4. Wikipedia, under "Cicely."

Bibliography

  • Kynes, Sandra. The Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants: History, Folklore, Correspondences, and Spells. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2024. (EPUB.)1
  • Wikipedia, under "Cicely." Accessed October 23, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cicely&oldid=1366793266. Open the Source (opens in a new tab)234