Preparation
highHill says an infusion of leek roots boiled into a syrup with honey was used for asthma, coughs, and obstructions of the breast and lungs.
Found in the Hermetikon archive
Leek
Allium porrum
Leek appears in Hermetikon as an archive-backed plant entry, with references across historical medical, magical, symbolic, and ritual contexts where the source texts support them.
- Risk
- low concern
- Books
- 29
- Contexts
- 5
- Mentions
- 135
Archive Profile
Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.
Herb identity
- Common name
- leek
- Latin name
- Allium porrum(candidate)
- Identity note
- Archive references include food, folk custom, and biblical/classical plant lists.
Safety
low concern
Food use is generally low concern; concentrated medicinal use differs from culinary references.
Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.
- Kew POWO: Food use is generally low concern; concentrated medicinal use differs from culinary references.
Aliases
leekAllium porrumleeks
Leek in Historical Sources
Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.
Hermetikon's curated reading of Leek (Allium porrum) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 1 preparation or ritual-use entry. The strongest recurring contexts are preparations, folk magic, and astrology. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.
Astrology
highAgrippa groups leeks with onions, shallots, mustard seed, and thorny trees among Mars-associated things that cause tears or offense.
Folk magic
highFrazer records a Halloween divination in which a girl walking backward places a knife among leeks to see her future husband retrieve it.
The Golden Bough | James George Frazer | 1913
§ 7. The Midwinter Fires.
Preparations and ritual uses
honey syrup
highHill prepares leek roots as a water infusion boiled into syrup with honey for coughs, asthma, and breast or lung obstructions.
Leek Archive Contexts
Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.
Medicine
1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics.
Matched as leeks; high confidence.
Astrology
4 passages across 4 books; strongest source: Christian Astrology.
Matched as leeks; high confidence.
Folk magic
2 passages across 2 books; strongest source: Balder the Beautiful, Volume I.
Matched as leeks; high confidence.
Preparation
4 passages across 4 books; strongest source: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable.
Matched as leeks; high confidence.
Ritual
3 passages across 3 books; strongest source: British Goblins.
Matched as leeks; high confidence.
Leek Cited Excerpts
Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper
1653
"...momel, Mints, Melilot, Pelitory of the Wall, Chickweed, Rue, Stœchas, Marjoram. *Draw.* Pimpernel, Birthwort, Dittany, Leeks, Onions, Garlick, and also take this general rule, as all cold things bind and harden, so all things very hot are drying. *Suppure.* Mallows, Marsh-mallows, White Lily leaves, &c. *Cleanse.* Pimpernel, Southernwood, Sparagus, Cetrach, Arrach, Wormwood, Beet, Pellitory of the Wall, Chamepitis, Dodder, Liverwort, Horehound, Willow leaves, &c. *Glutinate.* Marsh-mallows, Pimpernel, Centaury, Chamepitis, Mallows, Germander, Horsetail, Agri..."
A CATALOGUE OF SIMPLES IN THE NEW DISPENSATORY.Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: leekshigh confidence
The Family Herbal
John Hill
1755
"... tinge of green, the root is white, oblong, thick, and roundish, with fibres at the bottom. An infusion of the roots of leeks made in water, and boiled into a syrup with honey, is good against asthmas, coughs, and obstructions in the breast and lungs. It answers the same purposes with syrup of garlic, but it will agree with some, who cannot bear that medicine. ### The LEMON TREE. *Limonia malus.* A SHRUB, native of the warmer countries, and frequent in our green houses, very beautiful and fragrant. The trunk is moderately thick, and covered with a brown bark;..."
Page 245Open in Reader
Preparationalias: leekshigh confidence
Three Books of Occult Philosophy
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim
1533
"102 HENRY CORNELIUS AGRIPPA'S and such as, being eaten, cause tears, as onions, ascolonia, leeks, mustard-seed, and all thorny trees; and the dogwood-tree, which is dedicated to Mars. And all such animals as are warlike, ravenous, bold, and of clear fancy, as the horse, mule, goat, kid, wolf, leopard, and wild ass. Serpents, also, and dragons, full of displeasure and poison. Also all such as are offensive to men, as gnats, flies, and the baboon, by reason of his anger. All birds that are ravenous, devour flesh, and break bones, as..."
Page 113Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: leekshigh confidence
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer
1913
"... the empty bowl, they would [pg 241] live unmarried. Again, if a girl, walking backwards, would place a knife among the leeks on Hallowe'en, she would see her future husband come and pick up the knife and throw it into the middle of the garden.[619](5728820137471713811_43049-h-12.html.xhtml#note_619) In Ireland the Hallowe'en bonfires would seem to have died out, but the Hallowe'en divination has survived. Writing towards the end of the eighteenth century, General Vallancey tells us that on Hallowe'en or the vigil of Saman, as he calls it, “the peasants in Ir..."
§ 7. The Midwinter Fires.Open in Reader
Folk magicalias: leekshigh confidence
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter
1854
"GENKKAL IXDKX XVll Horsemint 1274, 127o, KinT Horse-nettle ITiHi Horseradisli-tree 1391 Hot-air bath 175a Housf leek, common 1741 small 1741 Howe's acid solution of iron lir>4 black haw cordial 2061 Huckleberry, black 2040 blue " 2mO Huile blanche de thyme . .13!K) decade 105*2 rouge de thyme 1399 Hulled barlev 996 Humulene 999, 1324 Huinulus 99H Limulus 998, 1210 Hundred-leaved rose 1677 Hungary leech 993 valonia 911 Hunns drops 1-264 Huntsman's cup l"2o Hvtinanclie globosa 1318 Hyananchine 1318 Hydnocarpus odorata 971 venenata 972 Wightiana 972 Hyd..."
Page 1303Open in Reader
Archive mentionalias: leeklow confidence
Books Mentioning Leek
Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper | 1653
leeksleek
33 mentionscited
British Goblins
Wirt Sikes | 1880
leeksleek
26 mentions
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
E. Cobham Brewer | 1870
leeksleek
16 mentions
Mysteries of All Nations
James Grant | 1880
leeks
15 mentions
The Family Herbal
John Hill | 1755
leeksleek
3 mentionscited
Clavis Astrologiae Elimata
Henry Coley | 1669
leeksleek
3 mentions
Secrets of Black Arts
Anonymous | 1850
leeksleek
3 mentions
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer | 1913
leeks
2 mentionscited
Theogony & Works and Days
Hesiod | 700 BCE
leeks
2 mentions
Christian Astrology
William Lilly | 1647
leeks
2 mentions
Balder the Beautiful, Volume I
James George Frazer | 1913
leeks
2 mentions
The Mathnawi
R. A. Nicholson | 1925
leeks
2 mentions
Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics
James Hastings | 1913
leeks
2 mentions
Illustration of the Occult Sciences
Ebenezer Sibly | 1784
leeks
2 mentions
Anatomy of Melancholy
Robert Burton | 1621
leeks
2 mentions
Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus
Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim (Paracelsus) | 1493
leek
2 mentions
Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics
James Hastings | 1908
leek
2 mentions
Mystic London
Charles Maurice Davies | 1875
leeks
2 mentions
Encyclopaedia of Antiquities
Thomas Dudley Fosbroke | 1825
leeks
2 mentions
The Elder Eddas and Younger Eddas
Anonymous | 1200
leek
2 mentions
Bulfinch's Mythology
Thomas Bulfinch | 1881
leek
2 mentions
Three Books of Occult Philosophy
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim | 1533
leeks
1 mentioncited
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter | 1854
leek
1 mentioncited
The Mathnawi, Vol. 2
R. A. Nicholson | 1926
leeks
1 mention
The Book of Talismans
William Thomas Pavitt | 1914
leek
1 mention
Fact and Fable in Psychology
Joseph Jastrow | 1900
leek
1 mention
Chuang Tzu
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) | 300
leeks
1 mention
Demonologia
J. S. Forsyth | 1827
leek
1 mention
Chips from a German Workshop (Vol 5)
F. Max Müller | 1881
leek
1 mention