Found in the Hermetikon archive

Peony

Paeonia officinalis

Peony 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: moderate
Books: 20
Contexts: 4
Mentions: 94

Overview Reading Contexts Citations Related Books

Archive Profile

Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.

Herb identity

Common name: peony
Latin name: Paeonia officinalis(ambiguous)
Identity note: Historical sources may distinguish male and female peony.

Safety

moderate

Pregnancy and anticoagulant cautions may be relevant depending on species/preparation.

Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.

MSK About Herbs: Pregnancy and anticoagulant cautions may be relevant depending on species/preparation.

Aliases

peonyPaeonia lactifloraPaeonia officinalispaeony

Peony in Historical Sources

Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.

Hermetikon's curated reading of Peony (Paeonia officinalis) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 2 preparation or ritual-use entries. The strongest recurring contexts are medicine, folk magic, and astrology. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.

Astrology

high

Agrippa gives peony a lunar correspondence in one planetary herb distribution, while also noting a competing Hermes-Albertus list.

Three Books of Occult Philosophy | Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim | 1533

Page 118

Medicine

high

Spence preserves Pliny's incubus remedy of wild paeony seed, paired with a more extravagant dragon-part anointing recipe.

Encyclopaedia of Occultism | Lewis Spence | 1920

Page 356

Folk magic

high

Barham records a nervous-disorder amulet tradition in which fresh peony roots are cut into pieces, hung around the neck, and replaced as they dry.

Thaumaturgia | Richard Harris Dalton Barham | 1835

FOOTNOTES:

Preparations and ritual uses

Decoction ingredient

high

Culpeper includes peony root by the ounce in a complex infused-and-boiled compound with fennel, parsley, orris, valerian, aromatic seeds, and other roots.

Culpeper's Complete Herbal | Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

Chapter 57

Protective perfume

high

Waite lists peony with calamon, mint, and palma Christi in a perfume used to drive away evil spirits and phantoms.

Book of Black Magic | Arthur Edward Waite | 1898

Page 187

Peony Archive Contexts

Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.

Astrology

5 passages across 5 books; strongest source: Domestic Folk-lore.

Matched as peony; high confidence.

Folk magic

1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: Thaumaturgia.

Matched as peony; high confidence.

Preparation

7 passages across 7 books; strongest source: Anatomy of Melancholy.

Matched as peony; high confidence.

Ritual

1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: Liber 777.

Matched as peony; high confidence.

Peony Cited Excerpts

Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.

5 shown

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper

1653

"...ch a handful, the roots of Fennel, Smallage, Parsley, Sparagus, Bruscus, Saxifrage, Elecampane, Cypress, Madder, Orris, Peony, of each an ounce, Juniper Berries, the seeds of Lovage, Parsley, Smallage, Annis, Nigella, Carpobalsamum or Cubebs, Costus, Cassia Lignea, Cardamoms, Calamus Aromaticus, the roots of Asarabacca, Pellitory of Spain, Valerian, of each half an ounce, being cleansed, cut, and bruised, let them be infused twenty-four hours in fourteen pounds of clear water, and boiled till half be consumed, being taken off from the fire, and rubbed between..."

Chapter 57Open in Reader

Preparationalias: peonyhigh confidence

King's American Dispensatory

Harvey Wickes Felter

1854

"... 1030 thick-leaved laso water 1030 Peonia-brown 1429 Peonia fluorescin . . . .1428, 1429 Peonia-resin 1429 Peon..: 1429 Peony 142H Pentadesraa bvityraceoe 1 102 Penthornm 1441 sedoides 1441 Pepo 1443 Pepper, black 1503, 1.504 intoxicating long 1.505 Jamaica. 1502, 1503 long 1.505 India 1505 Java 1.505 Malabar 1.504 Penang 1504 shrub, Ava 1505 Singapore 1504 Sumatra 1.504 water 1533 white 1.504 Peppermint 1254 I'epsin 1444 aromatic 1447 liquid 1446 saccharated 1447 Pepsinum 1444 aromaticum 1447 saccharatum 1447 Peptnse 997 Pereirine 1327 Perezia adnata 1662 na..."

Page 1319Open in Reader

Preparationalias: peonyhigh confidence

Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim

1533

"...piter, agrimony; to Mars, sulphur- wort; to the Sun, marigold; to Venus, wound- wort; to Mercury, mullein; to the Moon, peony. But Hermes, whom Albertus follows, distributes to the Planets these, viz. : To Saturn, the daffodil; to Jupiter, henbane; to Mars, rib-wort; to the Sun, knot-grass; to Venus, vervain; to Mercury, cinque-foil; to the Moon, goose-foot. We also know by experience that asparagus is under Aries, and garden basil under Scorpio; for of the shavings of ram'shorn, sowed, comes forth asparagus; and garden basil, rubbed betwixt two stones, produ..."

Page 118Open in Reader

Preparationalias: peonyhigh confidence

Encyclopaedia of Occultism

Lewis Spence

1920

"...he medical history of the Incubus Pliny has recommended two remedies for this complaint ; one sufficiently simple, wild paeony seed. Another, which it would not be easy to discover in any modern pharmacopoeia, is a decoction in wine and oil of the tongue, eyes, liver, and bowels of a dragon, wherewith, after it has been left to cool all night in the open air, the patient should be anointed every morning and evening. Dr. Bond, a physician, who tells us that he himself was much afflicted with the nightmare, published an Essay on the Incubus in 1 753. At the time..."

Page 356Open in Reader

Preparationalias: paeonyhigh confidence

Liber 777

Aleister Crowley

1909

"...nts— | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. | Marigold. | 17. | Mastic. | | 2. | Lote-tree. | 18. | Zedoary. | | 3. | Peony. | 19. | Saffron. | | 4. | Sallendine. | 20. | Balsam. | | 5. | Balm. | 21. | Amber. | | 6. | Ginger. | 22. | Musk. | | 7. | Gentian. | 23. | Yellow honey. | | 8. | Dittany. | 24. | Lignum aloes. | | 9. | Vervain. | 25. | Cloves. | | 10. | Bay-tree. | 26. | Cinnamon. | | 11. | Cedar. | 27. | Calamus. | | 12. | Palm-tree. | 28. | Aromaticus. | | 13. | Ash. | 29. | Pepper. | | 14. | Ivy. | 30. | Frankincense. | | 15. | Vine. | 31. | Swee..."

Page 235Open in Reader

Ritualalias: peonyhigh confidence

Books Mentioning Peony

Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.

20 books

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

Archive Profile

Herb identity

Safety

Aliases

Peony in Historical Sources

Astrology

Medicine

Folk magic

Preparations and ritual uses

Decoction ingredient

Protective perfume

Peony Archive Contexts

Astrology

Folk magic

Preparation

Ritual

Peony Cited Excerpts

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

King's American Dispensatory

Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Encyclopaedia of Occultism

Liber 777

Related Archive Material

Related herbs

Books Mentioning Peony