Hi, my loves and welcome to WiccaNow. Recently I’ve been sharing guides to all my favourite herbs and plants, like this post all about the magickal benefits of yarrow, another all about sunflowers, a guide to basil and most recently a post all about the magickal properties of aloe. Today I want to continue with this by sharing my guide to the magickal properties of apples with you!
Apples are an ancient symbol of life, death and rebirth and wisdom. They represent immortality and are closely linked with the underworld. The magickal properties of apples include love, protection, fertility and longevity. The medicinal benefits of apples include weight-loss, a lower risk of heart disease and the potential to improve memory loss in older people along with many others.
Disclaimer: Any medicinal benefits given here are a product of my own research and as such should not be taken over the advice of trained medical professionals. If you are ill, please go and see a doctor. Always make sure that anything you consume is 100% safe. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor or midwife before consuming something you haven’t tried before.
If you enjoy learning about plants and herbs, check out this gorgeous plant magick grimoire we’ve created. It’s filled with everything you need to know about our favourite 29 magickal herbs and plants and is beautifully illustrated. Check it out below or keep scrolling to learn all about the magickal properties of apples!
History of Apples
Apple trees, the most common of which is known as Malus Domestica, are cultivated all over the world and produce one of the most commonly consumed fruits worldwide. They are members of the Rosaceae family which also includes roses, pears, plums, cherries and even strawberries. Apple trees originated in Central Asia from a wild species called Malus Sieversii, which still exists today although currently it is considered vulnerable for extinction.
Apples were grown for thousands of years in both Asia and Europe. They are thought to have been domesticated between 4000-10,000 years ago somewhere in the Tian Shan Mountains in Kazakhstan. From these extremely early days, apples were taken down the silk road trade route and brought into Europe.
Researchers have found apple seeds in Northeastern Italy which have been carbon-dated back to around 4000BCE. It’s unclear whether these seeds came from foraged wild fruit or whether apples were already being planted and cultivated in plantations.
Because apples are such long-lasting fruit when stored correctly, they became an extremely important food group within Asia and Europe. They ripen towards the end of autumn which means that the weather used to be cold enough to allow them to be stored and consumed throughout the winter.
Apples were introduced to the Chiloé Archipelago (a small group of Islands of the coast of Chile) in the 1500s by Spanish explorers. They thrived in their new environment and were introduced into North Ameria during the 1600s by colonists. The first known apple orchard in North America was planted in 1625 in Boston by a Reverend named William Blaxton.
Today, apples grow all over the world and thousands of varieties are being cultivated for different purposes from cider production, to cooking apples to apples produced purely for consumption.
Fun Facts about Apples
- In 2018 86 million tonnes of apples were produced worldwide. Around ½ of this amount was produced in China.
- There are over 7,500 different apple cultivars.
- Crabapples were found in the Americas before the common apple was brought by European colonists however the fruit was extremely sour and wasn’t readily eaten. Crabapples make excellent jelly though because they contain a lot of pectin.
- Apples are often connected to the faery world in stories. Falling asleep under an apple is meant to transport you there, although you might not come back for years.
- Throwing the unbroken skin of a whole apple over your shoulder is meant to spell out the first letter of the name of your future partner.
- Catherine the Great loved apples so much that she had then individually wrapped in silver paper and sent to her palace in Russia.
- Every single apple tree grown from a pip is unique and will have different traits to its parent plant. Most apples these days are grafted so that they always retain their sought after traits i.e. they are clones of the original tree.
- Art often shows that the fruit Eve ate in the original garden of Eden was an apple. This is unknown however and the type of fruit she eats is never mentioned in text.
- A golden apple basically started the Trojan war. It was awarded as the prize to the most beautiful Greek Goddess. Paris was chosen as a judge and picked Aphrodite after…
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