Deer’s Tongue Herb 1oz — Ritual Herb for Eloquence & Love Luck

Quick Specs

• Brand: 1618 Gold
• Type: Dried herb, cut and sifted
• Size/Quantity: 1 oz
• Best for: Eloquence and speech workings, court case magic, love and attraction

What Deer’s Tongue Actually Is

Deer’s Tongue is the common name for Liatris odoratissima (also classified as Carphephorus odoratissimus), a perennial plant native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States from North Carolina through Florida. The name comes from the shape of the leaves: long, broad, and rounded, resembling a deer’s tongue. It is not made from any animal material. The plant belongs to the Asteraceae family and produces clusters of small purple flowers on tall stalks. Its distinctive vanilla-like fragrance comes from coumarin, the same aromatic compound found in tonka beans, sweet woodruff, and sweetgrass, which gives all of them that characteristic hay-and-vanilla scent.

The coumarin content made deer’s tongue commercially valuable in the early 20th century as a tobacco additive and perfume fixative, and it was harvested so aggressively from wild populations that it became uncommon in parts of its native range. By the 1970s, its use in food and tobacco had been phased out in the United States due to coumarin’s anticoagulant properties in large quantities. In the herbal and magical trade it continues to circulate for ritual purposes, where the quantities used are small and the application is external or ceremonial rather than dietary.

Deer’s Tongue for Eloquence, Love, and Court Work

In hoodoo, deer’s tongue is used for eloquence, love luck, and court work; its tongue-shaped leaf links it to speech through the doctrine of signatures, so its magical application centers on persuasion, communication, and the power of spoken or written words. Practitioners use it in court case work, public speaking preparations, job interviews, and situations where one needs to be heard, believed, or persuasive. It is also carried for love and attraction, partly because of its sweet vanilla-like scent and partly because confident speech is understood in folk magic as a component of personal magnetism and charm. Browse my full herbs collection for complementary botanicals for communication and court case workings.

Its planetary association varies by source: some practitioners assign it to Mercury for its communication qualities, others to Mars for its assertive energy, and its growth habit, tall purple flowers on a stout stalk, has led some to associate it with Jupiter. In practice it is most consistent in its role as an herb of eloquence and persuasion, which are quintessentially Mercury-ruled attributes regardless of how individual practitioners categorize it botanically or astrologically.

How to Use Deer’s Tongue Herb

The Tarot Fellow Standard

I stock this herb because deer’s tongue is used in hoodoo for eloquence, love luck, and court work. Hoodoo is a living tradition, and an herb like this is an entry point, not a substitute for learning from its practitioners. The naming history is worth knowing so you are not confused by it, and the coumarin content is worth noting as practical information rather than a reason for concern at the quantities used in ritual work. The 1 oz quantity gives you enough for multiple workings without accumulating excess. For candles, oils, and other supplies that pair with this herb, my Voodoo, Hoodoo and Santeria collection has what you need.

Frequently Asked Questions