Plants have been used against people suspected of being vampires for centuries.  Some, like garlic, are well known while others have become obscure with time.  The following plants have been used throughout history against those thought to be the creatures of the night.

Aconite

Otherwise known wolfsbane, aconite is a flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family that was referenced in the 1931 Universal film Dracula.  It is poisonous to people and causes vomiting when small doses are digested to respiratory paralysis, cardiac arrest, and death in higher doses.  Although there isn’t any mention of aconite in traditional folklore, it is interesting to note that it is a traditional Asian cure for “Yang deficiency” or coldness.

Ash

In Europe, stakes were often made out of wood from the ash tree.  Ash is commonly found in folklore.  In Britain, ash was thought to heal sick children.  In Nordic mythology it is the ash tree named Yggdrasil that is the center of the Viking world.  Although there isn’t a clear religious significance of the tree, ash wood is one of the strongest and densest woods available making it quite handy when staking a vampire.

Aspen

Unlike the ash, the wood of an aspen tree is quite meaningful in Christianity because Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross made of aspen.  Aspen wood is another common material for making stakes out of as aspen wood is considered holy and able to ward off evil.

Blackthorn

This large scrub with blackish bark and spiny branches was used to prevent people from becoming vampires and destroy vampires.  In Croatia, blackthorn stakes were used to impale suspected vampire corpses.  In Slovakia, blackthorn was used to stab suspected vampires in the heart or head.  Blackthorn, like the aspen, has a visual association with Christ’s crown of thorns and that is why it was chosen to ward off vampires.

Buckthorn

This plant is thought to be what Christ’s crown of thorns was made with and is sometimes referred to as Christ’s Thorn.  In ancient Greece, buckthorn was used to ward off the walking dead and in Europe, branches of buckthorn were hung on gates to prevent evil from coming into homes.  Today, it is quite a vampire all on it’s own as it degrades wildlife habitats, absorbs so much nutrients that other plants cannot compete, and is one of the most invasive plants in Minnesota.

Dogrose

This flowering shrub blooms pink and white flowers and was thought to be able to prevent vampires.  The people of Walachia, now southern Romania, believed that placing a branch of dogrose inside the coffin would prevent the deceased loved one from becoming one of the walking dead.

Garlic

This is the most well known plant associated with vampires, probably because it was mentioned in Bran Stoker’s Dracula as a vampire repellant.  Garlic was also stuffed in the mouths of vampires to prevent them from returning from the grave. 

Hawthorn

These shrubs in the rose family have a long history as weapons against the undead.  In Eastern Serbia, small pegs made from hawthorn were driven through the grave next to the cross in order to prevent the deceased from turning.  In Slovenia, hawthorn stakes were driven in the belly while in Eastern Slovakia hawthorn was shoved through the head or heart.   Like the Blackthorn, hawthorn branches were associated with Christ’s crown of thorns. 

Juniper

This perennial tree or shrub is found throughout the northern hemisphere.  Stakes made from the hardwood of Juniper trees were considered not as good as the Christian-associated aspen or hawthorn, but if it was blessed by a priest it would do fine up against a vampire.

Linden

The Linden tree is another hardwood that was used to make stakes.  Like the Juniper tree, if a stake made from linden wood was blessed by a priest it could destroy a vampire or prevent a vampire from rising if staked through the head, heart, or belly.

Rose

This popular flower was once used in Romania as a way to prevent vampirism by laying a branch on the grave.  It is interesting to note that in America roses are a common flower that is used at funerals and are often tossed onto the coffin before it is buried in the ground. 

Rowan

Prior to Christianity, branches of rowan trees were used to repell vampires.  Later, rowan branches were the preferred wood to make crosses to be placed in areas at risk for vampire attacks and evil spirits.

St. John’s Wort

This 15’ plant is the snake oil of the centuries, purportedly able to cure anything from rheumatoid arthritis to depression and hung on doorways to repel demons.  The name of the plant refers to John the Baptist as it blooms around the time of the feast of St. John the Baptist during the summer. 

Vervain

Followers of the hit series Vampire Diaries should be familiar with vervain, the bane of the vampires that are on the television show.  Also known as herb-of-the-cross, this small plant has a long history of fighting evil.  In ancient Rome it was used to clean homes and temples.  The ancient Celtic Druids considered the plant sacred.  It is also believed that vervain was used to bandage Jesus’ wounds after he was taken off the cross.     To prevent physical and psychic attacks from vampires, people mixed vervain into their tea, put it into a bath to soak in, and wore like a charm on the body.    

So if you feel that you are being stalked by a vampyre, stalk up on garlic, bathe in vervain, decorate with hawthorn, buy crosses out of rowan, and invest in some serious stakes.  Just leave the wolfsbane alone, that stuff is deadly!

References:

http://vampires.monstrous.com/stakes_vampire.htm

http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Weaknesses_of_the_Vampire

http://www.vampires.com/nature-against-vampires/