Texas Mountain Laurel

[Vervain]

Hello all,

I just gathered and hang-dried some Texas Mountain Laurel for my herb collection because I thought it was Wisteria... but now that I know what it really is I can't figure out what it's used for. Does it just fall under the category of Laurel? Or is it something altogether different? I can't seem to find any magical information on Texas Mountain Laurel or Mountain Laurel.

The kind I have looks like this:


Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, and blessed be!
Vervain

[Vervain]

Found SOME info:

The brilliant, lacquer red [poisonous] seeds were valued by indigenous people for ornament and ceremonial use;
Native Americans made necklaces as well as a narcotic powder from the seeds.
http://www.botanicalbeads.com/BBB_page_14.html

nothing about the flowers, though.

[Firebird]

I was going to say you have quite a gem on your hands, in that this is the mescal bean tree. They make beautiful necklaces and I used to carry a bean during my moon time. I had a friend that said this was the woman seed, and I used it in a set of trowing stones for divination. This one represented when my moon time was near if it fell next to the pearl !! it was always right.
Do the flowers smell good? They look wonderful! In the pea family...I can see why they would resemble wisteria.
FF

[Vervain]

The flowers smell nice fresh but awful dried, although they retained their visual beauty through drying.

My friend and fellow witch went gathering with me yesterday, and we gathered tupperware full of the beans--the trees were just itching to give them to us, we'd barely touch a pod and they'd fall into our laps! We must have spent two hours removing the beans from the pods, but now we have a box full of beautiful, organic rubies.

We're planning on making them into jewelry tomorrow afternoon, but they're so hard, I can't for the life of me figure out how one would get a needle through them! Do you know the best way to go about this?

Thanks for the info,
Vervain

[Firebird]

That's a dang good question!!!...I think they are drilled, some seeds you can soak but I don't know about these ones. That is so cool you were able to go gathering, I have heard they are toxic, but I don't know how toxic. A box of rubies!...I love it!
I have seen them for sale,...usually strung, and they aren't always cheep. Gems Indeed!
BB, Firebird

[Vervain]

From what you're saying and from my research, it looks like the beading is going to have to wait until I can get my hands on a tiny drill bit. Thanks for the info!

[MOTHERofDRAGONS]

I know where some grows just up the road.. I picked a few a few weeks ago, but MIL threw it out. Maybe I could gather more...
They smell divine.

Will do some research, myself..
So glad I ran across this post!!!

)0(
Blessings
Mama

[Firebird]

I just love these seeds!



aren't they amazing?
botanical name:
Sophora secundiflora (FRIJOLITO, MESCAL BEAN); seeds; nervous system affected by nicotine-like, quinolizidine alkaloids.