Black Walnut Hull cut

Little grows beneath a black walnut. The tree puts a compound into the soil that stunts many plants nearby, and practitioners read it as a lesson in separation.

Origin & Traditional Use

Juglans nigra is a large tree of eastern North America prized for its timber and nuts. The green-black hulls around the nut stain the hands brown and were used to dye cloth, hair and wood and to make ink, and they were traditionally used in American folk herbalism.

Uses by Tradition

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Separation jar: put two name-papers back to back in a jar with walnut hull to push two people apart.
• Tie-cutting: add the hulls to a bath when you want to end a bond, a habit or an old obligation.
• Walnut ink: simmer the hulls into a dark brown ink for petitions that close a chapter.

A Simple Working

• Simmer two tablespoons of walnut hull in a cup of water until it turns dark, then strain and cool.
• Stir in a pinch of gum arabic to thicken it into ink.
• Light a black chime candle.
• With a dip pen, write what you are ending on a slip of paper.
• Fold it away from you and burn it in the candle flame.
• Scatter the ashes outside, away from your home.

Pairs Well With

• Gum arabic, to bind walnut ink.
• Barberry root bark, for banishing.
• Activated charcoal, to darken the ink further.
• A black chime candle, for ending and separation work.

Lore & History

Walnut trees carry a dark reputation in Italian lore: the witches of Benevento were said to gather under a great walnut tree. That legendary tree was the common walnut, a close relative of this American species.

What You Receive

Cut dried black walnut hull, available in 1 oz, 2 oz and 1 lb.