Plum is a fruit from the plum tree.

• botanical information
• selection
• storage
• magick correspondences and uses
• Goddesses and deities
• Chinese herbology

botanical information:

    Botanical name: Prunus spp. of subgenus Prunus (to distinguish from other subgenera such as peaches, cherries, etc.)

    Common name: plum

    Use the botanical name when ordering seeds (bulbs, etc.) or when looking up information in the library. Common names vary by nation, culture, and region, and sometimes the same common name is applied to different plants.

    See also Chinese herbalism below for Chinese gender and Chinese flavor.

selection:

    Reason to choose organic:
    Plums have the number 18 highest pesticide load of 45 common fruits and vegetables studied in 2006 by the Environmental Working Group and is therefore a prime candidate for switching to organic. The EWA explains, “While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.”
    According to USDA and FDA tests on commercially grown foods collected between 2000 and 2005, plum has a 74.0% (percentage) of samples tested with detectable pesticides, a 27.1% (percentage) of samples with two or more pesticides, a 1.1 average number of pesticides found in a sample, an average of 0.666 parts per million of all pesticides found, and 15 different pesticides found in use growing plums. These toxic pesticides don’t apply to organic foods.

storage:

    Storage: Eat plums within a week (seven days) of purchase.

magickal correspondences and uses:

    Western element: water

    Magickal uses: adoration, protection, respect

    Love spells: Plum blossoms are appropriate for use in love spells, such as the Aphrodite New Moon love spell.

    Magick food for love spells: Plum (both fruit and juice) is an appropriate food for love spells, such as the Aphrodite New Moon love spell, Hecate black candle love spell, or Isis Full Moon love spell. See the article on foods for more information on using food magick in spells.

    Ritual uses: Plum juice and plum wine suitable for offerings to Japanese gods and goddesses.

deities associated with plum:

• any Japanese god or goddess
• Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami (Japanese Goddess)

Chinese herbalism:

    Chinese gender: neutral

    Chinese flavor: slightly sour

Some herbs may be poisonious under some conditions. Exercise appropriate care.

    Wild gathering: Avoid wild gathering. Some plants are endangered species. Some plants can be toxic just by touch. Even experts can make deadly misidentifications of wild plants. Please grow your own herbs in your own goddess garden.

See also: foods and trees.

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