Names: Crab, Sour Apple
Medicinal Uses: Cleansing for the system, especially in the morning. Diuretic for urinary tract problems. Antiseptic and a tonic. A rich source of various vitamins, trace elements, amino acids and flavonoids. Malic acid is the principal acid of the fruit, hence its Latin name. It is useful in the management of immunomediated diseases, and contains an antifungal constituent. It reduces skin inflammation and helps in removing dead skin fragments.
Household Uses: Used for its pectin, to set jams and jellies. Used to flavor mead, and make melomel.
Traditional Magical Uses: Used for anything an apple can be used for, which is tons of things.
Shamanic Magical Use: This is the plant associated with Vanaheim, the land of the Vanir. It can be used for any fertility charm, whether for people, animals, or the fields, as it carries all the fertility of Vanaheim behind it. It is also a powerful healer, and rubbing crabapple slices on an afflicted body and then burying them in the Earth is a useful healing technique, as the clean, sharp energy of the crabapple absorbs disease energy. It can also be charged with healing energy and eaten. Its wholesomeness makes it an inappropriate carrier for seek-and-destroy spells; use Crabapple as a follow-up after using other plants in this way, in order to strengthen the body's defenses.
