Dried Herbs: TONKA BEANS - Dipteryx odorata 50g

A tropical South American egg shaped, one seeded pod native to Brazil and Venezuela, contains coumarin. Fragrant and used as a substitue for vanilla and for flavouring tobacco and sweets. Tonka Beans are popular because of their wonderful fragrance – much like vanilla with cinnamon, clove and almond. Is wonderful in pot-pourris and sachets – just slice into slivers and toss blend with other ingredients – used as the fixative. The skins and white crystals carry the sweetest part of the fragrance. You might find a white, sandy powder on the beans; this is the naturally formed coumarin.
This native of South America was once used to flavour pipe tobacco, and is often the "vanilla" scent in cosmetics. In Mexico, Tonka Bean is used to extend vanilla flavouring for food, but in the US it is prohibited as a food ingredient because it can harm the liver if used in excess. Tonka Beans have been used as an aphrodisiac, assists with Lymphedema, Nausea and Stomach Cramps

Cautions; Tonka Beans may cause damage to the liver if ingested in quantity.
Keep out of reach of children and pets.
Combining herbs with some medications may alter their action and/or produce unwanted side effects which may be dabgerous for some. Avoid tonka beans if you have a liver problem or using blood thinners. Best to avoid Tonka beans if pregnrant or breastfeeding.

Magickal Use : Wishes, Love, Money, Gain, Good Luck, Success.
Venus

When making a wish, hold the bean in your hand, visualise your wish and once wish has been completed, throw the bean into a river or the sea. Carry in mojo to attract love or prosperity and luck. Also said to ward off illness, if carried.

Tonka Bean is used in love magick and money spells. Is usually thought to be a Venus, but some consider it to be Jupiter and say that carrying it builds courage. As a New World herb, Tonka Beans are not so often encountered in West European magickal styles but instead crop up in New World magick like Hoodoo. For instance, Tonka Beans are used in mojo bags for drawing money, and 7 beans can be thrown into a creek or river to make a wish come true.

In incense, in small amounts it makes a decent subsitute for musk. It scent blends especially well with patchouli, sandalwood, rose, lavender and citrus skins.

Keep out of reach of children and pets.