Prickly Ash

Other names: Zanthoxylum schinifolium; Sichuan Pepper; Toothache Tree; Hua Jiao;

Element: Fire

Planet: Saturn

Zodiac: Aries

Ritual uses include: Stealth; Defense; Protection; Enemies; Pain; Uncrossing; Hex Breaking

This is an ingredient that everyone is sleeping on! Despite it often being called Sichuan Pepper, it's not actually a close relative to other peppers like black pepper. It's more closely related to rue and citrus species.

Those who grew up in culinary environments where Prickly Ash is used to spice food probably already know the most interesting thing about this plant: it numbs the tongue! So, rather than being spicy like a chili, Prickly Ash is doing its own thing. The numbing effect is from hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, a natural chemical similar to capsaicin that acts on different nerve fibers; instead of heat, it produces is a tingling numb feeling that is strange but not painful.

Prickly Ash has an overt Fire association, but basically no other classification of it has been done. Saturn seems like a good fit, because Prickly Ash limits the senses and numbness has historically been categorized as a Saturnian malady. Aries is probably the best Zodiacal attribution, as it is congruent with the Fire assignment and Aries is also correspondent to the tongue. 

As a ritual ingredient, Prickly Ash is great for keeping someone uninformed. Revoking access, confounding interlopers, and working unseen are all supported by this plant. It is probably the most underutilized ingredients out there.