Herbal Tarot - Ten of Swords - Ephedra

Soaring Eagle

You can see the minor arcane cards in Constellation 1.

Description: Ten swords are stuck in the ground in front of a large ephedra shrub. There is snow covering the area and a forest is in the background.

Significant Details: The swords symbolize strength and protection. Ephedra symbolizes healing. The snow symbolizes making a fresh start.

Keywords: Despair, Struggle, Painful end of a cycle but opens chance for renewal

Medicinal Uses: Ephedra is “Diaphoretic, stimulant, decongestant, antirheumatic, astringent, diuretic, febrifuge, tonic…E. nevadensis is known as Mormon tea because the Mormons made an herbal brew from it. The earliest record of Mormon tea appeared in the Badianus manuscript; a 1552 herbal highlighting Mexican plants. Written by an Aztec medicine man, the book was translated into Latin and the original copy today resides in the Vatican. Known to early settlers of the American West as “squaw tea”, and was an excellent substitute for coffee or regular tea…the American variety which has little or no ephedrine alkaloids. The more stimulating Chinese ma huang contains plant forms of adrenaline, ephedrine and nor-ephedrine. Ma huang is the Emperor or principal therapeutic herb for the Chinese. Ma-huang (E. sinica) is a Chinese species of ephedra which has been used in China for over 2,000 years to treat headache, colds, fevers, and skin eruptions. It contains a potent alkaloid, ephedrine, which is present only minutely in other species. Used medicinally for colds, asthma, and hay fever. Native Americans added Mormon tea to their treatment of venereal diseases.” http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/Ephedra.html

My Interpretation: You may be ending a painful cycle, but will also be starting a fresh cycle. You may have to struggle past obstacles during this time.

Number Significance: 10 - End of a cycle, Beginning of a new cycle. The 10 of Swords is ruled by the Sun in Gemini. The Tens are in Constellation 1 with I Magician, X Medicine Wheel, XIX Sun, and the Aces. 1 – Communication; Self consciousness; Individualization; Self-expression; Initiative; At-one-ment; Originality.

Thoughts/Points to Ponder: The swords were intentionally left by the ephedra shrub. Maybe this is because the people who carried them started on a new direction.