What does God say about using herbs for medicine? Isn’t it witch craft?

I would love to start out this Devotional with a prayer today,

Lord, we come to you in word and in spirit today with open minds and open hearts, ready to receive whatever you have in store for us. We want to thank you for allowing your word to continue on, and for us to have the opportunity to freely read the Holy Bible. AMEN

I want to start in Ezekiel 47:12. I love reading the 1560 Geneva Bible, but it is hard to read, so I will add in the King James version for easier reading.

“And by this riuer vpon the brinke thereof, on this side, and on that side shall grow all fruitful trees, whose leafe shall not fade, neither shall ye fruit thereof faile: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his moneths, because their waters run out of ye Sanctuarie: and the fruite thereof shalbe meat, and the leafe thereof shalbe for medicine. ” - Ezekiel 47:12 GNV  

“And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.”   - Ezekiel 47:12 KJV

So this verse is when God is walking with Ezekiel, along the life giving river that flows from the Millennial Temple, explaining and instructing him on the plans he has for the use of the trees and plants that line the river. Many can interpret this verse, chapter, and story as being figurative or symbolic of the love and blessings that flow from God and his presence. In my opinion this is a very literal story and very much instructing us on how we should, and/or, will live and operate on the divided lands of Israel.

In this verse it literally tells us that herbs and plants will be used for medicine, so the argument that states “ plants are not medicine” is quite invalid, especially if you are a believer of God. He very much explicitly tells us what is considered medicine, and that would be the plants and herbs.

We can also quickly look at another supporting verse, 2 Kings 20:7,

Then Isaiah sayde, Take a lumpe of dry figges. And they tooke it, and layed it on the boyle, and he recouered.      -2 Kings 20:7 GNV

This verse supports the use of herbs and plants in their ability to heal. The dried figs healed a boil on Hezekiah.

Now we will move onto the more controversial and deeper topic, witchcraft....

We will visit the verse, Deuteronomy 18:10-12

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.      -Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ESV

Obviously, the act of sorcery, magic, witchcraft, etc is hated by God.

 I think we should look at the actual definition of witchcraft, it is; the use of sorcery or magic, communication with the devil or with a familiar, (1)

I also think the definition for magic is also an important term to understand in this conversation, it is; an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source, the use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces (2)

The next verse we will look at on this topic is, Romans 1:25

Which turned the trueth of God vnto a lie, and worshipped and serued the creature, forsaking the Creator, which is blessed for euer, Amen.     -Romans 1:25 GNV

This chapter is a pretty influential and deep chapter.I will attempt to summarize it so we can answer the question of, “is using herbs as medicine witchcraft?”, with Gods own words. I highly encourage you to pause this, and read this whole chapter one or two times over before you continue reading.

In short, no, it is not witchcraft.

In this chapter, Paul is writing to the believers in Rome. He is revealing the righteousness of God through the condemnation of unrighteousness.

So we all know that there are good and evil spiritual forces at work in a different realm that we cannot see in this physical realm, that we call earth. There are people inhabiting this earthly realm that have learned how, and are capable of using “powers” or “energy” that are not given by God and actually are brought to these individuals by fallen elohim, fallen spiritual beings, fallen angels, or demons (whichever you prefer), to perform works that are supernatural. These beings and/or individuals turn the true use of herbs (stated above) into an evil lie to further deceive others that may not be as educated on these concepts. These “things” or as the scripture above refers to them as “creatures”, can be worshiped and served. This verse is essentially referring to idolatry. In relation to our topic of witchcraft and herbal usage, it would be idolizing plants, herbs, rocks, or other elohim, etc, to conjure up these “powers”.

So unless the specific individual in concern is calling upon other beings to help bring about these special powers in combination with herbs, then it is not considered witchcraft. If the individual is simply using these herbs in respect to God and his wishes; understanding that he is the almighty, Elohim of Elohim, and has complete control of every single outcome no matter what it may be, it is not witchcraft. To many it may seem like a fine grey line, but in all actuality it is black and white. You either practice witchcraft, or you use herbs as support for the plan that God has.

Thank you for following along on what many would call a slippery slope in the Christian beliefs, I hope this brings light and clarity to those who have been questioning the use of herbal medicine as a believer in Christ. Just know that you are not alone in your thoughts, and its a great thing to self reflect, ensuring that you are following a righteous path that God will be proud of. I too was once in your shoes questioning if this was the right direction to go.

Lets finish up this big topic with a prayer, feel free to repeat it for yourself if you feel led,

Dear God, thank you so much for today, thank you so much for bringing other women to this conversation with me. I pray you give me peace in times of turmoil, and I pray you give me the wisdom to raise my family up in the way you intend. Thank you, praise God, AMEN

Please feel free to have a discussion in the comments. Leave your thoughts or opinion for others to see a different perspective. We all learn from having conversations and talking amongst one another respectfully. There is always a way to be opinionated respectfully.

In reference to the term Elohim I will add a great video on the explanation of the term. This website is beautiful website for those who wish to dig a little deeper into Gods word.

https://bibleproject.com/videos/elohim/

Definitions:

Righteousness: as in morality, conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong

Condemnation: as in reprimand, an often public or formal expression of disapproval

Resources:

1) “Witchcraft Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witchcraft. Accessed 8 June 2025.

2) “Magic Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magic. Accessed 8 June 2025.