Blessing bottles migrated with folk of Celtic descent to the East coast and Appalachia in the 1600’s, beginning as counter-magical devices used for protection from harm. They are described in historical sources in England and the United States beginning in the 17th century. Modern practitioners use bottles for a variety of purposes. Traditionally, a folk healer would prepare the bottle at the request of their patron, varying its contents accordingly. Historically, the witch bottle contained personal items from a specific individual. Later, the bottles were filled with rosemary, needles and pins, and red wine but you can fill them with whatever serves your purpose.

The bottle was then buried at the farthest corner of the property, beneath the hearth or placed in an inconspicuous spot in the house. It is believed that after being buried, the bottle would capture evil which would be impaled on the pins and needles, drowned by the wine, and sent away by the rosemary. Sometimes sea water or earth are used instead. Other types of blessing bottles may contain sand, stones, knotted threads, feathers, shells, herbs, flowers, salt, vinegar, oil, coins, or ashes. These bottles were believed to be active as long as they remained hidden and unbroken. People went to a lot of trouble in hiding them – those buried underneath fireplaces have been found only after the rest of the building has been torn down or otherwise.