From Ayurveda to Rongoā Māori
Communities around the world learned how plants nourish, care and heal. Here their traditions stand beside present-day use, with respect for every culture.
GrapeFolk magic and herbal magic
BuchuLocal African healing traditions
Indian tobaccoCherokee medicine
Lignum vitaeHerbal knowledge of the Caribbean
Yerba mateKallawaya healing knowledge
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 573
Abies balsamea
Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, antiseptic, pain-relieving; for respiratory infections, cough and sore throat, cystitis and enteritis, aid to quitting smoking; externally for burns, wounds, haemorrhoids, muscle pain.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 8
Ocimum basilicum
Traditionally used as an aromatic food plant and in herbal preparations.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 939
Uvularia perfoliata
A low plant with hanging, pale yellow bells and leaves that clasp the stem. Little is known about its compounds.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 950
Lindera benzoin
A shrub of the laurel family with fragrant leaves and twigs and red berries.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 276
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Traditionally attributed effects: urinary antiseptic, astringent.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 224
Monarda didyma
The fragrant leaf contains thymol and is drunk as tea. Indigenous peoples used it for colds, fever and headache; studies in humans are lacking.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 186
Betula pendula
Traditionally attributed effects: bitter, astringent, antirheumatic.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 93
Betonica officinalis (syn. Stachys officinalis)
Traditionally used for tension headaches and nervousness. Modern clinical research is lacking.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 278
Iberis amara
Traditionally attributed effects: antispasmodic, relaxing, strengthens the digestive tract, carminative; traditionally for gout and rheumatism.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 281
Iris versicolor
Traditionally attributed effects: anti-inflammatory, diuretic, stimulating, laxative.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 963
Lactuca tatarica subsp. pulchella (syn. L. pulchella)
A wild lettuce with blue flower heads and milky sap that forms large colonies by runners. Effects not studied.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 280
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Traditionally attributed effects: tonic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, stimulates the uterus, diuretic, antirheumatic.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 372
Sanguinaria canadensis
Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, emetic, expectorant, restorative; part of escharotic treatment for cervical dysplasia, warms lungs/stomach/uterus, promotes coughing up.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 991
Cornus florida
A small tree with large white bracts around a knot of tiny flowers in spring, red berries and red autumn leaves. The bark is astringent and bitter; in the American Civil War it served as a substitute for quinine, and in the laboratory compounds from the bark moderately inhibited the malaria parasite. The berries are poisonous to people.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 282
Peumus boldus
Traditionally attributed effects: stimulates the liver, diuretic.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 151
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Traditionally used for fever and flu with aching muscles; the name refers to 'break-bone fever'. There is hardly any modern clinical research.
CautionEurope · Food · № 73
Fragaria vesca
The tannin-rich leaf was traditionally used for mild diarrhoea; the fruit is a treat rich in vitamin C. Medical evidence is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 306
Hydrangea arborescens
Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, laxative, stimulates the kidneys.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 283
Cytisus scoparius
Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, laxative, raises blood pressure, stimulates the uterus.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 26
Agathosma betulina
Fragrant leaves used as a flavoring and in folk medicine; clinical evidence for treatment is lacking.
CautionOceania · Herb · № 176
Melaleuca cajuputi, M. viridiflora, M. leucadendra e.a.
Both relatives of tea tree yield an essential oil used externally for muscle pain and in inhalations for colds. Clinical evidence is limited.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 978
Umbellularia californica
An evergreen tree of the laurel family with strongly scented leaves. The leaf contains umbellulone, which causes headache when inhaled and is poisonous in large amounts.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 287
Jateorhiza palmata
Traditionally attributed effects: bitter digestive tonic, carminative, lowers blood pressure.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 959
Erigeron canadensis (syn. Conyza canadensis)
An annual of the daisy family with an upright, hairy stem and countless small white flower heads. Contains volatile oil, tannins and flavonoids; the oil was once used as 'oil of erigeron' for bleeding and diarrhoea.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 582
Solidago canadensis
Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing; heals the bladder wall (incontinence, irritation), for allergies and stuck mucus after a cold, eyewash for hay fever.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 931
Tsuga canadensis
An evergreen conifer with short, flat needles. The bark is rich in tannins and was once used to tan leather. Medicinal effects have not been studied.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 288
Frangula purshiana (syn. Rhamnus purshiana)
Traditionally attributed effects: laxative, digestive tonic.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 162
Anemopaegma arvense / Erythroxylum catuaba
Sold in Brazil as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. There is no good clinical research; products vary because several different trees are called 'catuaba'.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 985
Cayaponia ophthalmica
A climber of the gourd family, described by Schultes; the species name means 'for the eye'. Its chemistry is unknown; plants of the gourd family often contain bitter, irritating cucurbitacins.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 926
Brunfelsia grandiflora
A shrub of the nightshade family up to three metres tall, with fragrant flowers that fade from purple to white. Contains scopoletin, among others, and compounds that cause convulsions in animals. Gives a feeling of cold and tingling, and in larger amounts dizziness and paralysis.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 225
Cichorium intybus
Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, laxative, tonic.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 233
Cupressus sempervirens
Traditionally attributed effects: antiseptic, antispasmodic, calming, diuretic.
CautionAsia · Food · № 221
Citrus limon
Traditionally attributed effects: anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, diuretic, strengthens the veins.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 325
Artemisia abrotanum
Traditionally attributed effects: expels worms, antiseptic, bitter, stimulates the uterus.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 183
Erythroxylum coca
The leaf contains a small amount of cocaine and other alkaloids. Chewing it or drinking it as tea is used in the Andes against hunger, fatigue and altitude sickness; evidence for the latter is limited. Cocaine, the first local anaesthetic and today mainly an addictive drug, was isolated from the leaf.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 984
Helosis cayennensis
A plant without chlorophyll that parasitises the roots of trees and shrubs (family Balanophoraceae). It looks like a young mushroom, until the 'cap' turns out to be a reddish-brown spike full of tiny flowers. Its action has hardly been studied.
Featured · Central America and the Caribbean · Curanderismo
Salvia divinorum
A sage with large leaves containing salvinorin A, a very potent substance acting on the kappa opioid receptor. Brings short-lived, often intense changes in perception and the feeling of leaving the body.
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43 traditions
How communities built up and passed on their knowledge of plants, region by region.
113 recipes
Soups, teas and dishes in which herbs play a leading role.
146 formulas
The classical Chinese formulas, also listed by condition.