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
CautionAsia · Herb · № 466
Clitoria ternatea
Traditionally attributed effects: root mildly laxative, diuretic, expels worms; seeds strongly laxative; for ascites, enlarged abdominal organs, migraine (flower juice), gonorrhoea, bladder irritation, ulcers, swollen joints.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 58
Alchemilla xanthochlora
An astringent herb used in folk medicine mainly for heavy periods and diarrhoea. There is little clinical research.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 694
Dictamnus dasycarpus
Traditionally attributed effects: drains heat, dampness and wind in itchy, weeping skin conditions.
CautionEurope · Food · № 80
Juglans regia
The nuts are a nutritious source of unsaturated fats. Leaf and green husk are astringent and were traditionally used for skin conditions and diarrhoea; clinical evidence is lacking.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 479
Cuscuta reflexa
Traditionally attributed effects: carminative, expels worms, cleansing, antispasmodic; for stomach ache, constipation, flatulence, liver complaints, bile complaints; externally for itching and skin diseases.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 106
Menyanthes trifoliata
A strong bitter traditionally used to stimulate appetite and digestion and for rheumatic complaints. Clinical evidence is lacking.
CautionAfrica · Food · № 389
Citrullus lanatus
A very juicy fruit that quenches thirst. Oil from the seeds is used in hair care. In Chinese medicine the fruit is considered cooling and diuretic.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 682
Isatis tinctoria (syn. I. indigotica)
Traditionally attributed effects: root (ban lan gen) and leaf (da qing ye) cool heat and 'toxin' in viral infections, sore throat and mumps.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 86
Plantago major
The leaf is traditionally bruised and applied to insect bites, small wounds and grazes, and taken as tea for coughs. Clinical evidence is limited.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 397
Acacia farnesiana
Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, soothing, cleansing; for bleeding gums, gonorrhoea; gum as a substitute for gum arabic.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 968
Rumex occidentalis (syn. R. aquaticus var. fenestratus)
A large dock with broad leaves and a yellow root. The root contains tannins and anthraquinones, which are mildly laxative.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 190
Thuja occidentalis
Traditionally attributed effects: expels worms, astringent, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, stimulates muscles, antiseptic.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 977
Lomatium californicum (syn. Leptotaenia californica)
An umbellifer with large, blue-green, celery-like leaves and a strongly scented root. Related to oshá; little studied.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 921
Leonotis leonurus
A shrub of the mint family, two to three metres tall, with orange, tubular flowers in whorls around the square stems. Contains marrubiin and leonurine, as well as labdane compounds. Considered mildly calming; which substance causes the effect is not yet clear.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 810
Artemisia afra
A bitter, aromatic herb widely used in southern Africa for coughs, colds, fever and flu.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 961
Monarda fistulosa
A mint with lilac flowers and strongly scented leaves, related to Oswego tea. The volatile oil is rich in carvacrol and thymol, which are antiseptic.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 332
Baptisia tinctoria
Traditionally attributed effects: antiseptic, antibacterial, fever-reducing, laxative.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 156
Prunus serotina
The dried bark was long used in cough syrups to calm irritating coughs. Modern clinical evidence is lacking.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 517
Lobelia nicotianaefolia
Traditionally attributed effects: antiseptic, antifungal, antispasmodic (in combination with other remedies).
CautionAsia · Herb · № 459
Centratherum anthelminticum
Traditionally attributed effects: expels worms (threadworms), tonic, stomachic, diuretic; for skin diseases and scorpion stings.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 634
Gaultheria procumbens
Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind and dampness and cools heat in hot, swollen joints and muscle pain, drains damp heat in the urinary tract and moves stagnant qi and blood in pain.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1005
Achyrocline satureioides (en verwante wollige composieten, o.a. Culcitium canescens)
A woolly, bitter-aromatic plant up to a metre tall with yellow flower heads. Contains flavonoids such as quercetin and luteolin; in the laboratory the extract acts against some viruses, but research in people is lacking.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 331
Lamium album
Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, antispasmodic, tonic for the reproductive organs.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 598
Quercus alba
Traditionally attributed effects: strongly astringent; strengthens lax tissue (diarrhoea, inflamed gums, chronic nasal congestion, weak bladder), stops bleeding (nosebleeds, internal bleeding).
CautionAsia · Herb · № 128
Morus alba en M. nigra
The leaf (sang ye) is being studied for post-meal blood sugar and is used in Chinese medicine for coughs and fevers; bark, twigs and berries each have their own use too. Evidence is preliminary.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 823
Salvia apiana
An aromatic sage burned in ceremonies by Indigenous peoples of California.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 547
Ricinus communis
Traditionally attributed effects: oil mildly laxative; leaf juice emetic in poisoning, leaf decoction laxative, promotes milk and menstruation; compress on boils and swellings, for flatulence in children; root decoction for lumbago, rheumatism and sciatica.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 878
Smallanthus sonchifolius
A plant of the daisy family with sweet, crunchy tubers full of inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides, which the body barely absorbs. The leaf has been studied for diabetes; evidence in humans is lacking.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 712
Dioscorea hypoglauca (syn. D. collettii)
Traditionally attributed effects: clears cloudy urine and expels wind and dampness in rheumatism and skin complaints.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 632
Anemopsis californica
Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind and dampness in joint pain that worsens in cold, wet weather, opens blocked sinuses and dries dampness in slow-healing wounds and swellings.
CautionSouth America · Food · № 15
Ilex paraguariensis
The leaves contain caffeine, theobromine and polyphenols; the drink is stimulating and dispels tiredness, like coffee or tea. It is a beverage and social drink, not a medicine.
South America · Herb · № 980
Paullinia yoco
A woody liana of the soapberry family, related to guarana. The bark contains caffeine and theobromine; 0.1 to 3.6 percent caffeine has been measured, most in the inner bark of the stem. It is one of the few plants whose bark, rather than its seed or leaf, gives a caffeine drink.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 35
Serenoa repens
Promoted for urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, but NCCIH concludes it probably does not help for this.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 922
Calea ternifolia (syn. Calea zacatechichi)
A shrub of the daisy family with very bitter leaves. Contains caleicine and other sesquiterpene lactones, among others. Said to make sleep light and dreams clear and vivid; in a small study an extract caused a slight change of perception, drowsiness and a short sleep with vivid dreams.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 973
Rubus spectabilis
A bramble with pink flowers and yellow-orange to red berries. Leaves and bark contain tannins and are astringent.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 648
Celosia argentea
Traditionally attributed effects: cools the liver, reduces liver inflammation and helps with high blood pressure and the eye complaints related to it.
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.