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 · № 964
Polygala senega (syn. Senega officinalis)
A low milkwort with white flower spikes. The root contains saponins that loosen phlegm and promote coughing; it is in the European Pharmacopoeia as a cough remedy.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 998
Oxydendrum arboreum
A tree of the heath family with drooping sprays of white, bell-shaped flowers in summer and fiery red autumn leaves. The leaves taste sour, hence the name. From the flowers bees make a light, much-prized honey.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 819
Nicotiana rustica
A ceremonial plant of many Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Tobacco is addictive and harmful to health.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 152
Hamamelis virginiana
Strongly astringent due to tannins. Witch hazel water and ointment are used externally for minor skin irritation, bruises and haemorrhoids; there is limited but reasonably supportive evidence.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 993
Liriodendron tulipifera
The tallest broadleaf tree of eastern America, up to almost sixty metres, of the magnolia family, with tulip-shaped greenish-yellow flowers with an orange patch. The bark is bitter and contains the alkaloid liriodenine and sesquiterpenes that inhibit bacteria and fungi; it was formerly used as a tonic and quinine substitute. The flowers give much nectar for a dark honey.
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.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 156
Prunus serotina
The dried bark was long used in cough syrups to calm irritating coughs. Modern clinical evidence is lacking.
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.
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).
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 986
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
A low shrub of the buttercup family, one of the few woody species in that family. Root and stem are bright yellow from berberine, a bitter substance also found in goldenseal and barberry that inhibits bacteria and fungi.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 150
Actaea racemosa
Mainly sold for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes. NCCIH reports that study results are mixed and there is not enough evidence that it helps.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 576
Juglans nigra
Traditionally attributed effects: cleansing, laxative, astringent, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal; cleanses and strengthens the large intestine, for skin problems, traveller's diarrhoea, sinusitis, underactive thyroid.
CautionNorth America · Food · № 934
Castanea dentata
Once one of the largest trees of the eastern forests, with sweet, edible nuts. Related to the sweet chestnut.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 932
Tilia americana
A large broadleaf tree with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant flowers, related to the European lime. The flowers contain mucilage and flavonoids. The wood is soft and easy to carve; the inner bark gives strong fibre.
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.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 280
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Traditionally attributed effects: tonic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, stimulates the uterus, diuretic, antirheumatic.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Food · № 265
Phaseolus vulgaris
A legume rich in protein and fibre. Raw or undercooked beans contain the toxic phytohaemagglutinin; thorough cooking is needed. Beans are otherwise mainly food, not medicine.
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 · № 596
Rhus glabra
Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, cleansing, tonic, wound-healing, antiseptic; strengthens the digestive tract (ulcers, diarrhoea), curbs excessive secretions (urine leakage, night sweats, bleeding), may lower blood sugar, for prolapse.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 940
Eutrochium purpureum en E. maculatum (syn. Eupatorium)
Tall, purple-pink flowering plants of the daisy family, related to European hemp agrimony. They may contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which damage the liver with long use.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Food · № 263
Cucurbita moschata
Traditionally attributed effects: heart-warming and nourishing for body, mind and soul; good for skin and hair.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 368
Ceanothus americanus
Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, antispasmodic, expectorant, calming; for a swollen spleen (e.g. after glandular fever), cools and constricts blood vessels in bleeding and congestion of the uterus, liver and lymph.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 594
Polygonatum biflorum
Traditionally attributed effects: tonic, astringent, relaxing; strengthens and lubricates tendons, ligaments and joints, helps with prolapse of the uterus and bladder, calms the heart rhythm, moistens dry conditions (dry skin, stool, airways).
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 953
Collinsonia canadensis
A perennial of the mint family with lemon-scented leaves and a very hard, knobbly root. Eclectic physicians used it for piles and varicose veins; research is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 168
Zanthoxylum americanum
Bark and berries give a tingling, numbing feeling in the mouth; they were traditionally used for toothache, poor circulation and rheumatism. Clinical research is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 171
Oenothera biennis
The seed oil contains gamma-linolenic acid and is sold for eczema, premenstrual symptoms and hot flushes. NCCIH reports it does not help eczema and that evidence for other conditions is insufficient.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 947
Epigaea repens
A creeping, evergreen dwarf shrub of the heath family with fragrant pink to white flowers in early spring. Contains arbutin.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 938
Trillium spp. (o.a. Trillium erectum en T. grandiflorum)
Spring flowers with three leaves, three sepals and three petals. The rhizome contains saponins. Clinical research is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Food · № 937
Fragaria virginiana
A wild strawberry with small, very tasty fruits. Its cross with the Chilean strawberry gave rise to the garden strawberry in eighteenth-century Europe.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 586
Cypripedium parviflorum (syn. C. pubescens)
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens the nerves, antispasmodic, tonic, relaxing, diuretic; for menstrual pain and irregular menstruation, overstimulated nerves and insomnia from stress, pain-relieving.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 329
Aletris farinosa
Traditionally attributed effects: oestrogenic, tonic, stimulates digestion, calming.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 209
Helianthus annuus
Sunflower seeds and oil are rich in vitamin E and linoleic acid. The oil is used for dry skin; claims about scars or skin ageing have not been shown.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 575
Viburnum prunifolium
Traditionally attributed effect: antispasmodic and relaxing, especially for menstrual and uterine cramps. Clinical research is lacking; that it can prevent miscarriage has not been shown.
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.