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Herbs & Cultures

From Ayurveda to Rongoā Māori

Herbal knowledge and the cultures that passed it on

Communities around the world learned how plants nourish, care and heal. Here their traditions stand beside present-day use, with respect for every culture.

All 980 herbs from 43 traditions

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140 results

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Chinese formulas
Wen dan tangSan huang xie xin tangDang gui long hui wanBa zheng sanWu lin sanLong dan xie gan tangShi gao tangDa chai hu tangXiao chai hu tang
Treatment by condition
HepatitisHeadache and migraine
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 686

    Houttuynia (yu xing cao)

    Houttuynia cordata

    Traditionally attributed effects: detoxifies and drains pus, especially in lung infections; diuretic.

    Chinese medical traditions+2
  • Caution

    Asia · Food · № 38

    Cinnamon

    Cinnamomum verum

    A spice made from inner bark. Research on health effects is preliminary; cinnamon is not a treatment.

    Ayurveda+8Folklore
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 155

    Pokeweed

    Phytolacca americana

    Formerly used for swollen glands, tonsillitis and rheumatism. Because of its toxicity it is not a safe herb; there is no evidence of benefits that outweigh the risks.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+5
  • Caution

    Oceania · Herb · № 23

    Kawakawa

    Piper excelsum

    In rongoā Māori the leaf is used for toothache, skin complaints, wounds and bladder and kidney complaints. It contains myristicin among other compounds; clinical evidence for these uses is lacking.

    Rongoā Māori+1
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 75

    Cleavers

    Galium aparine

    Used in Western herbalism as a 'lymphatic' herb for swollen glands and skin conditions. Scientific evidence is lacking.

    Monastic and folk knowledge+2
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 565

    Puncture vine

    Tribulus terrestris

    Traditionally attributed effects: cooling, soothing, diuretic, tonic, aphrodisiac.

    Ayurveda+2
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 711

    Mallow seed (dong kui zi)

    Malva verticillata (ook Abutilon theophrasti)

    Traditionally attributed effects: soothing and diuretic in painful urination and stones; promotes milk flow.

    Chinese medical traditions
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 136

    Kudzu

    Pueraria montana var. lobata

    The root (ge gen) is used in Chinese medicine for fever, stiff neck and thirst. Small studies have looked at kudzu for reducing alcohol use, with mixed results.

    Chinese medical traditions+3
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 5

    Turmeric

    Curcuma longa

    A traditional culinary spice containing curcumin; laboratory findings do not establish a cure for disease.

    Ayurveda+5Folklore
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 580

    Couch grass

    Elymus repens

    Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, soothing, astringent; for kidney and bladder complaints (kidney stones, interstitial cystitis), helps regulate blood sugar.

    Western herbal medicine
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 732

    Lindera root (wu yao)

    Lindera aggregata (syn. L. strychnifolia)

    Traditionally attributed effects: warms and moves qi in pain from cold; warms the kidneys in frequent urination.

    Chinese medical traditions
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 671

    Lophatherum (dan zhu ye)

    Lophatherum gracile

    Traditionally attributed effects: cools heat in heart and stomach in restlessness, thirst and mouth ulcers, and in painful urination.

    Chinese medical traditions
  • Caution

    Central America and the Caribbean · Food · № 266

    Maize

    Zea mays

    Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, heals the urinary tract lining, tonic, soothing.

    Maya healing knowledge+7Folklore
  • Caution

    Asia · Food · № 730

    Tangerine peel (chen pi)

    Citrus reticulata

    Traditionally attributed effects: the ripe peel (chen pi) moves the qi of spleen and lung and dissolves phlegm; the green peel (qing pi) moves liver qi.

    Chinese medical traditions+2
  • Caution

    Oceania · Herb · № 273

    Manuka and kanuka

    Leptospermum scoparium en Kunzea ericoides

    Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, antimicrobial, antiseptic, expels worms (leptospermone); for ulcers, infections and fever.

    Rongoā Māori+2
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 46

    Milk thistle

    Silybum marianum

    Promoted for liver disorders, but there is not enough high-quality evidence of effects in people.

    Western herbal medicine
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 47

    Hawthorn

    Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata (en C. pinnatifida)

    Studied for heart failure with conflicting results. For most conditions there is little or no good evidence.

    Monastic and folk knowledge+3Folklore
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 96

    Feverfew

    Tanacetum parthenium

    Best known for preventing migraine. NCCIH notes the evidence is conflicting: some studies find a small effect, others do not.

    Western herbal medicine+2Folklore
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 629

    Mormon tea

    Ephedra viridis, E. nevadensis, E. californica

    Traditionally attributed effects: opens the surface in wind-cold with sneezing and a watery nose, mildly eases wheezing and promotes urination.

    Chinese medical traditions+1
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 509

    Musk mallow

    Hibiscus abelmoschus

    Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, carminative, cooling, diuretic, soothing, stomachic, antispasmodic, tonic; for nervous weakness, hysteria, indigestion, gonorrhoea, catarrh of the bladder and airways, itching.

    Ayurveda+1
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 658

    Notopterygium root (qiang huo)

    Notopterygium incisum

    Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind, cold and dampness in colds and rheumatic pain in head, neck and shoulders.

    Chinese medical traditions+1
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 477

    East Indian arrowroot

    Curcuma angustifolia

    Traditionally attributed effects: cooling, soothing, nutritious; for dysentery, painful urination, gonorrhoea, typhoid, ulcers of the intestines and bladder; substitute for arrowroot.

    Ayurveda
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 227

    Nasturtium

    Tropaeolum majus

    Leaves and flowers taste sharp because of mustard oil glycosides. In Germany a combination with horseradish is approved as a remedy for bladder and respiratory infections; there is little research on the plant alone.

    Folk magic and herbal magicFolklore
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 153

    Osha

    Ligusticum porteri, L. sinense en L. wallichii

    The root is traditionally used for sore throats, coughs and early colds. There is virtually no clinical research.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+3
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 437

    Pashanbheda

    Bergenia ligulata

    Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, soothing, astringent, tonic; known for dissolving kidney stones; for fever, diarrhoea, lung complaints, eye inflammation, teething in children.

    Ayurveda+1
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 326

    Partridge berry

    Mitchella repens

    Traditionally attributed effects: stimulates the uterus, tonic, restorative, astringent, diuretic.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+3
  • Caution

    Europe · Food · № 259

    Carrot

    Daucus carota

    Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, diuretic, tonic, carminative; expels kidney and bladder stones, relieves lower back pain from the kidneys, reduces oedema, restores the bladder, stimulates digestion; seed traditionally as a contraceptive.

    Western herbal medicine+4Folklore
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 219

    Parsley

    Petroselinum crispum

    A culinary herb rich in vitamins C and K. Root and seed were used as a diuretic. Large amounts of seed or oil are toxic and can induce contractions.

    Greco-Roman medicine+1Folklore
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 786

    Aristolochia root (guang fang ji)

    Aristolochia fangchi

    Traditionally attributed effects: was used for hot, painful joints and oedema; banned because of kidney damage.

    Chinese medical traditions
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 192

    Aspen

    Populus tremuloides

    Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, fever-reducing, tonic, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving (salicylates); restores the sensitive bladder (incontinence), calms the bowels in stress diarrhoea, heals wounds, lowers fever, relieves headache.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+4Folklore
  • Caution

    Asia · Mushroom · № 146

    Poria (fu ling)

    Wolfiporia cocos

    One of the most widely used remedies in Chinese medicine, for fluid retention, poor digestion and restless sleep. Clinical research on fu ling alone is scarce.

    Chinese medical traditions+4
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 133

    Psyllium

    Plantago ovata

    The seed husks form a mucilaginous gel: an established bulk-forming fibre for constipation and mild diarrhoea that can also modestly lower LDL cholesterol.

    Ayurveda+3
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 584

    Gravel root

    Eutrochium purpureum (syn. Eupatorium purpureum)

    Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, strengthens the nerves, astringent, stimulating, antiseptic; dissolves kidney and bladder stones, removes mineral deposits in joints, traditionally to prevent miscarriage and to prepare for childbirth.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+1
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 1014

    Queñua

    Polylepis (o.a. P. besseri en P. tarapacana)

    Gnarled trees and shrubs of the rose family with reddish-brown bark that peels in thin layers and protects against the cold. Nothing has been studied about its effect in people.

    Kallawaya healing knowledge
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 915

    Rhatany (ratania)

    Krameria lappacea (syn. Krameria triandra)

    A low shrub that is partly parasitic on the roots of other plants. The red root is rich in tannins and is therefore astringent. In Europe rhatany root is listed in the pharmacopoeia and used in mouthwashes and gum remedies.

    Kallawaya healing knowledge+1
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 442

    Silk cotton tree

    Bombax ceiba

    Traditionally attributed effects: gum astringent and stops bleeding; root and bark soothing, diuretic, aphrodisiac; for abnormal uterine bleeding, diarrhoea, dysentery, coughing up blood, heavy menstruation, bladder and kidney stones, boils, itching.

    Ayurveda+2
Image of Salvia divinorum

Featured · Central America and the Caribbean · Curanderismo

Salvia divinorum

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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