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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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147 results

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Recipes
Brown rice with bamboo shoots and Chinese dodderFish and vegetable soup with celosia seedAcne oil or cleanser
Chinese formulas
Zuo gui wanZhi bai di huang wanQing e wanYou gui wanShi quan da bu tangTian wang bu xin danFang feng tong sheng sanSang piao xiao sanBa wei di huang wan (jin gui shen qi wan)Liu wei di huang wanJin suo gu jing wan
Treatment by condition
Diabetes mellitusPremature ejaculationSeminal emission and penile discharge
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 706

    Kochia fruit (di fu zi)

    Bassia scoparia (syn. Kochia scoparia)

    Traditionally attributed effects: drains damp heat in cystitis and itchy, weeping skin.

    Chinese medical traditions
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 209

    Sunflower

    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.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+3Folklore
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 933

    Black ash

    Fraxinus nigra

    An ash of wet ground. The wood has hardly any fibre between the growth rings, so after pounding it splits into thin strips. Medicinal effects have not been studied.

    Haudenosaunee medicine
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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Traditions, kitchen and classical formulas