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
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.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 651
Atractylodes macrocephala
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens the spleen and regulates the stomach; for diarrhoea and fluid retention, and traditionally to help prevent miscarriage.
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.
CautionAfrica · Herb · № 429
Balanites aegyptiaca
Traditionally attributed effects: laxative, expels worms; seeds for cough and colic, oil on burns and freckles, seed extract lowers blood pressure.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 712
Dioscorea hypoglauca (syn. D. collettii)
Traditionally attributed effects: clears cloudy urine and expels wind and dampness in rheumatism and skin complaints.
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.
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.
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.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 424
Artemisia maritima
Traditionally attributed effects: antipyretic, mildly laxative, stomachic, tonic, expels worms, stimulates the heart; against worms, compress for inflammation, tumours and foul ulcers.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 121
Artemisia annua
Source of artemisinin, the basis of today's standard malaria treatment. Teas or herbal preparations, however, are not a reliable malaria treatment; the WHO advises against them.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 706
Bassia scoparia (syn. Kochia scoparia)
Traditionally attributed effects: drains damp heat in cystitis and itchy, weeping skin.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 108
Berberis vulgaris
Bark and root contain berberine, which is being studied for blood sugar and cholesterol. The berries are rich in vitamin C. Evidence for barberry itself is limited.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 728
Atractylodes lancea
Traditionally attributed effects: dries dampness and strengthens the spleen; expels wind, cold and dampness.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 475
Curculigo orchiodes
Traditionally attributed effects: bitter aromatic tonic, soothing, diuretic, aphrodisiac, cleansing; for haemorrhoids, diarrhoea, jaundice, asthma, itching and skin diseases, urinary stones, bronchitis, lumbago, recovery after illness.
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.