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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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390 results

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Recipes
Sweating tea with elder, yarrow and mintCooling sun teaChicken stewed with Job's tearsFour-herb tonic soupCongee with Job's tears and brown riceHelba, Egyptian fenugreek teaKinkeliba teaSaenggang-cha, Korean ginger teaDaechu-cha, jujube teaMuña teaGuayusa, the tea before sunriseMāmaki teaOswego teaSpicebush teaPatchouli cleanser for oily skinOrange exfoliant for oily or combination skinWitch hazel tonerAcne tonerHealing facial tonerLight moisturizing oil or cleanserCucumber eye gelPlumping lip glossVanilla lip balmSleep tea+10
Chinese formulas
Chuan xiong cha tiao sanYi yi ren tangShu jin sanShen ling bai zhu sanTai shan pan shi san
Treatment by condition
CancerDifficult labour
  • Caution

    Asia · Food · № 763

    Monk fruit (luo han guo)

    Siraitia grosvenorii (syn. Momordica grosvenori)

    Traditionally attributed effects: moistens and cools the lungs in a dry cough and reduces swollen glands.

    Chinese medical traditions
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 527

    Moringa

    Moringa oleifera

    Traditionally attributed effects: antispasmodic, stimulating, expectorant, diuretic, dissolves stones; leaves for scurvy and catarrh, flatulence in children, wounds and swellings; bark stimulates the heart in asthma and cough.

    Ayurveda+2
  • Caution

    Asia · Food · № 792

    Maltose (yi tang)

    Saccharum granorum (maltose)

    Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens qi and spleen, eases pain from cold in the middle and moistens the lungs.

    Chinese medical traditions+1
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 897

    Mullaca

    Muehlenbeckia volcanica

    A low, creeping shrublet with small, round, leathery leaves and blue-black berries. Tannins and flavonoids have been found in the extract; in rats it was anti-inflammatory.

    Kallawaya healing knowledge
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 816

    Muña

    Minthostachys mollis

    A mint-like plant used in the Andes for stomach complaints and wind.

    Kallawaya healing knowledge+1
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 3

    Mint

    Mentha × piperita

    Peppermint oil has been studied in irritable bowel syndrome and may reduce abdominal pain. The tea is used for a full stomach and nausea. With heartburn peppermint can make complaints worse.

    Greco-Roman medicine+4Folklore
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 864

    Murta (Chilean guava)

    Ugni molinae

    A shrub of the myrtle family with fragrant red berries. Mainly a food plant; the leaf was used as an astringent.

    Mapuche medicine
  • 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 · № 530

    Night jasmine

    Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

    Traditionally attributed effects: promotes bile, expels worms, laxative, fever-reducing, anti-inflammatory.

    Ayurveda
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 858

    Natre

    Solanum crispum (incl. S. ligustrinum)

    A shrub of the nightshade family with very bitter leaves. Traditionally a fever remedy; the berries are poisonous.

    Mapuche medicine
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 39

    Neem

    Azadirachta indica

    Used for centuries in traditional medicine in India, but there is insufficient clinical evidence of medical benefits.

    Ayurveda+3
  • Caution

    Oceania · Food · № 50

    Noni

    Morinda citrifolia

    Traditionally used for colds, infections, fever, and stomach complaints. There is no good evidence of treatment effects.

    Lāʻau lapaʻau in Hawaiʻi+1
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 129

    Nutmeg

    Myristica fragrans

    A spice used in small amounts in Ayurveda and Arabic medicine for diarrhoea, nausea and insomnia. There is no good clinical evidence.

    Ayurveda+6Folklore
  • Caution

    Europe · Food · № 362

    Olive

    Olea europaea

    Olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Olive leaf extract is sold as a remedy for infections and high blood pressure; the evidence for this is limited and there is no evidence that it treats flu or other viral infections.

    Greco-Roman medicine+1
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 434

    Orchid tree

    Bauhinia variegata

    Traditionally attributed effects: bark cleansing, tonic, astringent; root carminative; flowers laxative; for sore throat, cough, bleeding haemorrhoids, heavy menstruation, swollen neck glands, ulcers, diarrhoea, worms, overweight.

    Ayurveda
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 217

    Oregano

    Origanum vulgare

    A culinary herb with carvacrol and thymol, which inhibit bacteria and fungi in the laboratory. There is no good evidence that oregano oil treats infections in humans; undiluted oil irritates skin and mucous membranes.

    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

    Europe · Herb · № 97

    Dandelion

    Taraxacum officinale

    The leaf is mildly diuretic; the bitter root was used for the liver and digestion. NCCIH notes there is little human research.

    Avicenna's Canon in European universities+6Folklore
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 974

    Pacific crabapple

    Malus fusca

    A small apple tree with small, sour, oval apples and very tough wood. The bark contains tannins.

    Kwakwaka'wakw medicine
  • Caution

    Asia · Herb · № 443

    Palmyra palm

    Borassus flabellifer

    Traditionally attributed effects: root cooling and restorative; sap diuretic, cooling, stimulating, anti-inflammatory; for hiccups, gastric catarrh, syphilis, gonorrhoea, bile and liver complaints, enlarged spleen, diabetes, tuberculosis.

    Ayurveda
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 882

    Palo santo

    Bursera graveolens

    A tree of the frankincense and myrrh family, with strongly scented wood that contains essential oil.

    Curanderismo of northern Peru
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 154

    Passionflower

    Passiflora incarnata

    Used for anxiety and sleep problems. NCCIH notes some indications of an effect on anxiety but limited evidence.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+3Folklore
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 912

    Pasuchaca

    Geranium ayavacense en Geranium sessiliflorum

    Low, rosette-forming cranesbills with a thick root. They contain tannins. Whether the tea lowers blood sugar has not been properly studied in people.

    Curanderismo of northern Peru
  • 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

    South America · Herb · № 165

    Pau d'arco

    Handroanthus impetiginosus (syn. Tabebuia avellanedae)

    The inner bark is sold for fungal infections, inflammation and as a 'cancer remedy'. There is no reliable human evidence; its active compound lapachol proved too toxic at effective doses.

    The Guaraní and the mate tradition+2
  • 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

    South America · Herb · № 885

    Peruvian matico (spiked pepper)

    Piper aduncum

    A shrub of the pepper family with rough, fragrant leaves. The leaf was traditionally used to stop bleeding; research is limited.

    Kallawaya healing knowledge+1
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 884

    Peruvian elder

    Sambucus peruviana

    A tree with white flower umbels and dark berries, related to the European elder. Flowers and leaves are considered sweat-inducing and anti-inflammatory.

    Kallawaya healing knowledge+1
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 903

    Peyote

    Lophophora williamsii

    A small, spineless, blue-green cactus with a long taproot. Contains mescaline and over thirty other alkaloids. After a few hours mescaline brings colourful visions that last up to half a day, often after a phase of nausea and vomiting.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America
  • Caution

    South America · Herb · № 870

    Pichi

    Fabiana imbricata

    A small shrub of the nightshade family that looks like a conifer. Traditionally for bladder and urinary complaints and for digestion; laboratory research points to a stomach-protecting effect.

    Mapuche medicine
  • Caution

    Oceania · Herb · № 178

    Asthma weed

    Euphorbia hirta

    Traditionally used for asthma and bronchitis (the name asthma weed comes from Queensland), for diarrhoea and externally for warts. There is laboratory research but no good clinical evidence.

    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge+4
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 946

    Pipsissewa

    Chimaphila umbellata

    A low, evergreen dwarf shrub with leathery leaves and pink nodding flowers. Contains arbutin and related compounds, like bearberry.

    Haudenosaunee medicine
  • Caution

    Central America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 822

    Pirul (Peruvian pepper tree)

    Schinus molle

    A tree with aromatic leaves and pink berries, used in cleansing rituals and as a folk remedy.

    Curanderismo+2
  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 590

    Pennyroyal

    Mentha pulegium

    Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, astringent, promotes menstruation, induces sweating; brings on delayed menstruation, calms the stomach, lowers sudden high fever.

    Greco-Roman medicine+2
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 956

    Fringed sage

    Artemisia frigida

    A low, silver-grey, strongly scented wormwood shrub. Contains a volatile oil with camphor and cineole and, like other wormwoods, thujone.

    Lakota medicine+1
  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 958

    Prairie coneflower

    Ratibida columnifera (syn. R. columnaris)

    A member of the daisy family with drooping yellow or red-brown ray flowers around a long, columnar centre that smells when bruised. Effects not studied.

    Lakota 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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