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 · № 991
Cornus florida
A small tree with large white bracts around a knot of tiny flowers in spring, red berries and red autumn leaves. The bark is astringent and bitter; in the American Civil War it served as a substitute for quinine, and in the laboratory compounds from the bark moderately inhibited the malaria parasite. The berries are poisonous to people.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 35
Serenoa repens
Promoted for urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, but NCCIH concludes it probably does not help for this.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 57
Agrimonia eupatoria
An astringent, tannin-rich herb traditionally used for diarrhoea, sore throats and minor wounds. Good human research is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 158
Scutellaria lateriflora (en S. baicalensis)
Used in Western herbalism for nervousness, tension and sleep problems. A few small studies suggest a mild calming effect.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 992
Liquidambar styraciflua
A tall tree with star-shaped leaves, splendid autumn colours and spiky round seed balls. When the bark is wounded a fragrant resin, American storax, seeps out; for centuries it has gone into ointments, perfume and incense. The resin is mildly antiseptic.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 997
Diospyros virginiana
A tree of the ebony family, related to the kaki. Unripe, the orange fruits are so astringent that they pucker the mouth, but after the first frost they are sweet and soft. They are rich in vitamin C. Bark and unripe fruits contain many tannins.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 1001
Platanus occidentalis
One of the largest broadleaf trees of eastern America, with a trunk that peels in patches of white, green and brown. The bark contains tannins and betulinic acid. It is a parent of the London plane of European streets.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 93
Betonica officinalis (syn. Stachys officinalis)
Traditionally used for tension headaches and nervousness. Modern clinical research is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 151
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Traditionally used for fever and flu with aching muscles; the name refers to 'break-bone fever'. There is hardly any modern clinical research.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 283
Cytisus scoparius
Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, laxative, raises blood pressure, stimulates the uterus.
CautionOceania · Herb · № 176
Melaleuca cajuputi, M. viridiflora, M. leucadendra e.a.
Both relatives of tea tree yield an essential oil used externally for muscle pain and in inhalations for colds. Clinical evidence is limited.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1003
Campyloneurum angustifolium (en verwante varens, o.a. Polypodium)
A narrow-leaved fern that grows on trees and rocks. The rhizome has been traded as a medicine for centuries; good research on its effect in people is lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 582
Solidago canadensis
Traditionally attributed effects: astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing; heals the bladder wall (incontinence, irritation), for allergies and stuck mucus after a cold, eyewash for hay fever.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 105
Viola tricolor
Traditionally used for skin conditions such as eczema and cradle cap, and for coughs. There is little clinical research.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 995
Aralia spinosa
A shrub or small tree of the ivy family, related to American spikenard, with very prickly stems, huge doubly pinnate leaves and in late summer large sprays of small white flowers with purple berries. The fresh root is sharp and emetic.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 56
Achillea millefolium
Traditionally used to stop bleeding from minor wounds, for fevers and colds, and as a digestive bitter. Clinical evidence is limited.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 289
Centaurium erythraea
Traditionally attributed effects: bitter, stimulates the liver.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 111
Solidago virgaurea
In Europe it is used to flush the urinary tract in mild complaints and is listed in European herbal monographs as a traditional remedy. Clinical evidence is limited.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Food · № 257
Citrus × paradisi
A citrus fruit rich in vitamin C. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice inhibit enzymes that break down many medicines. The essential oil is used in skin and hair products, but effects on cellulite or hair growth have not been shown.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 170
Grindelia camporum
The sticky herb was traditionally used for coughs, asthma and bronchitis, and externally for poison-ivy rashes. Clinical evidence is lacking.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 82
Leonurus cardiaca
Traditionally used for stress-related palpitations, nervousness and menstrual complaints. Clinical research is scarce.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 78
Hyssopus officinalis
Traditionally used for coughs, colds and congestion. Clinical evidence is lacking.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 103
Verbena officinalis
Traditionally used for nervousness, exhaustion and as a digestive bitter. Scientific evidence is largely lacking.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 451
Cannabis indica
Traditionally attributed effects: intoxicating, stomachic, antispasmodic, pain-relieving, stimulating, aphrodisiac, calming; sleep-inducing, for painful menstruation, itchy skin diseases, headache, mania, whooping cough, asthma, nervous vomiting.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 918
Nectandra spp. (en verwante laurierachtigen, o.a. Ocotea en Aiouea)
Trees of the laurel family with fragrant seeds and bark. Little is known about the substances in the seeds and their effect in people.
CautionCentral America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 309
Piscidia piscipula
Traditionally attributed effects: calming, pain-relieving.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 109
Nepeta cataria
Traditionally used as a mild tea for colds, fevers, restlessness and colic. Nepetalactone from the plant is being researched as an insect repellent.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 990
Asclepias tuberosa
A milkweed with bright orange flower umbels that attract many butterflies, and a thick, tuberous root. For a milkweed it contains few cardiac glycosides, but it does contain steroids that in larger amounts can cause weakness, seizures and eye damage. The root was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia as pleurisy root, an expectorant.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 485
Dioscorea bulbifera
Traditionally attributed effects: cleansing, pungent, appetite-suppressing; for syphilis, haemorrhoids, dysentery, ulcers.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 47
Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata (en C. pinnatifida)
Studied for heart failure with conflicting results. For most conditions there is little or no good evidence.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 71
Filipendula ulmaria
Contains salicylates. Traditionally used for heartburn, an irritated stomach and joint pain. Clinical research is scarce.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 43
Hypericum perforatum
Research suggests it may help mild to moderate depression; evidence for other uses is insufficient.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 286
Eschscholzia californica
Traditionally attributed effects: pain-relieving, sleep-inducing, calming.
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.
CautionEurope · Herb · № 236
Calluna vulgaris
The flowering herb was drunk as tea for bladder complaints and sleeplessness. Heather honey is a prized, jelly-like honey. A medicinal effect has not been studied.
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.
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.