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 · № 988
Aplectrum hyemale
An orchid with a single leaf, green with silvery-white stripes, that appears in late autumn and withers in spring. Underground lie two or more corms joined together, an old one and a new one. The crushed corms yield a sticky mucilage.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 996
Cunila origanoides
A low, woody plant of the mint family with small purple flowers in late summer that smells of oregano and mint. The leaf contains essential oil. On the first frosty nights the stems split and ice ribbons grow out of them, which gave it the name frost mint.
CautionNorth America · Food · № 934
Castanea dentata
Once one of the largest trees of the eastern forests, with sweet, edible nuts. Related to the sweet chestnut.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 931
Tsuga canadensis
An evergreen conifer with short, flat needles. The bark is rich in tannins and was once used to tan leather. Medicinal effects have not been studied.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 1000
Galax urceolata
A low evergreen herb of the Diapensia family with glossy, round, toothed leaves that turn bronze to wine red in winter, and in spring a slender spike of tiny white flowers. Plants in flower smell sharp, almost like a skunk. Its effect has not been studied.
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.
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.
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.