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
CautionEurope · Food · № 10
Citrus bergamia
The peel yields bergamot oil, a fragrance in perfume and Earl Grey tea. The oil contains bergapten, which makes the skin sensitive to sunlight. Health claims are not well studied.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 224
Monarda didyma
The fragrant leaf contains thymol and is drunk as tea. Indigenous peoples used it for colds, fever and headache; studies in humans are lacking.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 961
Monarda fistulosa
A mint with lilac flowers and strongly scented leaves, related to Oswego tea. The volatile oil is rich in carvacrol and thymol, which are antiseptic.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 123
Citrus × aurantium
The dried unripe fruit (zhi shi) and peel are used in Chinese medicine for bloating and sluggish digestion. NCCIH warns that weight-loss products containing bitter orange (synephrine) pose risks to the heart and blood pressure.
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.