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 · № 1002
Escallonia resinosa (en verwante soorten, o.a. E. micrantha)
A shrub or tree of 2 to 10 metres with reddish, papery bark and small, finely toothed leaves full of resin and essential oil. Almost nothing has been studied about its effect in people.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 983
Iochroma fuchsioides
A shrub of the nightshade family with clusters of tubular orange-red flowers. Withanolides, substances also found in ashwagandha, have been isolated from it. Why the plant acts as an intoxicant has not been explained.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1007
Buddleja coriacea (en verwante Andes-soorten)
A tough shrub or tree with small, leathery leaves, rusty-brown underneath, and fragrant orange-yellow flowers. Little has been studied about its effect in people.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1014
Polylepis (o.a. P. besseri en P. tarapacana)
Gnarled trees and shrubs of the rose family with reddish-brown bark that peels in thin layers and protects against the cold. Nothing has been studied about its effect in people.
CautionAsia · Herb · № 321
Carthamus tinctorius
Traditionally attributed effects: laxative, diuretic, anti-inflammatory.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 892
Parastrephia quadrangularis (syn. Lepidophyllum quadrangulare, P. lepidophylla)
A resinous shrub up to two metres tall with small, scale-like leaves; typical of the dry high plateau.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1013
Nototriche (o.a. N. mandoniana en N. porphyrantha)
A small, cushion-forming mallow that grows flat against the ground, with a thick taproot. Mallows contain soothing mucilage; these species themselves have hardly been studied.
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.
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.