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
CautionAsia · Herb · № 441
Boerhaavia diffusa
Traditionally attributed effects: bitter, stomachic, laxative, diuretic, expectorant, induces sweating, anti-inflammatory; for asthma, jaundice, oedema, anaemia, internal inflammation, snake bites.
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 · № 893
Azorella compacta (en verwante soorten)
An evergreen cushion plant that grows over the ground like a green boulder. It grows about one and a half centimetres a year; some plants are estimated to be over 3,000 years old. The plant contains a sticky resin.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 966
Oplopanax horridus
An ivy-like shrub with large, hand-shaped leaves and spines over the whole stem and the leaf veins. Research into a blood-sugar-lowering effect is at an early stage.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1006
Perezia multiflora (en verwante soorten)
A low, prickly herb with toothed leaves and yellow or white flower heads. Contains phenols, flavonoids and saponins; in the laboratory the leaf inhibits some bacteria. Research in people is limited.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 925
Mimosa tenuiflora (syn. Mimosa hostilis)
A thorny tree or shrub of the pea family with feathery leaves and white, fragrant flower spikes. The root bark contains much DMT. Taken by mouth, DMT normally does not work without an MAO inhibitor; why the jurema drink is still said to work is not clear.
CautionSouth America · Herb · № 1008
Margyricarpus pinnatus
A low, prickly shrublet of the rose family with fine, pinnate leaves and edible white or pink berries ('perlilla'). Root and leaf are regarded as diuretic and astringent; research in people is lacking.
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.
CautionNorth America · Herb · № 989
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (syn. Gnaphalium obtusifolium)
An annual, grey-felted herb of the daisy family, with straw-coloured flower heads that keep their shape when dried. The dried herb smells sweet. Flavonoids and essential oil have been found in it; its effect is little studied.
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.