Curious about herbs?
Goldenrod is a stunning natural dye plant, an edible and medicinal herb, and a nectary flower for pollinators.
The beginner's guide to stocking the home apothecary has everything you need to get started.
Everything you need to know to start your home herbal apothecary. From jars, herbs, tincture planning - this article gives you the tools and resources to get started today.
These free herbal resources are great ways to start learning about herbs without spending a dime! Some of the best free herbal materials collected from around the web.
Inspired by vintage print press texts from the 18th century - Apothecary serif is a beautifully quaint and rustic serif with imperfect ink-bleed edgings. Pairs perfectly with watercolours. It also looks superb on its own as part of a minimal-styled design. Play with the letterspacing to get different effects. Great for branding, wedding invites, packaging, quotes and labels. Language support is included for English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Botanical Name of Pipsissewa: Chimaphila umbellata. The name pipsissewa comes from the Cree Indians. The name means 'broken into small pieces' and is derived from the notion that the herb could dissolve kidney stones. Other Common Names: Ground holly, prince's pine, king's cure, bitter wintergreen, false wintergreen, umbellate wintergreen, rheumatism weed, skærm-vintergrøn (Danish), pyrole en ombrelle (French), Winterlieb (German), chimaphila (Spanish). Habitat: Pipsissewa has a circumboreal distribution and is found in the boreal forest or taiga in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Description: Chimaphila umbellata is 10-25 cm tall dwarf shrub with creeping and woody rootstock.
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Information on the health benefits and side effects of the herb barberry (Berberis vulgaris) and the traditional and medicinal uses of its root
Herbal cigarettes were a common way to take your medicine, long before cigarettes became associated with tobacco (and addiction). Learn how to choose herbs for herbal cigarettes, and enjoy this time-honored way to take your
Herbal cigarettes were a common way to take your medicine, long before cigarettes became associated with tobacco (and addiction). Learn how to choose herbs for herbal cigarettes, and enjoy this time-honored way to take your
Witch hazel is used to stop bleeding and is believed to be effective on both internal and external injuries. It is used to stop the bleeding on cuts, reduce bruising directly after an injury and as part of the treatment for stomach ulcers. It is believed that the tannins present in witch hazel (especially the bark), along with various oils, help speed coagulation. Because of its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties, witch hazel is approved by the FDA as an ingredient in over-the-counter medications to treat hemorrhoids and varicose veins. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) – Illustration ©The Herbal Resource What causes anti-inflammatory reactions of
The bitter taste of gentian is due to bitter iridoid glycosides; primarily gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, amarogentin and gentiopicrin. Gentian contains several alkaloids, predominantly gentian and gentialutine. Additionally, it contains the constituents: xanthones, triterpenes, pectin, tannin, mucilage, and sugar. Many species of gentiana are used in a similar way across widely divergent cultures. It is found in the Indian Ayurveda herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as in European herbal pharmacopeia. It has a long history of use as bitters, used to promote the appetite and digestion by general stimulation of the digestive juices. Gentian, as with all bitters, is important
The leaves contain tannins, flavone glycosides, organic acids and vitamin C. The berries contain 1.5-2% organic acids, fructose, pectin, gum, anthocyanins, iron and vitamin C. Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) – Illustration ©the herbal resource Raspberry has been cultivated for a long time and not only for its culinary uses but also for its medicinal properties. The fruit is rich in nutrients and may be helpful in preventing anemia. In Chinese herbal medicine, the berries of Chinese raspberries (Rubus ideaus) have been used to strengthen the kidneys and as a treatment for incontinence. There are many ways the berries can be applied
Botanical Name: Tropaeolum majus. Nasturtium should not be confused with watercress, whose Latin name is Nasturtium officinale. It was in the 1600s that the herb was first introduced from Peru to Europe, but it was used as a medicinal plant for a long time in South America. It is one of the more powerful antibacterial plants available. It is most effective when it is used fresh and is usually made into a compress for external use or into an infusion for internal infections. Despite its value as a medicinal plant and positive results in clinical trials, the freshness factor may
Ask any herbalist just beginning their journey into herbal education, and everyone I've met says they wish they'd been exposed to the wonders of plants as a child. All those days spent carefree playing in the
The summer solstice is a perfect time for harvesting and preserving herbs! Here's the complete guide to preserving the culinary and medicinal bounty of the herb garden. (This post was contributed by Melissa Keyser.) If I
Botanical Name: Crithmum maritimum. It should not be confused with golden samphire (Inula crithmoides) a member of the daisy family (Asteraceae). Other Common Names: Samphire, sea samphire, sea fennel, rock fennel, crest marine, hinojo marino (Spanish), fenouil de mer (French), Meerfenchel (German), søfennikel (Danish), sanktpeterskjerm (Norwegian), saltmärke (Swedish). Habitat: Rock samphire can be found around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and along the Atlantic coast from the Canary Islands to northern France. The plant grows also along the west and south coast of Britain and Ireland. In recent years the species has spread and can now be found in
It was cultivated as a medicinal plant in China as early as 2700 BC. Trade between Venice and the Orient brought Chinese rhubarb to Europe where it was used medicinally beginning in the 17th century. Chinese Rhubarb – Medicinal Herb ©The Herbal Resource The traditional use of the herb has been as a laxative, to relieve constipation and purgative. It is also been used in folk medicine as an astringent and to treat stomach tumors. Some of the medical compounds present in the root (not the stems or leaves) of Chinese rhubarb do in fact have multiple applications in medicine. The active
The health benefits, traditional uses, medicinal properties, therapeutic dosage and side effects of the medicinal herb Asafetida (Ferula assa-foetida.)
Botanical Name: Grindelia camporum, G. cuneifolia, G. squarrosa. Other Common Names: Gum Plant, gum Weed, tar Weed. Habitat: The plant is indigenous to the southwestern part of the United States of America and Mexico. It is found in prairies, plains and along the sides of roads. Description: Grindelia is a perennial herb with leafy stems that attain the height of up to three feet. It has yellow flowers that are surrounded by bracts, which produce a resinous substance. Plant Parts Used: Dried Aerial parts. The aerial parts of the plant are plucked before the flower buds open, to be dried
Yerba mate is not an Australian greeting or a cream substitute for tea (like Coffee Mate for coffee.) It is actually pronounced “Yerba Mat-ay” and is a very healthy herbal drink. Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) – Illustration ©The Herbal Resource The name comes from the Spanish word “hierba” which was changed to yerba in Argentina and means “grass or herb,” and the word mati which was changed to mate and stands for “cup or gourd.” This gives it the literal translation of “cup herb.” The basis for the name comes from the traditional way of steeping it in and drinking
Botanical Name: Scutellaria lateriflora. Other Common Names: Blue, greater, hairy, hooded, American, European western, maddog and side-flowering skullcap. It is also called scullcap, helmet flower, blue pimpernel, quaker bonnet, hooded willow flower, mad-dog weed, mad weed, hoodwort and hoodwart. Habitat: This herb is often found in partially shaded, wetland areas. It prefers light shade to full sun and wet to moist soil with plenty of organic matter. This perennial plant is native to North America. Plant Description: Skullcap grows to a height of 45 to 60 centimeters tall. It has a light green to reddish-green square stem with occasional branches.
Stinging nettle contains amines, flavonoids, lignans, minerals ( calcium, potassium, iron, and silicon) and vitamins A, B2, C and K. It also contains organic acids, scopoletin (isolated from the flowers), plant sterols, polysaccharides, lectins, and tannins. Used for hundreds of years as an herbal remedy, the herb is best known for its ability to ease the pain in the muscles and joints caused by arthritis and gout. Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) – Illustration ©the herbal resource Stinging nettle is used as a diuretic and laxative. Various extracts of stinging nettle have shown to be effective in treating diarrhea, edema and urinary disorders, as
The carob has been used for human consumption and as animal feed in the Mediterranean countries for centuries. It is said that the pods of the carob tree sustained the biblical figure John the Baptist while he was praying in the desert. Hence it is also known as St. John’s bread. Because of the high pectin and tannin content of the carob pods, it has been used as an herbal remedy for diarrhea. Pectin is a polysaccharide, a water-soluble substance, thought to aid in digestion and bacterial infections. The tannins which are carbohydrates and plant pigments have antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
The medicinal actions of chickweed are regarded to be antirheumatic, astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, laxative, refrigerant, and vulnerary. chickweed The benefits of chickweed may in part be due to its high nutritional value. It is particularly high in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, the omega-6 fatty acid derivative), saponins, niacin, riboflavin (B2) thiamine (B1), beta carotene (A), magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, selenium and silica. (1) Chickweed is best known for its soothing and healing quality. The high saponin content of this herb is thought to be the reason for its effectiveness in
Bayberry contains triterpenes (such as taraxerol, taraxeron and myrikadiol), flavonoids (myricitrin), tannins, phenols, resins and rubber substances. The Medicinal Herb Bayberry – ©The Herbal Resource The European settlers who came to North America learned about the medicinal properties of bayberry from the Native Americans. A description from 1737 states that the plant “removes air and relieves all kinds of pain caused by cold, and is a good remedy for colic, paralysis, convulsions, epilepsy and other disorders.” The root bark of bayberry was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1916 to 1936. Some herbalists still use this herb as a
Botanical Name of Licorice: Glycyrrhiza glabra. Other Common Names: Sweetwood, sweetroot, black sugar, liquorice, regliss (French), lakritze (German), liquirizia (Italian), regaliz (Spanish), mulethi (Hindi), European Licorice Habitat: The licorice root is native to Southeastern Europe and cultivated in most of Europe. It prefers the open, dry areas with rich soil. It was first harvested from the wild until it was cultivated one thousand years ago. Plant Description: The licorice plant is erect, standing about 1.5 meters tall with spikes bearing lilac-colored flowers with bean-like pods containing three or four seeds. The main root (taproot) descends up to a meter into
Botanical Name of Fennel: Foeniculum vulgare. Other Common Names: Large fennel, sweet fennel, wild fennel, sweet cumin, finnochio, fänkål (Swedish), hinojo (Spanish), Fenchel (German), fennikel (Danish), hui-hsiang (Chinese), fenouil (French), fennika (Icelandic). Habitat: Fennel is circumpolar (that is, can be found all over the globe). It is most often found in dry stony calcareous soils near the sea. It is generally considered native to the Mediterranean region but today it is cultivated throughout the British Isles, China, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kurdistan, Malaya, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, and Venezuela. Plant Description: Fennel is a perennial herb that grows
According to myth, the medicinal properties of yellow loosestrife were first discovered by a man named Lysimakhos. Who he was and what role he played in history is uncertain but in ancient literature, he is referred to as a herbal doctor, king of Sicily or general in the army of Alexander the Great. Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris) - Illustration ©The Herbal Resource The Ancient Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides (40 – 90 AD) wrote about yellow loosestrife in his “De Materia Medica” (Greek encyclopedia about herbal medicine) where he recommends it for wound treatment and to stop nosebleeds,
Juniper has been used traditionally to treat arthritis, gout and rheumatism. Test tube studies have shown that the berries can inhibit prostaglandin synthesis which indicates that this traditional use has some merit. Juniper has diuretic and antiseptic properties which explain its uses as an herbal remedy for urinary tract infections such as cystitis and urethritis. Modern studies on juniper indicate that it increases the filtration rate of the kidneys, dilutes the urine and disinfects the urinary tract. Other traditional medical uses for juniper berries are the treatment of intestinal infections, colic and other stomach upsets. The Herb Juniper (Juniperus communis) – Illustration Additionally it has
The leaves of the sweet grass are collected during the summer months and dried by natural or artificial means. The dried leaves are then used to form braids made for burning and used as incense. Sweet Grass (Hierochloe odorata) – Illustration ©The Herbal Resurce The vanilla-scented smoke is important in many sacred ceremonies, both among native North Americans and some indigenous groups in Europe. The dried leaves are also used medicinally in herbal teas and essential oil can be distilled from the plant which is then used as a seasoning in foods and alcoholic beverages. Sweet grass contains coumarin, which
The Herb Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – Illustration Instructions on how to prepare lemon balm differ among herbalists. As with every herbal medicine, a qualified professional should be consulted before treatment. In aromatherapy (to calm nerves and improve mood) the oil can be used much like the way lavender oil is used. One can use the pure essential oil by dabbing some on a fabric sachet to a place near the bedside. There are also skin lotions available. As a topical treatment for insect bites and skin irritation from minor infection: a compress may be used. A compress is made by steeping
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