Aloe vera

Aloe barbadensis miller

La suculenta cuyo gel ha sido un remedio casero para quemaduras e irritaciones de la piel durante miles de años.

Digestión · Piel · Primeros auxilios

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Amla / Indian Gooseberry

Phyllanthus emblica

Ayurveda's sour green fruit — a vitamin C powerhouse and the backbone of Triphala and chyawanprash.

Antioxidante · Corazón · Digestión

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Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera

Ayurveda's premier "strength of a stallion" root, now a heavily studied stress adaptogen.

Adaptógeno · Estrés · Sueño

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Bacopa

Bacopa monnieri

Ayurveda's marsh-growing memory herb — one of the few "brain" supplements with real trial data, if you can wait three months.

Concentración · Estrés · Memoria

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Basil

Ocimum basilicum

The sweet, clove-and-anise scented leaf of summer — at its best torn fresh over tomatoes and never cooked for long.

Antioxidante · Digestión · Especia de cocina

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Beetroot

Beta vulgaris

The earthy purple root whose natural nitrates can nudge blood pressure down and help your muscles work more efficiently.

Energía · Planta comestible · Tensión arterial

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Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus

Europe's wild blueberry, deep purple to the core — delicious and antioxidant-rich, though its famous night-vision legend doesn't hold up.

Antioxidante · Ojos · Planta comestible

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Black Cohosh

Actaea racemosa

A tall woodland root from eastern North America, now one of the most-used herbal remedies for menopausal hot flushes — with mixed results.

Hormonas · Menstruación

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Black Pepper

Piper nigrum

The king of spices, best ground fresh at the table — and a quiet booster of how much of some nutrients and drugs your body absorbs.

Antioxidante · Digestión · Especia de cocina

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Calendula

Calendula officinalis

The cheerful orange pot marigold that has soothed scrapes, rashes and sore skin for centuries — best used on the outside.

Antiinflamatorio · Piel · Primeros auxilios

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Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum

Little green pods of sweet, eucalyptus-bright perfume — the soul of chai, Arabic coffee and Scandinavian buns.

Digestión · Especia de cocina · Infusión

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Cayenne

Capsicum annuum

The fiery red pepper whose burn is also a painkiller — rubbed on as a cream, it quietens overactive nerves.

Articulaciones · Especia de cocina · Primeros auxilios

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Chaga

Inonotus obliquus

A charcoal-black canker on northern birch trees, brewed into an earthy tea — heavily hyped, lightly studied, and very high in oxalate.

Antioxidante · Hongo · Inmunidad

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Chia Seeds

Salvia hispanica

The ancient Aztec seed that swells into a pudding in minutes — a great fibre source, as long as you soak it first.

Corazón · Digestión · Planta comestible

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Cinnamon

Cinnamomum verum

The bark that launched trade empires — with a genuine but modest effect on blood sugar, and one important safety catch.

Antioxidante · Azúcar en sangre · Especia de cocina

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Clove

Syzygium aromaticum

Fiercely aromatic dried flower buds that warm mulled wine and gingerbread — and numb an aching tooth in a pinch.

Antioxidante · Especia de cocina · Primeros auxilios

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Cordyceps

Cordyceps militaris

The caterpillar fungus of Himalayan legend, now mostly grown on grain — sold for stamina, with evidence that is modest at best.

Adaptógeno · Energía · Hongo

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Coriander / Cilantro

Coriandrum sativum

One plant, two kitchens: bright citrusy leaves that some people swear taste of soap, and warm seeds that soothe a bloated belly.

Digestión · Especia de cocina

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Cranberry

Vaccinium macrocarpon

The tart bog berry best known for bladder health — genuinely useful for preventing some UTIs, but no cure for one already underway.

Antioxidante · Planta comestible · Vías urinarias

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Cumin

Cuminum cyminum

The warm, earthy seed behind curries, chilli and falafel — best bloomed in hot oil until it crackles and smells toasty.

Digestión · Especia de cocina

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Cúrcuma

Curcuma longa

El rizoma dorado que da color al curry, y una de las plantas antiinflamatorias más estudiadas del planeta.

Antiinflamatorio · Articulaciones · Especia de cocina

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Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

The lawn "weed" that's actually a salad green, coffee substitute and one of herbal medicine's oldest digestive bitters.

Digestión · Hígado · Planta comestible

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Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea

The purple coneflower North America gave the world's medicine cabinets.

Inmunidad · Resfriados

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Elderberry

Sambucus nigra

Dark hedgerow berries cooked into syrups for winter colds — pleasant, possibly helpful, and never to be eaten raw.

Inmunidad · Planta comestible · Resfriados

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Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus

The Tasmanian blue gum whose sharp, clearing scent fills chest rubs and steam bowls — and whose oil is dangerous if swallowed.

Aromaterapia · Resfriados · Respiratorio

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Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

Crisp aniseed bulb, feathery fronds and sweet digestive seeds — one plant that covers salad, spice rack and after-dinner tea.

Digestión · Especia de cocina · Planta comestible

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Fenugreek

Trigonella foenum-graecum

The maple-scented seed of curry blends — studied for blood sugar, cholesterol and milk supply, and famous for making you smell faintly of syrup.

Azúcar en sangre · Especia de cocina · Lactancia

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Feverfew

Tanacetum parthenium

A cottage-garden daisy with a bitter leaf and a real, if modest, track record for preventing migraines when taken every day.

Antiinflamatorio · Dolor de cabeza

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Flaxseed

Linum usitatissimum

Humble brown seeds with a trio of talents — fibre, plant omega-3 and lignans — but only if you grind them first.

Corazón · Digestión · Planta comestible

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Garlic

Allium sativum

The kitchen bulb with genuine, measured effects on blood pressure and cholesterol.

Básico de cocina · Corazón · Inmunidad

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Ginkgo

Ginkgo biloba

A living fossil with fan-shaped leaves, famous as a memory herb — though the best trials show it is no shield against ageing brains.

Antioxidante · Concentración · Memoria

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Ginseng

Panax ginseng

East Asia's "man-root" and the original adaptogen — pricey, potent for fatigue, and worth buying carefully.

Adaptógeno · Concentración · Energía

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Gotu Kola

Centella asiatica

A creeping marsh herb eaten as a salad green across South Asia — and the "cica" in many modern skin-soothing creams.

Memoria · Piel · Planta comestible

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Green Tea

Camellia sinensis

The unoxidised leaf that pairs caffeine with calm — and centuries of daily-ritual evidence.

Antioxidante · Concentración · Corazón

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Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna

The May-blossom hedge tree whose flowers, leaves and red haws are Europe's traditional heart tonic — gentle, slow and worth discussing with your doctor.

Corazón · Infusión · Tensión arterial

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Hibiscus

Hibiscus sabdariffa

The crimson, cranberry-tart tea of Egypt and Mexico — with blood-pressure evidence strong enough to surprise cardiologists.

Corazón · Infusión · Tensión arterial

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Holy Basil (Tulsi)

Ocimum tenuiflorum

India's most sacred plant and Ayurveda's "elixir of life" — a peppery cousin of kitchen basil with genuine adaptogen credentials.

Adaptógeno · Estrés · Inmunidad

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Jengibre

Zingiber officinale

El remedio más fiable del mundo para el malestar estomacal, con los ensayos clínicos que lo respaldan.

Digestión · Especia de cocina · Náuseas

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Lavanda

Lavandula angustifolia

El arbusto mediterráneo cuyo aroma tiene efectos calmantes reales y medibles.

Aromaterapia · Calma · Sueño

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Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis

The lemon-scented mint that takes the edge off stress — beloved by bees, herbalists and anxious students alike.

Calma · Digestión · Sueño

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Licorice Root

Glycyrrhiza glabra

An intensely sweet root (its key compound is some fifty times sweeter than sugar) that soothes throats and stomachs — and quietly raises blood pressure if you overdo it.

Digestión · Infusión · Respiratorio

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Lion's Mane

Hericium erinaceus

A shaggy white cascade of a mushroom that tastes like crab when fried — and is being studied, cautiously, for the brain.

Concentración · Hongo · Memoria

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Manzanilla

Matricaria chamomilla

La suave margarita que se convirtió en la infusión para dormir más popular del mundo.

Calma · Infusión · Sueño

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Marshmallow Root

Althaea officinalis

The original marshmallow — a slippery, soothing root for scratchy throats and dry coughs, best made with cold water.

Digestión · Infusión · Respiratorio

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Menta piperita

Mentha × piperita

Una menta de jardín vigorosa cuyo aceite es uno de los tratamientos herbales mejor documentados para el síndrome del intestino irritable.

Digestión · Dolor de cabeza · Infusión

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Milk Thistle

Silybum marianum

The white-veined Mediterranean thistle whose seeds became the world's best-known liver herb — well studied, very safe, and more modest than the marketing.

Antioxidante · Azúcar en sangre · Hígado

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Moringa

Moringa oleifera

The fast-growing "drumstick tree" whose leaves feed families across the tropics — genuinely nutritious, if not quite the miracle it's marketed as.

Azúcar en sangre · Lactancia · Planta comestible

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Mullein

Verbascum thapsus

The towering, velvet-leaved roadside torch plant — a traditional cough tea, as long as you strain out its itchy hairs.

Infusión · Resfriados · Respiratorio

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Nutmeg

Myristica fragrans

The warm, sweet spice that once caused wars — lovely by the pinch, genuinely poisonous by the spoonful.

Digestión · Especia de cocina

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Olive Leaf

Olea europaea

The bitter, silvery leaf of the Mediterranean olive tree — rich in oleuropein and studied for gentle support of blood pressure.

Antioxidante · Corazón · Tensión arterial

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Oregano

Origanum vulgare

The sun-baked Mediterranean herb that tastes better dried than fresh — and whose concentrated oil is a very different thing.

Antioxidante · Digestión · Especia de cocina

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Parsley

Petroselinum crispum

Far more than a garnish — eat parsley by the handful and it becomes a fresh, green, vitamin-rich salad herb.

Especia de cocina · Planta comestible · Vías urinarias

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Passionflower

Passiflora incarnata

An extravagant purple-fringed vine from the American South, used for centuries to quiet an anxious mind and ease into sleep.

Calma · Estrés · Sueño

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Pomegranate

Punica granatum

Jewel-like seeds and tart ruby juice with a modest but real effect on blood pressure — and a legend in every ancient culture.

Antioxidante · Corazón · Planta comestible

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Reishi

Ganoderma lingzhi

The glossy, woody "mushroom of immortality" of Chinese tradition — revered for calm and immunity, but backed by thinner evidence than its legend.

Adaptógeno · Hongo · Inmunidad

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Rhodiola

Rhodiola rosea

The golden root of Arctic cliffs and Siberian mountains — a stress-and-fatigue herb with more trial data than most adaptogens.

Adaptógeno · Energía · Estrés

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Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus

The Mediterranean shrub scholars have worn for memory since ancient Greece — and modern studies keep finding they were onto something.

Concentración · Especia de cocina · Memoria

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Saffron

Crocus sativus

The world's costliest spice — hand-picked crimson threads with a surprisingly respectable body of research on low mood.

Antioxidante · Especia de cocina · Estado de ánimo

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Sage

Salvia officinalis

Velvety grey-green leaves with a bold, piney flavour — a classic sore-throat gargle, and a herb to respect in concentrated form.

Especia de cocina · Memoria · Resfriados

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Saw Palmetto

Serenoa repens

A scrubby Florida palm whose berries became the best-selling prostate supplement — though the largest trials found it works no better than placebo.

Hormonas · Vías urinarias

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Sea Buckthorn

Hippophae rhamnoides

A thorny coastal shrub crowded with sour orange berries — packed with vitamin C, carotenoids and a rare omega-7 oil.

Antioxidante · Ojos · Piel

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Shiitake

Lentinula edodes

The savoury, meaty mushroom of East Asian kitchens — rich in umami and immune-active fibres, and always best eaten well cooked.

Hongo · Inmunidad · Planta comestible

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Slippery Elm

Ulmus rubra

A North American tree whose inner bark turns into a soothing gruel — gentle on sore throats and stomachs, but hard on the trees.

Digestión · Respiratorio · Salud intestinal

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St John's Wort

Hypericum perforatum

A sunny midsummer flower with real antidepressant evidence — and more drug interactions than almost any other herb on the shelf.

Estado de ánimo · Piel

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Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

The plant that fights back — then feeds you. Mineral-rich spring green, hay-fever folk remedy, and a surprisingly evidence-brushed joint herb.

Alergias · Articulaciones · Planta comestible

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Tea Tree

Melaleuca alternifolia

An Australian swamp shrub whose sharp, medicinal oil tackles spots and fungal skin — strictly on the outside, and never near cats.

Aromaterapia · Piel · Primeros auxilios

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Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

A tough little woody herb that flavours slow-cooked food beautifully and has soothed coughs across Europe for centuries.

Especia de cocina · Resfriados · Respiratorio

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Turkey Tail

Trametes versicolor

A common, striped bracket fungus of woodland logs, rich in immune-active polysaccharides — much studied, often overclaimed.

Hongo · Inmunidad · Salud intestinal

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Valerian

Valeriana officinalis

Europe's traditional sleep root — gentle, non-habit-forming, and best judged after two weeks of nightly use.

Calma · Sueño

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Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

The feathery-leaved wound herb named after Achilles — a bitter tea for sluggish digestion, and one to avoid in pregnancy.

Digestión · Menstruación · Primeros auxilios

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