Plant guides
70 plant(s), each covered the same way: what it is, its benefits, how to use it, and its precautions.
All Adaptogen 6 Allergies 1 Anti-inflammatory 3 Antioxidant 16 Aromatherapy 3 Blood pressure 4 Blood sugar 4 Calm 5 Colds 6 Digestion 20 Energy 4 Eyes 2 First aid 6 Focus 6 Food plant 14 Gut health 2 Headache 2 Heart 9 Hormones 2 Immune 8 Joints 3 Kitchen spice 19 Kitchen staple 1 Lactation 2 Liver 2 Memory 6 Menstrual 2 Mood 2 Mushroom 6 Nausea 1 Respiratory 6 Skin 6 Sleep 6 Stress 5 Tea 8 Urinary 3
Aloe Vera
Aloe barbadensis miller
The succulent whose gel has been a household remedy for burns and skin irritation for thousands of years.
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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.
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Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera
Ayurveda's premier "strength of a stallion" root, now a heavily studied stress adaptogen.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
Little green pods of sweet, eucalyptus-bright perfume — the soul of chai, Arabic coffee and Scandinavian buns.
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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.
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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.
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Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
The gentle daisy that became the world's bedtime tea.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
The purple coneflower North America gave the world's medicine cabinets.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Garlic
Allium sativum
The kitchen bulb with genuine, measured effects on blood pressure and cholesterol.
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Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The world's most trusted remedy for a queasy stomach, with the clinical trials to back it up.
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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.
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Ginseng
Panax ginseng
East Asia's "man-root" and the original adaptogen — pricey, potent for fatigue, and worth buying carefully.
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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.
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Green Tea
Camellia sinensis
The unoxidised leaf that pairs caffeine with calm — and centuries of daily-ritual evidence.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
The Mediterranean shrub whose scent has genuine, measurable calming effects.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans
The warm, sweet spice that once caused wars — lovely by the pinch, genuinely poisonous by the spoonful.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
A vigorous garden mint whose oil is one of the best-evidenced herbal treatments for IBS.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Turmeric
Curcuma longa
The golden rhizome behind curry's colour — and one of the most researched anti-inflammatory plants on earth.
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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.
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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.
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