Scientific Name: Mentha x piperita. All true mints belong to the genus Mentha. Peppermint is a hybrid plant, a cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata). Common Names: Peppermint, mint, menthol Distribution and Habitat: Peppermint is found growing wild in the moist soils of the warmer parts of Europe, Asia, and America. It […]
Medicinal Herb Profiles
Comfrey – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Scientific Name: Symphytum officinale. Common Names: Blackwort, bruisewort, common comfrey, knitbone, slippery root, boneset, yalluc, gum plant, ass ear. Distribution and Habitat: Comfrey is a plant indigenous to Europe and temperate parts of Asia. It has been suggested that its use can be dated back to 400 B.C. It has had various uses, not only […]
Onion – Uses and Health Benefits as a Medicinal Herb
Scientific Name: Allium cepa. Shallots are a variety in this species. Scallions are a different species, Allium fistulosum. Common Names: “onion”, including all cooking varieties: yellow onion, Spanish onion, red globe onion, white onion, sweet onion. Distribution and Habitat: Onions are cultivated globally in a wide range of climates. China, India, and the United States […]
Aloe Vera – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Scientific Names: Aloe vera There are a number of taxonomic synonyms for Aloe vera: A. barbadensis, A. indica, A. perfoliata, and A. vulgaris. However, the most widely accepted name among botanists is Aloe vera. The species most frequently used as herbal medicine is Aloe vera. A. perryi and A. ferox are also cultivated as medicinal […]
Burdock Herb – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Scientific name: Arctium lappa. Two related species, A. minus and A. tomentosum are also sometimes used for medicinal purposes. Common Names: Burdock, greater burdock, great thistle, beggar’s button’s, Grosse Klette (German), niu bang zi (Chinese), gobo (Japanese), woowong (Korean). Distribution and Habitat: Burdock is native to Europe and Asia and has now spread worldwide in […]
Yerba Mate – Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Ilex paraguariensis. Other Common Names: Yerba maté, maté, erva mate, erveira, Paraguay cayi, Paraguay tea, South American holly, matéteestrauch, St. Bartholomew’s tea, Jesuit’s tea, caminú, kali chaye Habitat: Yerba mate got its humble beginnings with the Guarani Indians in the highlands of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. When the Spanish explorers came upon these […]
Yellow Dock Herb – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Rumex crispus. Other Common Names: Chin-ch’iao-mai, curled dock, curly dock, garden patience, narrow dock, parell, patience herb, sour dock. Habitat: Yellow dock is indigenous to Europe and parts of Africa, but like many medicinal herbs it has been carried beyond its native borders by travelers. It is now found in most places including […]
Yarrow Herb – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium. Other Common Names: Common yarrow, carpenter’s weed, knight’s milfoil, noble yarrow, old man’s pepper, nosebleed, staunchgrass, soldier’s woundwort, sanguinary, devil’s nettle, devil’s plaything, bad man’s plaything, yarroway, herb militaris, thousand leaf, thousand seal, field hop, millefolium, ladies’mantle, gandana, i-chi-kao, gearwe, yerw. Habitat: Yarrow is a hardy perennial that is native to […]
Wormwood Herb – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Artemisia absinthium. Other Common Names: Absinthe, grand and common wormwood, green ginger, madderwort, old woman, absinthium, ajenjo. Habitat: Wormwood is indigenous to the temperate climate zones of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. Currently, it is cultivated commercially in many parts of the world including central and northwestern United States. Plant Description: Wormwood […]
Witch Hazel Uses and Health Benefits as a Medicinal Herb
Botanical Name: Hamamelis virginiana. The English common name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for flexible, “wytch”, because of the Native Americans’ uses of witch hazel for making bows. Other Common Names: Hazel nut, snapping hazel, tobacco wood, hamamelis water, spotted alder and winterbloom. Habitat: Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) prefers northern-facing slopes, river banks, fences, and […]