Botanical Name: Juniperus communis. Other Common Names: Common juniper, fairy circle, hackmatack, gin berry, horse savin, gorst, aiten, dwarf juniper, genevier, mountain common juniper, old field common juniper, genévrier, ginepro, enebro, gemeiner, gin plant, wachholder, reckholder. Habitat: Juniper is native to the northern hemisphere and is common in Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia. It is usually […]
Medicinal Herb Profiles
Jamaican Dogwood – Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Piscidia erythrina, Piscidia piscipula. Other Common Names: Piscidia, fish poison tree, fishfuddle, Jamaica dogwood, Florida fish poison tree. Habitat: Jamaican dogwood is endemic to Florida, USA (specifically the Florida Keys); Texas, USA; West Indies, Mexico and Latin America. Plant Description: Jamaican dogwood is a member of the bean family with pinnately compound leaves […]
Iceland Moss – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name of Iceland Moss: Cetraria islandica. Other Common Names: Iceland lichen, eryngo-leaved liverwort, Islaendisch Moos (German), Islandslav (Swedish), mousse d’ Islande, lichen d’Islande (French), liquén de Islandia (Spanish), puklérka Islandská (Czech), Islanninjäkälä (Finnish), erba rissa, Lichene Islandico (Italian), and fjallagras (Icelandic). Habitat: Iceland Moss (Cetraria islandica) is a circumpolar lichen abundant throughout the Arctic […]
Hyssop – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Hyssopus officinalis. Other Common Names: Curdukotu, hastipippili, hisopo, yanagi-hakka. Habitat: Hyssop is native to the Mediterranean countries and temperate parts of Asia but is now widely cultivated all over the world and often used as a decorative plant. Plant Description: Hyssop is a perennial plant from the family of Lamiaceae or the mint […]
Horsetail – Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name of Horsetail: Equisetum arvensis, Equisetum arvense. Other Common Names: Bottlebrush, shave grass, corncob plant, scouring rush, field horsetail, pewterwort, paddock-pipes, Dutch rushes, snake pipes, small scouring rush, åkersnelle (Norwegian), cola de caballo (Spanish), prêle des champs (French), Acker-Schachtelhalm (German). Habitat: Horsetail is native to both North America and Europe. It is one of […]
Horny Goat Weed – Side Effects and Health Benefits
Botanical Name: Epimedium grandiflorum, Epimedium sagittatum. Other Common Names Barrenwort Bishop’s hat Fairy wings Xian ling pi Chien-hsieh Yin-yang-hua Arrow-leaf barrenwort Habitat It is native to China and grows best in high altitudes. Plant Description Horny goat weed is a rhizomatous perennial herb. The plant has light yellow, violet, red, and white flowers, and oval […]
Hops – Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Humulus lupulus. Other Common Names: Houblon, lupulin, Pliny the elder, common hop. Habitat: Western United States, England, Asia, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. Plant Description: Hop is a plant that grows on bines; long stout stems with strong hairs to aid climbing that can reach 22 feet in height. This herb bears […]
Hoodia Gordonii – Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Hoodia gordonii. Other Common Names: Bushman’s Hat, queen of the Namib, hoodia, xhooba, !khoba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus. Habitat: Hoodia gordonii grows primarily in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa and also in Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Description: Hoodia is often mistaken for a cactus because of the resemblance but it is actually a […]
Hepatica – Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Anemone hepatica, Hepatica nobilis. Other Common Names: Kidneywort, liverwort, liverleaf, liverflower, American liverwort, roundlobe hepatica, Leberblümchen (German), hepática (Spanish), skógarblámi (Icelandic), hépatique à trois lobes (French), blåsippa (Swedish). Habitat: The plant is found mainly in Europe. Other species of hepatica can be found in East Asia and North America. Description: Hepatica is a […]
Henbane – Side Effects and Health Benefits
Botanical Name: Hyoscyamus niger. Other Common Names: Hogbean, Schwarzes Bilsenkraut (German), jusquiame (French), veleño negro (Spanish), villrot (Norvegian), bolmört (Swedish). Habitat: The plant is probably endemic to the Mediterranean countries and western Asia, but is now widespread in many parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The species has been introduced and naturalized in North […]