Botanical Name: Pulsatilla vulgaris. Other Common Names: Common pasque flower, European pasque flower, windflower, meadow anemone, pulsatilla, pulsatilla (Spanish), Gewöhnliche Küchenschelle (German), pulsatille vulgaire (French), stor kubjelle (Norwegian), backsippa (Swedish), opret kobjælde (Danish), lännenkylmänkukka (Finnish). Habitat: Pasque flower can be found in Eastern and Central Europe north to Denmark and southern Sweden, and in western […]
Medicinal Herb Profiles
Horse Chestnut – Herb Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name of Horse Chestnut: Aesculus hippocastanum. Other Common Names: Conker, buckeye, Spanish chestnut, yleinen hevoskastanja (Finnish), almindelig hestekastanie (Danish), hästkastanj (Swedish), hrossakastanía (Icelandic), hestekastanje (Norwegian), Rosskastanie (German), marronnier (French), castaño de India (Spanish). Habitat: Horse chestnut is native to the Balkans, West Asia, and the Himalayas. Today, the tree is grown for ornamental purposes […]
Wood Avens Benefits and Uses
Botanical Name: Geum urbanum. The Latin name of the species “urbanum” means “of the city” referring to the plant’s liking for areas affected by human activity. Other Common Names: Herb bennet, avens, city avens, European avens, way bennet, Bennet’s root, clove root, colewort, wild rye, benoîte (French), hierba de San Benito (Spanish), febernellikerod (Danish), Stadtnelkenwurz […]
Sorrel Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name: Rumex acetosa. Other Common Names: Common sorrel, cuckoo sorrel, English sorrel, garden sorrel, red sorrel, broadleaf sorrel, sour dock, Sauerampfer (German), oseille sauvage (French), acedera (Spanish), túnsúra (Icelandic), almindelig syre (Danish), niittysuolaheinä (Finnish), angssyra (Swedish), engsyre (Norwegian). Habitat: Sorrel is one of the most common species belonging to the genus Rumex (docks and […]
Red Sage (Dan Shen) Herb Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name of Red Sage: Salvia miltiorrhiza. The plant should not be confused with poor man’s ginseng or dang shen (Codonopsis pilosula). Other Common Names: Chinese sage, red-rooted sage, rødrotsalvie (Norwegian), Chinesischer Salbei or Rotwurzsalbei (German), Kinesisk salvie (Danish), dan shen (Chinese). Habitat: Red sage is native to China and Japan and is cultivated for […]
Goat Willow – Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name: Salix caprea. Other Common Names: Pussy willow, great sallow, saule des chèvres (French), selja (Icelandic), seljepil (Danish), salweide (German), selje (Norwegian), sälg (Swedish), raita (Finnish). Habitat: Goat willow is native to Europe and western and central Asia. It does not tolerate full shade and is often found growing in open fields, in forest […]
Trifid Bur Marigold Herb Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name: Bidens tripartita. The plant’s genus name Bidens derives from Latin words “bis” meaning two and “dens” meaning teeth, referring to the two reflexed prickles located on the seed coats which allows the seeds to spread by adhering to human clothing or animal fur. The species name Tripartite derives from Latin words “tres (three) […]
Spignel – Health Benefits and Uses as a Medicinal Herb and Spice
Botanical Name: Meum athamanticum. Spignel is the only member (monotypic) belonging to the plant genus Meum. Other Common Names: Spignel, baldmoney, wood spignel, spicknel, spikenel, mew, meu, bearwort, fenouil des Alpes (French), meo (Spanish), bjørnerod (Danish), Bärwurz (German), snauskjoldblom (Norwegian), sköldpaddsört (Swedish). Habitat: Spignel is native to the mountainous areas of Western Europe and Central […]
Balmony – Benefits and Uses
Botanical Name: Chelone glabra. Other Common Names: Turtlehead, white turtlehead, turtlebloom, bitter herb, salt rheum weed, shellflower, snakehead, galane glabre (French), chelone (Spanish), skjoldblomst (Danish), Kahle Schildblume (German), snauskjoldblom (Norwegian), sköldpaddsört (Swedish). Habitat: Balmony is native to Eastern and Central North America and Canada, from Newfoundland to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Georgia and […]
Blackberry Lily Medicinal Uses
Botanical Name: Belamcanda chinensis, Iris domestica. The plant was assigned the Latin name Belamcanda chinensis up until the year 2005 when it was assigned a different name Iris domestica due to new evidence regarding its molecular DNA sequence. Other Common Names: Leopard flower, leopard lily, she-gan (Chinese), yakan (Japanese), leopardblomst (Danish). Habitat: Blackberry lily is […]