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 […]
Medicinal Herb Profiles
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 […]
Yellow Loosestrife – Medicinal Applications and Benefits
Botanical Name: Lysimachia vulgaris. Other Common Names: Loosestrife, garden loosestrife, yellow willowherb, herb willow, willow-wort, wood pimpernel, lisimaquia amarilla (Spanish), lysimaque vulgaire (French), Gewöhnlicher Gilbweiderich (German), strandlysing (Swedish), ranta-alpi (Finnish), almindelig fredløs (Danish), fredløs (Norwegian). Habitat: Yellow loosestrife is native to Europe and North Asia but was introduced to North America in the 1900s for […]
Fringe Tree Uses as a Medicinal Herb
Botanical Name: Chionanthus virginicus. The English common name of the plant “fringe tree” stems from the cord-like shape of the flowers. The genus name Chionanthus derives from the Greek words “chion” which means snow and “anthos” which means flowers. Other Common Names: White fringetree, snowdrop tree, old man’s beard, Grancey graybeard, chionanthus, flowering ash, white […]
Soapwort Benefits, Uses and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Saponaria officinalis. Other Common Names: Soapweed, bouncing bet, wild sweet William, Fuller’s herb, lady’s washbowl, leatherwork, hierba jabonera (Spanish), saponaire (French), Echtes Seifenkraut (German), såpnejlika (Swedish), þvottajurt (Icelandic), rohtosuopayrtti (Finnish), sæbeurt (Danish), såpeurt (Norwegian). Habitat: Soapwort is originally native to Southern and Central Europe, Asia Minor and Western Siberia. However, the plant has […]
Cornflower – Medicinal Uses and Side Effects
Botanical Name: Centaurea cyanus. Other Common Names: Bachelor’s button, blueblow, blue cap, blue poppy, bluebonnets, bluebottle, hurtsickle, kornblomst (Danish), Kornblume (German), blåklint (Swedish), Kornblom (Norwegian), kornblóm (Icelandic), azulejo (Spanish), bleuet, casse lunette (French), ruiskaunokki (Finnish). Habitat: Originating in Mediterranean Europe and Western Asia, cornflowers must have entered Great Britain sometime during the Iron Age, where […]
Lesser Periwinkle – Medicinal Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name: Vinca minor. The closely related species greater periwinkle (Vinca major), a much larger plant, is used in a similar manner in herbal medicine and has the same medicinal properties as lesser periwinkle. Other Common Names: Common and dwarf periwinkle, vinca, running-myrtle, blue buttons, devil’s eye, joy on the ground, sorcerer’s violet, pervinca minore […]
Summer Savory – Health Benefits and Herb Uses
Botanical Name: Satureja hortensis. Other Common Names: Garden savory, ajedrea de jardin (Spanish), hsiang po ho (Chinese), Bohnenkraut (German), sarriette des jardins (French), sommersar (Norwegian), sommarkynde (Swedish), sar (Danish), Kesäkynteli (Finnish). Habitat: Summer savory is probably native to the eastern Mediterranean and countries around the Black Sea. It is widely cultivated as a spice and […]
Fumitory – Herbal Uses and Benefits
Botanical Name for Fumitory: Fumaria officinalis. One of the plant’s English common name “earth smoke” is a direct translation of the old Latin name of the plant, “fumes terrae”. It refers to the shape and color the plant’s gray-blue haze foliage which can from afar resemble smoke rising from the ground. Other Common Names: Common […]
