Donald Rice

Dioscorides already knew the purgative properties of castor bean oil in the 1st century A.D.; however, the castor bean plant was not used in Europe until the 18th century. Castor …

Patience dock is a plant in the same botanical genus as bugloss, which has similar properties, and sorrel, which differs in having a bitter, not acid, flavor. All these plants …

In spring, the young buds of the burnet plant are used in salad dishes because of their tasty, refreshing flavor. Like greater burnet, this plant was not known by great …

The greater burnet plant was discovered and used from the Renaissance onwards. Since its flower spikes look like blood clots, it was supposed to be helpful in hemorrhage treatment, and …

In the Caribbean and Central American countries, soft drinks based on the flesh of the tamarind tree are very common. These drinks have a sweet and sour flavor. Besides its …

Tansy is a herb with a long résumé and a serious problem. For centuries people brewed the tansy plant to drive out intestinal worms, bring on a late period, and …

The bramble plant is the wild, thorny shrub that gives us blackberries — botanically Rubus fruticosus, and the same plant whose leaves and young buds have been brewed into folk …

The cascara sagrada bark was already used by native American Indians, and it soon drew the attention of the Spaniards who colonized California. Like the bark of the alder buckthorn, …

Dioscorides have already studied the Lady’s mantle plant in the 1st century A.D. Andres de Laguna (16th century), the Spanish translator and commentator of Dioscorides, recommended baths with a decoction …

If you’re looking at the devil’s claw plant, you’re almost certainly dealing with an aching hip, a stiff knee, or a back that won’t let up. So here’s the honest …