Donald Rice

If you came here wanting the iris plant’s health benefits, here’s the honest version first. The iris most people mean — the fragrant garden iris whose dried root is called …

The cats foot plant evokes the smoothness of cats. Its flowers resemble the pad that covers the claws of such felines. It has been used from the 18th century onwards. …

The horehound plant has been used since ancient times to treat respiratory system afflictions. In the first century A.C., the great Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author Pedanius Dioscorides said …

Maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) has been used for centuries as a gentle cough remedy and a folk hair tonic, and it still turns up in herbal cough syrups and “grow …

The magnificent silver fir tree could ideally be called “Doyen of the forests.” It deserves attention for its excellent geometrical appearance and extraordinary lifetime, up to 800 years. During all …

The licorice plant is an excellent antidote for those wanting to quit tobacco, partly due to its superb digestive and pectoral properties. In the 1st century A.C., the great Greek …

In the mid-19th century, the eucalyptus plant, which grows up to 100 m high, was brought to Europe and America from Australia and Tasmania. It is one of the tallest …

Herbs for the lungs have been used in traditional medicine for centuries, and modern phytotherapy continues to study them for their real — if often modest — effects on the …

The hedge hyssop plant was widely used in the Middle and Modern Ages because it was supposed to have multiple medicinal virtues yet to be proven. It is still helpful …

People search for lily of the valley plant health benefits because this small, fragrant woodland plant has a long medicinal reputation. The safer answer is narrower: lily of the valley …