Herbs

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 …

Sage has been credited with curing nearly everything since at least the 16th century, when a Spanish physician reportedly told plague survivors that a week of sage tea would restore …

Calendula, also called garden marigold, is a living example of how beauty and usefulness can go hand in hand. Calendula flowers open to the morning sun, showing their beautiful colors. …

Like other species of the genus Viburnum, cramp bark is an attractive shrub used as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens. However, be careful! Its striking red fruit is …

Rose medicinal uses: Flower growers’ fantasy combined with cross-pollination has created 10,000-odd varieties of roses with extraordinary fragrance and delicacy. However, the French rose, or Rosa gallica, offers the best …