Remedies

If you’ve ever crushed a lemon verbena leaf between your fingers and caught that clean, sherbet-lemon scent, you already understand why people have been drinking it after dinner for two …

The cassava plant is very nutritious and immensely valued in tropical countries. However, when eaten raw, its root can produce severe toxicity, even causing death. This happens because of the …

The plant sold as the “mosquito plant” is pennyroyal, and the most honest answer to what its health benefits are is an uncomfortable one: they’re mostly historical, mostly unproven, and …

The ipecac plant (Carapichea ipecacuanha) was once the source of a syrup that millions of parents kept on a high shelf in case a child swallowed something dangerous. That advice …

The Celts and Romans have cultivated the cabbage plant for centuries, the vegetable par excellence. Cabbage has been used for more than two thousand years as a food as well …

Eat the fruit. Be careful with everything else. That is the honest summary. The ripe fruit of the papaya plant is a genuinely good food — one of the better …

The European centaury plant was used to heal the foot of Chiron the centaur, a mythical being, half man and half horse inflicted by the legendary Hercules. This plant is …

The wormseed plant is one of those herbs that lives a double life. In a Mexican kitchen, a sprig of it in a pot of black beans is unremarkable — …

The chicory plant is a gift for people who love to walk. Until mid-summer roadsides retain the sky blue color of chicory flowers, contrasting with the golden landscape. The plant …

The Chinese already knew about the cinnamon tree as far back as 2500 B.C. it was just as valuable as gold. The Ancient Egyptians also used it for embalming mummies. …