Sanguisorba officinalis, the Greater burnet, garden burnet, official burnet, burnet bloodwort, common burnet, salad burnet, sanguisorba, Italian Burnet, Italian Pimpernel, is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae that is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America. Genus name comes from the Latin words sanguis meaning blood and sorbeo meaning to soak up for its use to stop bleeding. Sanguisorba officinalis is an important food plant for the European large blue butterflies Maculinea nausithous and M. teleius. This herb also has a number of sub-species called garden burnet, grand…
Author: Sylvia
Broom scientifically known as Cytisus scoparius is a multi-stemmed, deciduous/evergreen shrub that grows 6 to 12 feet (2-4 m) tall. Apart from broom it is also known as Scotch Broom, Broomtops, Common Broom, European Broom, Irish Broom, Genista, Besom, Scoparium, Irish Tops, Basam, Bizzom, Browme, Brum and Breeam. The plant is native to central and southern Europe from the British Isles east to southern Scandinavia, south to Iberia, and east to Belarus and Romania. It is a species in the pea family Fabaceae. The plant was introduced as an ornamental shrub and for erosion control use. In medieval Europe, the…
Peumus boldus, the only species in the genus Peumus, is commonly known as Boldo, boldus, boldoa, boldea, Boldu, Boldea fragrans, Boldine, Boldoak Boldea, Boldo Folium, Boldus, Boldus Boldus, Peumus boldus and Peumus fragrans. Aromatic, evergreen shrub or small tree belongs to family Monimiaceae and is native central Chile and Peru. Boldo has also been introduced to Europe and North Africa, though it is not often seen outside botanical gardens. It is also found in Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, and Morocco, among other countries. The plant has sheets with a strong aroma which are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. The smell…
Bogbean scientifically known as Menyanthes trifoliate belongs to the plant family Menyanthaceae. Other common names of Bogbean are Moon flower, buckbean, marsh trefoil, Water Trefoil, Marsh Clover, bean trefoil, bitterworm, bog nut, scarfano, vattenklover, bukkeblad, Horblaoka, treefold, bitterklee, bog Hop, Boonan, Raate, Sumpfflee, bitter trefoil, brook bean and water Shamrock. This rhizomatous emergent aquatic perennial plant is native to shallow water in pond/lake margins and in bogs of Europe and North America where it is found growing from Labrador to Alaska in the north and southwards to West Virginia and extending to Wyoming. In some states of the US, this…
Iris Versicolor, also known as Blue Flag, has a number of other common names such as Poison Flag, Flag Lily, Liver Lily, Snake Lily, Dragon Flower, Dagger Flower, Water Flag, harlequin blue flag, larger blue flag, northern blue flag, purple iris, blue iris, Fleur-de-lis. Scientific synonyms include Iris boltoniana, Iris caurina, Iris dierinckii and Limniris versicolour. The plant is native to marshes, swamps, wet meadows, ditches and shorelines of North America, in the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada. It may be noted that blue flag is also called the liver lily since the dried up and pulverized rhizomes of…
Black alder (Alnus glutinosa), commonly known as alder, Common Alder, European alder, European black alder is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree that is distinguished by its gummy young twigs and leaves and its obovate to rounded, glossy dark green leaves. It is a member of the Birch (Betulaceae) family and is closely related to other alders (Alnus), as well as to birches (Betula), hazels (Corylus), Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana) and Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana). The tree is native to Europe, western Asia, North Africa and Asia Minor mostly along streams and in low or swampy sites. Black Alders are easily…
Asarabacca scientifically known as Asarum europaeum is a perennial plant which grows round the year. It is commonly known as European wild ginger, hazelwort, wild spikenard, wild nard, false coltsfoot, snakeroot, foalfoot, Gingembre Rouge, Gingembre Sauvage, Nard Sauvage, Oreille, and is native to moist, open woodland areas in central to southern Europe ranging from southern Finland and northern Russia south to southern France, Italy and the Republic of Macedonia. It is a species of wild ginger with single axillary dull purple flowers, lying on the ground. It is also grown extensively outside of its range as an ornamental. It is…
Myrica cerifera, commonly known as Bayberry, Wax Myrtle, Wild Cinnamon, Southern Bayberry, Wax Myrtle, Southern Wax Myrtle, Candle Berry, Arbre à suif, Myricae Cortex, Tallow Shrub, Wachsgagle, bay-rum tree, sweet gale, American Bayberry, Myrica, Vegetable Tallow, Vegetable Wax, Yang-mei, is a large, irregularly-shaped, dense-branching, nitrogen-fixing, suckering, fast-growing, evergreen shrub that typically grows to 9 meters (30 feet) in height. It is native to the low-elevation tropical, subtropical, and warm-temperate regions of the Americas. It is predominantly found in Africa, Asia, Europe, Eastern and Southern parts of the US. It is typically found in a variety of habitats including wetlands,…
Geum urbanum, also known as Avens, wood avens, Star of the Earth, Wild Rye, Bennet, Colewort, Goldy Star, Goldy Stone, Clove Root, Old man’s whiskers, Herb bennet, Chocolate Root, City Avens and Way Bennet, is a perennial plant in the rose family (Rosaceae), which grows in shady places, forests, at the edge of forests, at hedges and near walls in Europe and the Middle East. Avens has a botanical name “Geum” that comes from the Greek word geno, a word that means to “yield an agreeable fragrance”; one reason for this name is that when the root is dug up…
Arnica (Arnica Montana), known also as Leopard’s bane, Wolf’s bane, Mountain arnica, Leafy Arnica, European Arnica, Mountain Snuff, Sneezewort, Smoke herb, Thunder wort and Wound herb is a member of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family which also includes the daisy and sunflower. This attractive herb is native to the mountainous regions of Europe and southern Russia, where the leaves were smoked as a substitute for tobacco. The genus name Arnica may be derived from the Greek arni, “lamb”, in reference to the plants’ soft, hairy leaves. Since it belongs to sunflower family, arnica flower has a similar large yellow-orange or bright…
Angelica archangelica, commonly known as Garden angelica, Angelica, Seacoast Angelica, Bai Zhi, Angelica Archangelica, Great Angelica, Wild Parsnip, Alexanders, American Dong Qui, Dang Gui, Archangel, Purple-Stem Angelica, American Angelica, High Angelica, Wild Archangel, Wild Angelica, Masterwort, Choraka, Dong Quai, Angel Root, wild celery, Norwegian angelica and holy ghost is a biennial plant from the Apiaceae family, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots. Like several other species in Apiaceae, its appearance is similar to several poisonous species (Conium, Heracleum, and others), and should not be consumed unless it has been recognized with absolute…
Red alder scientifically known as Alnus rubra is a deciduous tree native to the Pacific Northwest of North America (Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Montana). Other common names of Red Alder are Alnus Serrulata, Canyon Alder, Hazel Alder, Mountain Alder, Oregon Alder, River Alder, Smooth Alder, Tag Alder, Thinleaf Alder and Western Alder. Red alder is a member of the Betulaceae family. This species is called red alder because the scraped or bruised tree barks develop a bright rusty reddish hue. Red Alder wood is soft and even-grained and is used particularly for firewood, but Native…
Glechoma hederacea commonly known as Ground-ivy, field Balm, ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, run-away-robin, creeping jenny, Haymaids, hedgemaids, hove, lizzy-run-up-the-hedge, robin-run-in-the-hedge, run-away-robin, tun hoof, tunhofe, turnhoof, wild snakeroot is an aromatic, perennial, evergreen creeper of the mint family Lamiaceae. The herb is native to Europe and southwestern Asia but has been introduced to North America and is now common in most regions other than the Rocky Mountains. The word ‘Glechoma’ was derived from ‘glechon’, which is Greek for mint or thyme. ‘Hederaceae’ is Latin meaning ‘ivy-like’ and probably refers to either the leaf shape or creeping…
Agrimonia eupatoria commonly known as agrimony is a genus of 12–15 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae. The herb is native to the Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa. Its name agrimony came from the Greek word Agermone meaning healing to the eyes and Eupatoria from Mithridates Eupator, a Pontus king famous for having invented a complex ‘universal antidote’ against poisoning. Thus agrimony from whence its name was derived has long been valued as an important herbal medicine through the ages. Agrimony was once considered a panacea or “all-heal” for illnesses. Apart from Agrimony it is…
Eleutheroccocus senticosus, commonly known as Siberian ginseng, Eleuthero, Russian ginseng, Devil’s shrub, Touch-me-not, Wild pepper, Shigoka, Ci wu ja, eleuthero, Kan Jang, chi wu cha, thorny Russian pepperbush, thorny ginseng is a slow-growing, perennial shrub native to the South-East Russia, Northern China, Siberia, Korea and Japan. Eleutherococcus (from Greek) means “free-berried,” and senticosus, from the Latin word sentis (thorn-bush, briar) is an adjective meaning “thorny” or “full of briers or thorns.” It belongs to the Araliaceae family, which also includes the Panax genus of true ginseng plants. Despite its name, it is completely different from American (Panax quinquefolius) and Asian…
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) of the Buckthorn (Rhamnaceae) Family is a small, deciduous, thorn-free shrub native to Eastern and central North America. The plant occurs in prairies, glades, dry open woods and thickets throughout the state. Apart from New Jersey tea it is also known as Indian tea, mountain sweet, snowbrush, red-root, wild snowball, redroot, soapbloom, mountain sweet, redroot, mountain snowball, mountain-sweet, Bobea and Walpole tea. The genus name originates from a Greek word for “spiny plant” or a Latin word for “thistle”. It is usually called ‘New Jersey Tea’ in America because its leaves were used as a…
Usnea, also known as Beard lichen, tree’s dandruff, woman’s long hair, or tree moss, old man’s beard, Beard Moss, Mousse D Arbre, oak moss, Sodium Usniate, Usnea Barbata, Usnea Florida, Usnea Hirta, Usnea Lichen is a lichen, a symbiotic relationship between an algae and fungus. The fungus belongs to the division Ascomycota, while the alga is a member of the division Chlorophyta. Usnea looks like long, fuzzy strings hanging from trees in the forests of North America and Europe, where it grows. The entire lichen is used medicinally. It is the green tangly mass that hangs down from the dead…
Astragalus scientifically known as Astragalus propinquus is an herbaceous perennial plant native to North and eastern regions of China. It’s also been traced back to Mongolia and Korea. Astragalus root is a commonly used Chinese herb from the Fabaceae family (legumes). It belongs to the subfamily Papilionoideae, which is the source of several popular Chinese herbs, including licorice, millettia, sophora, and pueraria. Apart from Astragalus it is also known as Huang chi, Huang qi, Milk vetch, Radix astragali, locoweed, goat’s thorn, green dragon, gum dragon, gummi tragacanthae, hog gum, membranous milk vetch, Syrian tragacanth, tragacanth, Mongolian Milk, Ogi, Phaca membranacea,…
Grapefruit seed extract (GSE), also known as citrus seed extract, is a liquid extract derived from the seeds, pulp, and white membranes of grapefruit. Self-made natural GSE is processed in the laboratory without any artificial agents and is prepared by crushing the grapefruit seed and juice less pulp, then mixing with glycerin. Commercially available GSEs sold to consumers are made from the seed, pulp, glycerin (and in some cases synthetic preservatives) all blended together. GSE is sold as a food supplement and used in cosmetics because it is a claimed natural antimicrobial. After some additional processing, the mixture turns into…
Salvia officinalis commonly called sage, Broadleaf Sage, Common Sage, Dalmatian Sage, Garden Sage, Kitchen Sage, Narrow-leaved sage, Sage, Salvia, Sarubia, Spanish sage, Tibbi Adacayi, Sawge, Red Sage, Broad-leaved White Sage, Salvia salvatrix is the culinary sage familiar to most cooks. It is a perennial, evergreen subshrub native to the Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world. The herb belongs to Lamiaceae (mint) family along with oregano, lavender, rosemary, thyme, and basil. Genus name comes from the Latin word salveo meaning to save or heal in reference to the supposed medically curative properties attributed to some…
Artemisia absinthium commonly known as Wormwood, Mugwort, absinthium, Absinthe, grand and common wormwood, absinthe wormwood, green ginger, madderwort, old woman grande wormwood and ajenjo is the odorous perennial herb of Compositae family more commonly known as the daisy family and belong to the genus Artemisia. The genus Artemisia has more than 180 related species including the Mugwort, Sea Wormwood and the Field Wormwood. The plant is native to temperate regions of Eurasia and Northern Africa and extensively naturalized in Canada and the northern United States. The whole family is notable for the extreme bitterness of all parts of the plant:…
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), which means sweet root in Greek is actually a legume. It is a member of the legume family and is native to the Mediterranean and parts of the South-West Asia and particularly to the Indian subcontinent, where it is called ‘Mulethi’. Also known as Glycyrrhiza, Chinese Licorice, Gan Cao, Kan-ts’ao, Kuo-lao, Licorice, Licorice Root, Ling-t’ung, Liquorice, Mei-ts’ao, Mi-kan, Mi-ts’ao, Sweet Licorice, Sweet Wood, Yasti Madhu, it contains glycyrrhizin, a compound that is about 50 times sweeter than sugar. The scientific name for licorice root, Glycyrrhiza, comes from “glukos” (sweet) and “riza” (root). Licorice root has been used…
Tanacetum parthenium commonly known as Feverfew, Santa Maria, wild chamomile, wild quinine, bachelor’s buttons, Bride’s button, Altamisa, Featherfoil, Febrifuge plant, Feverfew, Flirtwort, Pyrethrum is a weedy perennial that belongs to the daisy/sunflower family of flowering plants. The plant is native to the Balkan Mountains of Eastern Europe. But now grows throughout Europe, North America and South America. The word “feverfew” is derived from the Latin word febrifugia, which means “fever reducer” although it is no longer considered useful for that purpose. It is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of fevers, migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach ache, toothache,…
Boneset (Eupatorium Perfoliatum) also known as thoroughwort, sweat plant, vegetable antimony , feverwort , agueweed , Indian sage , sweating plant , eupatorium , crosswort , thoroughstem , thoroughwax , wild Isaac, Wood boneset, teasel, tearal and wild sage is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae, or daisy, family which also includes asters and daisies. The plant is native to Eastern United States and Canada, extending north to Nova Scotia and south to Florida, and can be found eastward in Manitoba and Texas. This was introduced to the American colonists by Indians who had been using this for breaking fever…
Sensitive plant scientifically known as Mimosa pudica is a creeping annual or perennial herb which is also known as Touch-me-not, Sensitive Grass, Shame Bush, Shame Face, Shame Lady, Shame Weed, common sensitive-plant, shameplant, TickleMe Plant, Shy plant, Sleeping grass and Prayer Plant. Mimosa belongs to the taxonomic group Magnoliopsida and family Mimosaseae and is native to Central America and South America. Nowadays it can also be found in Asia in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Japan and Sri Lanka. Mimosa comes from the Greek word mimikos, which means ‘to mimic’ or ‘counterfeit’, through…
Hyssop, (Hyssopus officinalis), commonly called Common hyssop, garden hyssop, Curdukotu, hastipippili, hisopo, yanagi-hakka, Yssop, Hyssop Herb, Isopo, Ysopo is a garden herb of the Lamiaceae or mint family whose flowers and evergreen leaves are used as a flavoring for foods and beverages and as a folk medicine. Mint family consists of a wide variety of medicinal and kitchen herbs. Other popular plants in this family are peppermint, basil, sage, lavender, thyme, oregano, rosemary and catnip. It is native to the northern Mediterranean coast and Asia Minor, but has naturalized along roads in some parts of the U.S. Many believe that the…
Catharanthus roseus, commonly called periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle or annual vinca is a common ornamental plant grown in the gardens of residential and official compounds. It belongs to the Apocynaceae family of flowering plants and is native of South-eastern and eastern Madagascar found growing as wild plant species in rain forest. Other English names include Vinca, Cape periwinkle, rose periwinkle, rosy periwinkle, and “old-maid”. It was formerly included in the genus Vinca as Vinca rosea Plant Description Madagascar periwinkle is an erect, smooth or slightly hairy, simple or slightly branched evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant about 1 m tall. The plant…
Capsella bursa-pastoris, known by its common name shepherd’s-purse because of its triangular, purse-like pods, is a small (up to 0.5 m) annual and ruderal species, and a member of the Brassicaceae or mustard family. It is native to Eastern Europe and Asia Minor but is naturalized and considered a common weed in many parts of the world, particularly in colder climates, including Britain, where it is regarded as an archaeophyte, North America and China but also in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Apart from shepherd’s purse it is also known as Badman’s Oatmeal, Borsa del pastore, Capsell, Chalne, Chinese cress,…
Boxwood scientifically known as Buxus sempervirens is a rounded to broad-rounded shrub or small tree that belongs to the family Buxacece, a very small family of only six genera and about thirty species, closely related to the Spurge family – Euphorbiaceae. Only this evergreen species has been utilized in medicine. Apart from boxwood it is also known as Caucasian boxwood, European box, French boxwood, Persian boxwood, Turkish boxwood, box, boxtree, boxwood, boxwoodtree, common box, common boxwood, English Boxwood. The plant is native to open woodlands and rocky hillsides in southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. It is the aristocrat…
With the scientific name of Bacopa monnieri, this tropical, perennial, non-aromatic creeping herb has been admired in Ayurvedic and traditional medicines across the world for generations. You may also know it by other different name, such as water hyssop, baby tears, Jalnaveri, Jalanimba, Sambrani chettu, Nirbrahmi, Indian Pennywort, thyme-leaved gratiola, Bacopa, Babies tear, Bacopa monnieri and Hespestis monniera, Herb of Grace, but among them brahmi is the most common name. This particular creeping herb is native to the wetlands of southern and Eastern India, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Bacopa is a medicinal herb used in…