Melissa officinalis
Bushy mint-family perennial with lemon-scented leaves.
Aloysia citrodora
Deciduous shrub with narrow, intensely lemon-scented leaves.
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Perennial legume with a long sweet root, the source of natural licorice flavor.
Hericium erinaceus
Distinctive white, shaggy mushroom with long cascading spines rather than gills, resembling a waterfall or a lion's mane.
Lepidium meyenii
A low-growing biennial in the cabbage/broccoli family, cultivated for its turnip-like root, which ranges from cream to reddish-purple depending on…
Grifola frondosa
A large, ruffled, fan-shaped mushroom that grows in overlapping clusters at the base of trees, resembling a hen's feathers —…
Origanum majorana
A tender perennial herb closely related to oregano, with a milder, sweeter, more delicate flavor than its more pungent cousin.
Althaea officinalis
Tall perennial with soft velvety leaves and pale pink flowers; root is mucilage-rich.
Filipendula ulmaria
Tall perennial with feathery leaves and dense, fragrant creamy-white flower clusters with an almond-like scent.
Silybum marianum
Tall thistle with distinctive white-veined leaves and purple flower heads; seeds are the medicinal part.
Moringa oleifera
A fast-growing tree valued primarily for its nutrient-dense leaves, which are the only part of the plant documented on this…
Leonurus cardiaca
Tall perennial mint-family plant with jagged, deeply lobed leaves and small pink-purple flowers along the stem.
Artemisia vulgaris
A tall, aromatic perennial with deeply lobed leaves — dark green on top, silvery and downy underneath — and inconspicuous…
Verbascum thapsus
Tall biennial with a rosette of large, soft, fuzzy gray-green leaves and a towering flower spike in its second year.
Commiphora myrrha
A thorny, scrubby tree that yields an aromatic resin when its bark is wounded — the resin hardens into reddish-brown…
Azadirachta indica
A fast-growing evergreen tree with fine, feathery, dark green compound leaves and small white fragrant flowers, prized throughout South Asia…
Urtica dioica
Perennial with serrated leaves covered in stinging hairs; hairs are neutralized by drying or cooking.
Myristica fragrans
A tropical evergreen tree that produces two distinct spices from the same fruit: nutmeg (the seed itself) and mace (the…
Avena sativa
The green, unripe, milky-stage seed heads and straw of the common oat plant.
Allium cepa
A widely cultivated culinary bulb, closely related to garlic, with hollow tubular leaves and a layered underground bulb prized both…
Origanum vulgare
Bushy perennial herb with small aromatic leaves, closely related to marjoram.
Petroselinum crispum
A biennial culinary herb with bright green, either curly or flat leaves, grown as an annual in most gardens and…
Passiflora incarnata
Climbing vine with intricate purple-white flowers and edible fruit.
Mentha pulegium
Low, spreading mint-family perennial with small oval leaves and a strong minty scent, historically used as an insect repellent.
Mentha × piperita
Vigorous hybrid mint with square stems and cooling-scented leaves.
Plantago major
Common low-growing perennial weed with broad ribbed leaves — not related to the banana-family plantain.
Papaver somniferum
The tiny, ripe seeds of the opium poppy plant — genuinely the same species used to produce opium and morphine,…
Poria cocos
A mild-tasting fungus that grows on the roots of pine trees, harvested as a hard, dense sclerotium — a compact…
Plantago ovata
A small, low-growing annual herb with narrow, lance-shaped leaves in a basal rosette and dense, cylindrical flower spikes, cultivated for…
Cucurbita pepo
The flat, oval, dark green seeds harvested from the fruit of the pumpkin vine, a sprawling annual with large lobed…
Rubus idaeus
Deciduous bramble grown for its fruit, with the leaf used separately in herbalism.
Trifolium pratense
Common perennial legume with rounded pink-purple flower heads.
Ganoderma lucidum
Woody bracket fungus with a glossy reddish-brown cap, grown on hardwood logs.
Rhodiola rosea
Cold-climate succulent perennial with a thick rose-scented root.
Rosa damascena
Fragrant flowering shrub cultivated for centuries for its petals and essential oil.
Rosa canina
The round fruit left behind on a rose bush after the flower fades, typically bright red to orange, and one…
Salvia rosmarinus
Woody evergreen shrub with needle-like, highly aromatic leaves.
Crocus sativus
A small flowering crocus with purple petals and three deep-red stigmas per flower, which are hand-harvested and dried to become…
Salvia officinalis
Woody perennial with soft gray-green, textured leaves.
Smilax ornata
"Sarsaparilla" refers to several related Smilax species; this entry documents Smilax ornata, the most common commercially available species — a…
