Impatiens capensis
A tender annual wildflower with translucent, watery stems and distinctive orange, spotted, trumpet-shaped flowers that dangle like jewels, followed by…
Pueraria montana var. lobata
A fast-growing, vigorous climbing vine with a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, notorious in North America as…
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…
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.
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…
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.
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.
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,…
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 canina
The round fruit left behind on a rose bush after the flower fades, typically bright red to orange, and one…
Crocus sativus
A small flowering crocus with purple petals and three deep-red stigmas per flower, which are hand-harvested and dried to become…
Smilax ornata
"Sarsaparilla" refers to several related Smilax species; this entry documents Smilax ornata, the most common commercially available species — a…
Serenoa repens
A low, shrubby fan palm with fan-shaped, spiny-stemmed fronds and dark blue-black berries, native to the coastal southeastern United States.
Schisandra chinensis
Woody vine with clusters of red berries, prized in Traditional Chinese herbal practice for its complex flavor.
Prunella vulgaris
Low-growing mint-family perennial with small purple, hooded flowers in tight cylindrical clusters, common in lawns and meadows.
Sesamum indicum
An annual flowering plant grown for its small, oil-rich seeds, one of the oldest cultivated oilseed crops in human history.
Asparagus racemosus
A climbing, woody perennial in the asparagus family, traditionally valued in Ayurveda for its root, particularly in women's traditional wellness…
Scutellaria lateriflora
Slender wetland perennial with small blue-purple, helmet-shaped flowers.
Ulmus rubra
Deciduous tree; the inner bark is the traditionally used part.
Hypericum perforatum
Perennial with small yellow star-shaped flowers; leaves show tiny translucent oil glands when held to light.
Artemisia dracunculus
An aromatic perennial herb prized for its distinctive anise-like flavor, a classic in French cuisine. This entry documents culinary French…
Prunus cerasus
A smaller, more sour relative of the sweet cherry, with bright red fruit traditionally dried, juiced, or made into concentrate…
