Description: Alfalfa is an age-old herb, cultivated since before the era of ancient Greeks and Romans for use as livestock fodder. Once known to Arabians in the Middle East as the “father of all herbs”, alfalfa is said to co..
Description: Arrowroot refers to the starch that has been harvested from the rhizomes (root-stock) of several tropical plants, traditionally Maranta arundinacea. Often used as aflour/thickener substitute in allergen-free recipes; Arrowroot can common..
Description: Ashwagandha has been long praised as a longevity and vitality tonic by those who practice Ayurveda. It grows in the sunny, dry regions of India but can also be found growing in Nepal. In Sanskrit, Ashwagandha means “horse’s smell”, ..
Description: Traditionally used to strengthen inner Chi (Qi) and the immune system, astragalus root has been used in ancient Chinese medicine for centuries. Due to the root’s slightly sweet-tasting and warming effects, it has been historically a..
Description: Historically cultivated for its tart berries for culinary use, barberries were traditionally used in pickled dishes, jams, candies, and more. The root itself was used to make antipyretics, tonics, and other natural medicines. Due to..
Description: The bayberry plant
has many uses, most notably is the use of it’s cooked berries to produce winter
bayberry candles—hence the nickname “candleberry”. The bark is typically used in
tinctures and poultices and in some countries, it is b..
Description: Originally, beet leaves and stalk were consumed while the roots were discarded or used for medicine. It wasn’t until the mid 1500s that Germany and Italy began recording cultivation of the plant for its bulbous roots. In 1747, a che..
Description: A colloidal clay consisting primarily of montmorillonite.INCI Name: Bentonite PowderApplication: Bentonite clay is used in wide variety of cosmetic products including bath products, facial masks and as emulsifier and thickener ..
Description: Benzoin gum is the dried resin obtained from several trees in the styrax genus. It is commonly used in perfumes, incense, flavorings, and medicine due to its sweet vanilla-like aroma and its fixative properties.Botanical Name: Styra..
Description: Blueberries
are perennial flowering plants with indigo-colored berries from the section
Cyanococcus within the genus Vaccinium (a genus that also includes cranberries,
bilberries and grouseberries). Species in the section C..
Description: In Japan, burdock root is known as “Gobo” and is regularly enjoyed as a staple vegetable in their diet. It is affectionately referred to as the “poor-man’s potatoes”.In medieval Germany, the herb was thought to treat numerous health cond..
Description: The fruit of Capsicum plants have a variety of names depending on place and type. The piquant (spicy) varieties are commonly called chili peppers, or simply "chillies". The large, mild form is called red pepper, green pepper, or bel..
Description: Cascara is a large shrub or small tree 4.5–10 m tall, with a trunk 20–50 cm in diameter. The outer bark is brownish to silver-grey with light splotching (often, in part, from lichens) and the inner surface of the bark is smooth..
Description: Uncaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It has about 40 species. Their distribution is pantropical, with most species native to tropical Asia, three from Africa and the Mediterranean and two from the neotropi..
Description: Chili Powder New Mexico, which typically grows from a green to a ripened red, is popular in the cuisines of the Southwestern United States, including Sonoran and Arizonan cuisine, and an integral staple of New Mexican cuisine. It is ..
Description: The comfrey plant has a history of use in healing wounds and mending broken bones. In fact, in multiple languages, its name can be roughly translated to “grow together”.Farmers often used specially bred comfrey plants to activa..
Description: Angelica sinensis, commonly known as dong quai or "female ginseng" is a herb from the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China. Angelica sinensis grows in cool high altitude mountains in China, Japan, and Korea. The yellowish brown..
Description: Echinacea angustifolia is a perennial herb up to 40 to 70 centimetres (16 to 28 in) tall with spindle-shaped taproots that are often branched. The stems and leaves are moderately to densely hairy. The plant produces flower heads one..
Description: Echinacea purpurea is an herbaceous perennial up to 120 cm (47 in) tall by 25 cm (10 in) wide at maturity. Depending on the climate, it blooms throughout spring to late summer. Its cone-shaped flowering heads are usually, but not al..
Description: Euphrasia (Eyebright)
is a genus of about 450 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family
Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan
distribution. Many species are found in alpine or s..
Description: Fuller’s Earth is a non-plastic variety of kaolin containing an aluminum magnesium silicate.Botanical Name: Clay-Magnesium aluminum silicateINCI Name: Solum FullonumApplication: Fuller’s Earth is used as abrasive, absorben..
Description: Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of over 7,000 years of human consumption and use, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as w..
Description: Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of over 7,000 years of human consumption and use, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as w..
Description: Ginkgo biloba, also known as the ginkgo tree or the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct.It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is wide..
Description: Eleutherococcus
senticosus is a species of small, woody shrub in the family Araliaceae native
to Northeastern Asia. E. senticosus has a history of use in traditional Chinese
medicine where it is known as cì wǔ jiā. In regard to t..
Description: Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. It may be distinguished by its thick, yellow knotted rootstock. The stem..