Herbs & Botanicals

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa): Edible Greens, Traditional Use, Oxalates & Safety
Common or garden sorrel, Rumex acetosa, is a tart perennial green with a long culinary and traditional herbal history. This guide distinguishes it from wood sorrel and Jamaican sorrel, reviews its nutrition and phytochemistry, and explains why oxalate content matters for kidney-stone-prone people. Read more...
Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris): Bleeding Tradition, Research, Safety & Identification
Shepherd’s purse is an edible mustard-family weed with a long traditional reputation for bleeding. This guide reviews modern taxonomy, identification, menstrual and postpartum clinical studies, the limits of hemostatic claims, pregnancy safety, and practical sourcing. Read more...
Rowan / European Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia): Traditional Food Use, Processing, Research & Safety
Rowan, also called European mountain ash, has a long history as a wild food and traditional botanical. This guide separates processed fruit use from raw-fruit and seed hazards, reviews the limited modern evidence, and explains why parasorbic acid and cyanogenic seed compounds matter. Read more...
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea): Edible Wild Green, Omega-3s, Oxalates, Research, Identification & Safety
A research-grounded guide to purslane (Portulaca oleracea), covering food use, ALA omega-3s, oxalates, emerging metabolic research, safe wild identification, spurge look-alikes, pregnancy and harvest safety. Read more...