Materia Medica

Albizia julibrissin silk tree with bipinnate leaves, pink silky flower heads and flat pods
Albizia / Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) — He Huan Pi / He Huan Hua
Albizia / Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) materia medica covering He Huan Pi bark and He Huan Hua flowers, 2025 Chinese Pharmacopoeia dose ranges, traditional calming and mood use, julibroside saponins,... Read more...
Medicago sativa alfalfa with trifoliate leaves, violet-purple pea flowers and coiled pods
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) — Lucerne, Purple Medic
Alfalfa / Lucerne (Medicago sativa) materia medica covering botanical identity, leaf/seed/sprout differences, traditional nutritive use, saponins and coumestans, the 1987 heat-treated-seed cholesterol study, vitamin K and warfarin, L-canavanine and lupus,... Read more...
Original botanical visualization of Alhagi maurorum Camelthorn, thorny desert shrub with purple pea flowers and segmented pods
Camelthorn / Persian Manna Plant (Alhagi maurorum): Taranjabin, Traditional Uses, Kidney-Stone Research, Invasiveness & Safety
Camelthorn or Persian manna plant (Alhagi maurorum) is a thorny Old World Fabaceae herb with traditional diuretic, digestive and urinary-stone uses and a long Persian connection to taranjabin manna. This... Read more...
Senna (Senna alexandrina) — Alexandrian Senna, Tinnevelly Senna
Senna is a well-established stimulant laxative herb, not a detox or weight-loss remedy. This guide explains modern taxonomy, leaf versus pod preparations, how sennosides work, what regulators recognize, short-term use, interactions, melanosis coli, and the risks of chronic or excessive use. Read more...
Tonka Bean (Dipteryx odorata) — Coumara Nut, Cumaru
Tonka bean is the intensely fragrant seed of the South American tree Dipteryx odorata and one of the original natural sources of coumarin. This guide reviews its botany, fragrance and traditional uses, explains human coumarin hepatotoxicity, and states the U.S. food restriction accurately: foods containing added coumarin from tonka beans or tonka extract are deemed adulterated. Read more...
Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) — Yellow Wild Indigo, Horsefly Weed
Wild indigo, Baptisia tinctoria, is a yellow-flowered eastern North American perennial with dye, ethnobotanical and historic Eclectic-medicine uses. This guide separates that history from modern evidence, explains quinolizidine-alkaloid safety, and clarifies why common-cold research on multi-herb combinations does not prove Baptisia works alone. Read more...