Materia Medica

Bixa orellana Annatto with pink flowers and red seed pods
Annatto (Bixa orellana) — Achiote, Lipstick Tree
A whole-plant guide to annatto, also called achiote, covering identification, colorful seeds, culinary and traditional uses, plant pigments, research context, growing notes, cultural history and safety. Read more...
Mentha suaveolens Apple Mint with rounded leaves and white flowers
Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens) — Woolly Mint, Round-Leaved Mint
A whole-plant guide to apple mint, a softly aromatic mint species used in food and traditional herbal practice, including identification, preparation, cultivation, folklore and safety. Read more...
Arnica montana with yellow daisy-like flowers
Arnica (Arnica montana) — Mountain Tobacco, Leopard's Bane
A whole-plant guide to Arnica montana covering identification, flower heads and other plant parts, traditional topical use, modern research, safety, cultivation, conservation, folklore, magical correspondences and carefully labeled modern zodiac/Tarot... Read more...
Aronia melanocarpa Black Chokeberry with white flowers
Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa) — Black Chokeberry, Chokeberry
A whole-plant guide to black chokeberry, or aronia, covering identification, edible fruit, traditional and culinary uses, anthocyanins and polyphenols, research context, cultivation and safety. Read more...
Maranta arundinacea Arrowroot plant with broad leaves
Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) — Bermuda Arrowroot, Obedience Plant
A whole-plant guide to true arrowroot, Maranta arundinacea, covering identification, rhizomes, traditional starch production, culinary use, cultivation, historical context and safety. Read more...
Ferula assa-foetida Asafoetida plant in natural habitat
Asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida) — Devil's Dung, Food of the Gods
A whole-plant guide to asafoetida, the powerful aromatic gum-resin obtained from Ferula plants, including botany, traditional harvesting, culinary use, plant chemistry, herbal history and safety. Read more...
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) bush growing in Nepal, realistic botanical photo
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) — Indian Ginseng, Winter Cherry
A whole-plant guide to Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) covering identification, roots, leaves, berries, seeds, powders and extracts, Ayurvedic tradition, modern stress and sleep research, thyroid and liver safety, growing, folklore, magical... Read more...
Astragalus mongholicus / membranaceus (Huang Qi) plant growing in botanical garden, realistic photo
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) — Huang Qi, Milk Vetch
A whole-plant guide to Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), including Huang Qi tradition, root identification and preparations, modern evidence limits, autoimmune and medication cautions, cultivation and spiritual context. Read more...
Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) flowering plant, realistic botanical photo
Avens (Geum urbanum) — Herb Bennet, Wood Avens
A whole-plant guide to avens, or Geum urbanum, covering identification, aromatic root, historical food and herbal uses, preparation, plant chemistry, folklore, cultivation and safety. Read more...
Original Roosters Peacock botanical visualization of Acorus calamus, distinctive green lateral spadix, not cattail
Calamus (Acorus calamus) — Sweet Flag, Sweet Rush
A safety-forward guide to Calamus (Acorus calamus), covering wetland identification, aromatic rhizome history, chemotype differences, beta-asarone concerns, U.S. food prohibition, cultivation and folklore. Read more...
Frangula purshiana (Cascara Sagrada), realistic botanical photo
Cascara Sagrada (Frangula purshiana) — Sacred Bark, California Buckthorn
A safety-forward guide to Cascara Sagrada (Frangula purshiana), including bark identification, traditional stimulant-laxative use, FDA OTC status, anthranoid risks, cultivation and folklore. Read more...
Nepeta cataria (Catnip), realistic botanical photo
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) — Catmint, Catwort
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) materia medica: botanical identification, traditional actions and preparations, detailed infusion and extraction methods, nepetalactone research, animal response, documented safety, Midwest cultivation, harvesting and folklore. Read more...