Herbs & Botanicals

Rue / Herb of Grace (Ruta graveolens): Traditional History, Phototoxicity, Toxicology & Safety
Rue, or Herb of Grace (Ruta graveolens), is a historically important but potentially hazardous botanical. This safety-first guide covers identification, phototoxic furanocoumarins, internal toxicity, pregnancy risk, traditional history, and why medicinal self-dosing is not recommended. Read more...
Tansy Ragwort / Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris; syn. Senecio jacobaea): Toxicity, Identification, Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids & Safety
Tansy ragwort, also called common ragwort, is Jacobaea vulgaris (formerly widely known as Senecio jacobaea). This is a toxicity and identification article: the plant contains unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids associated with serious liver injury in people and livestock. No medicinal dosing or preparation instructions are provided. Read more...
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium): Traditional Use, Pulegone Toxicity, Pregnancy Danger & Safety
A safety-first guide to pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), covering traditional use, pulegone and menthofuran toxicology, severe essential-oil poisoning, pregnancy danger, liver injury and emergency safety considerations. Read more...
European Mistletoe (Viscum album): Traditional Use, Cancer-Extract Research, Folklore & Safety
A safety-focused guide to European mistletoe (Viscum album), separating traditional use and folklore from raw-plant poisoning risk and specialized injectable mistletoe-extract research in cancer care. Read more...
Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum): Ancient Anesthetic, Tropane Alkaloids, Folklore & Poisoning Risk
A safety-first guide to mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), covering ancient anesthetic use, tropane alkaloids, anticholinergic poisoning, historical medicine and centuries of folklore. Read more...
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis): Historical Cardiotonic Use, Cardiac Glycosides & Poisoning Risk
A safety-first guide to lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), covering historical cardiotonic use, cardiac glycosides, identification, research and poisoning risk. Read more...