Materia Medica

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) — Red Raspberry, Wild Raspberry
A guide to Rubus idaeus covering raspberry fruit, traditional raspberry-leaf tea, limited pregnancy and labor research, and safety. Read more...
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) — Compass Plant, Dew of the Sea
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus; syn. Rosmarinus officinalis) is a Mediterranean culinary and traditional herbal shrub associated with digestion, remembrance, aromatic baths, scalp care and household use. This full guide covers tea and culinary preparations, rosmarinic and carnosic acids, human memory and hair research, essential-oil safety, growing, harvesting, storage and folklore. Read more...
Rose Hips (Rosa canina) — Dog Rose, Wild Rose
Rose hips—especially dog rose fruit (Rosa canina)—are traditional wild foods used in tea, syrup, jam, soup and powders. This full guide covers vitamin C variability, carotenoids, joint research, irritating seed hairs, seed oil, harvesting, drying, growing, folklore and practical safety. Read more...
Roosters Peacock Rose of Jericho resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla) product photo
Rose of Jericho (Selaginella lepidophylla) — Resurrection Plant, Jericho Rose
Rose of Jericho or resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla) is a desert lycophyte that opens after rehydration. Explore identification, Mexican herbal history, safe display care and spiritual symbolism, with a link... Read more...
Rose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) — Sweet-Scented Geranium, Pelargonium
Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is a fragrant South African pelargonium used in cooking, traditional herbal practice, perfumery and essential-oil production. This full guide covers botanical identity and commercial hybrids, leaf tea and culinary uses, oil chemistry, human and preclinical research, cultivation, harvesting, folklore and safety. Read more...
Red Root (Ceanothus americanus) — New Jersey Tea, Mountain Sweet
Red root or New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) is a native North American shrub with a Revolutionary-era leaf-tea history and a separate medicinal root tradition. This full guide covers Indigenous and American herbal history, leaf-versus-root preparation, ceanothane triterpenes, lymphatic and spleen traditions, sustainability, growing, harvesting and safety. Read more...
Reishi / Lingzhi (Ganoderma sichuanense) fruiting bodies
Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi) — Lingzhi, Mushroom of Immortality
Reishi or lingzhi is the famous East Asian medicinal mushroom now best identified in its widely cultivated Chinese lineage as Ganoderma sichuanense, with G. lingzhi still common as a synonym... Read more...
Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) — Roseroot, Golden Root, Arctic Root
Rhodiola / roseroot (Rhodiola rosea) is a cold-climate root herb traditionally associated with fatigue, endurance and resilience. This full guide covers traditional tea and extracts, rosavins and salidroside, stress and fatigue research, mood and exercise evidence, product authenticity, medication cautions, cultivation, CITES trade controls and sustainable sourcing. Read more...
Original botanical visualization of Rheum palmatum Chinese rhubarb, large lobed leaves and branched flower clusters in bright mountain meadow
Chinese Rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) — Turkey Rhubarb, Indian Rhubarb
Chinese rhubarb root, called Da Huang in Chinese medicine, is primarily associated in modern European herbal regulation with short-term stimulant-laxative use for occasional constipation. This guide separates medicinal Rheum palmatum... Read more...
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) — Red Bush, South African Red Tea
Rooibos / red bush (Aspalathus linearis) is South Africa’s naturally caffeine-free herbal tea. This full guide covers Khoi and San traditional knowledge, practical brewing, red versus green rooibos, aspalathin and other flavonoids, human research, rare safety concerns, cultivation, sustainability and ethical sourcing. Read more...
Rose (Rosa × damascena) — Damask Rose, Rose Petals
Rose flowers and petals—especially Damask rose (Rosa × damascena)—have a long history in tea, rose water, syrups, preserves, skin care and traditional herbalism. This full guide covers practical preparations, petal chemistry, human research, harvesting, drying, growing, folklore, safety and the important differences among petals, rose hips, rose water and essential oil. Read more...
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) — European Mountain Ash, Quickbeam
Rowan / European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) is a traditional cooked wild fruit, wildlife tree and protective folklore plant. This full guide covers jelly, syrup, tea, raw-fruit and seed safety, parasorbic acid, polyphenols, cultivation, harvesting, Illinois growing conditions, wildlife value and European folklore. Read more...