Bistort

Bistort: An Astringent With A Twisted Root

Bistort is native to Europe and parts of Asia but now grows all over the world. You can find it in the Eastern US, especially in the New England region. It is grown mainly as an ornamental plant but was used as medicine and food for much of history. Bistort …

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Black cohosh

Black Cohosh: A Native American Answer To Menopause

Black cohosh is native to North America and can be found growing from Eastern Canada all the way down to Georgia in the United States. The herb was used by Native Americans for its medicinal benefits long before the European settlers’ arrival. The Delaware tribe was one of the Native …

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Chickweed

Chickweed: A Natural Microgreen

Chickweed is a relative of the carnation that was originally native to Europe and has been uncovered in archaeological sites dating back before the Neolithic Era. It grows as far north as the Arctic Circle. This plant can now be found growing in North America and elsewhere in the world. …

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Blue cohosh

Blue Cohosh: An Herbal Labor Inducer

Blue cohosh is an herb native to the Appalachian Mountains in North America. It is unrelated to black cohosh despite the word cohosh being in their respective names and the fact that they are both used to treat female medical issues. Blue cohosh belongs to the Berberidaceae family, not the …

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Betony

Betony: An Herb That’s Good For The Head

Betony is also known as wood betony and is native to Europe as well as parts of Asia and Africa. The herb belongs to the mint family. The Ancient Egyptians used betony and according to their superstition, betony had magical properties that enabled it to protect people from evil. Betony …

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Sarsaparilla Root

Sarsaparilla: A Rhizome From The Americas

The rhizome of the sarsaparilla plant is native to the Americas, including the West Indies. It belongs to the lily family. Sarsaparilla was not well known outside of the Americas until the 1400s. It was at this point in history that explorers took sarsaparilla root back to Europe from the …

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Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel: A North American Inflammation-Fighter

Witch hazel is from North America. Specifically, it is native to the Midwest part of the North American continent as well as to Canada. Like many medicinal plants from this part of the world, witch hazel was first used by Native Americans. The Menominee, Osage and Iroquois tribes all made …

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St. Johns wort

St. John’s Wort: A Proven Herbal Antidepressant

St. John’s wort gets its name from the time of year that it gets its flowers, which is around St. John’s day (June 24). Hippocrates and Dioscorides wrote about the medicinal benefits of the herb, as did Pliny. While the Ancient Greeks and Romans saw St. John’s wort as a …

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