Fluid retention, bloating, swollen feet, dropsy, or edema is the retention of water - often in the feet and ankles. Herbs that diuretic often stimulate the kidneys. If edema is a chronic problem, look for those herbs that are tonic to the kidneys and liver and well as diuretic.
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Agrimony |
Agrimonia eupatoria L. |
Liverwort, cockleburr, sticklewort |
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Aerial parts :
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Agrimony is a member of the rose family, and like all its relatives is highly astringent. Agrimony's ability to stop bleeding led to its being used ...
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Alfalfa |
Medicago sativa L. |
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dried leaves, stems, unopened flowers, sprouts :
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The cut and sifted form of this herb is a popular tea having a very soft, delicate flavor that melds very nicely with mint. ...
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Artichoke, Globe |
Cynara scolymus |
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Flower heads as vegetable, dried leaves medicinal :
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The artichoke is a common vegetable that also had traditional uses in herbal medicine ...
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Asparagus |
Asparagus spp |
Satavari |
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rhizome, stem :
Ayurveda :
There are over 300 species in the asparagus family, many are used medicinally, grown as ornaments or eaten as vegetables, the most well-known species, ...
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Benzoin |
Styrax benzoin |
Friar's balsam |
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resin :
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Benzoin is an expectorant, and warms and tones the heart, increasing circulation. ...
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Black Cohosh |
Cimifuga raemosa |
Black snake root, Squaw Root, Bugbane |
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root :
American :
Black cohosh contains numerous chemical constituents, among them isoflavones like formononetin, which makes it useful for hot flashes, vaginal dryness ...
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Black Pepper |
Piper nigrum |
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dried peppercorns :
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Black peppers are culitivated in malabar, Java, Sumatra, and Penang. Black pepper oil is hot, warming and very yang ...
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Blessed Thistle |
Carbenia benedictus |
Holy thistle, St. Benedict's thistle |
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Root, aerial parts and seeds :
Medieval :
Medieval monks held this plant in high esteem, as the name suggests and considered it a cure for everything from smallpox to ...
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Bogbean |
Menyanthes trifoliata |
Buckbean, March Clover |
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whole herb :
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The buckbean, or bogbean grows in spongy bogs, marshes and shallow water and is one of our prettiest wild flowers. ...
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Borage |
Borago officinalis |
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seed oil, leaves,flowers :
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Borage oil should not be heated, and must be used cold to take full advantage of its health benefits. For topical applications, either apply directly, ...
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Boswellia |
Boswellia thurifera |
Olibanum, Indian Frankincense, Arabic Frankincense, and Salai guggal |
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gum resin :
Middle East :
Boswellia or Indian frankincense is one of the Ayurvedic gum resins which are referred to collectively as guggals. ...
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Broom, Butcher's |
Ruscus aculeatus |
Jew's Myrtle, Sweet Broom |
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rhizome :
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The matured branches used to be bound into bundles and sold to butchers for sweeping the blocks, hence the name. ...
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Buchu |
Agathosma betulina |
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leaves and flowers :
Africa :
Buchu is one of South Africa's best known medicinal plants in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI). ...
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Bugleweed |
Lycopus spp. |
Water Horehound, Gypsywort |
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leaves, stems, flowers :
Roman :
Bugleweed is useful in many heart and vascular system disorders ,hyperthyroid conditions and breast pain. ...
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Cacao |
Theobroma cacao L. |
Chocolate, cocoa |
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seeds :
Aztec :
Mexicans named the pounded seeds Chocolate, an Aztec word used to describe a number of raw and processed products that ...
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Calamus |
Acorus calamus |
Sweet Sledge. Sweet Myrtle, Sweet Flag |
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Rhizome :
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Alcorus calamus, know commonly as Sweet flag, or calamus has been in use worldwide in Asian European and Native American herbal traditions since the t ...
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Camphor |
Cinnamomum camphora |
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Essential oil steam distilled from wood :
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Camphor is present in every part of the tree, but is usually taken from the wood of mature trees by steam distillation ...
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Cardamom |
Elettaria cardamonuum |
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seed pods, essential oil :
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Cardamom in known primarily a tonic to the digestive system, kills the bacteria responsible for bad breath, and is well know for relief of nausea. As ...
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Cedar |
Cedurs atlantica |
Atlas cedarwood |
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Essense obtained from wood :
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Cedarwood is known for use in problem skin, as an insect repellent, and as an inhalant in respiratory complaints. It's actions are sedative, astringen ...
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Celandine |
Chelidonium majus |
Greater or common celandine |
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aerial parts :
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Celandine grows all over Germany and France, in waste places, on old walls, along roadways, and about dwellings ...
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Celery |
Apium graveolens |
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Ripe seeds, herb and root :
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Celery seed helps rid the body of uric acid that often causes pain and inflammation in gout and arthritis. ...
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Chamomile |
Matricaria recutita |
Camomile, Chamomilla |
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Flowers :
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The seemingly endless list of problems chamomile is said to help can all be traced to its effects of the nervous system and digestive system, as well ...
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Chanca Piedra |
Phyllanthus niruri |
phyllanthus, quebra pedra, kidney stone tree |
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arial parts :
Amazon rainforest :
This traditional native medicine is used to treat kidney stones in both human and veterinary herbal medicine. ...
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Chicory |
Cichorium intybus |
Succory, Blue Sailors |
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root, leaves :
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Know best as a caffeine-free substitute for coffee, chicory also has been used in traditional medicine as a bitter digestive tonic and a specific trea ...
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Cleavers |
Galium aparine |
Clivers, Goose Grass, Catchweed, Sweet Woodruff |
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Dried aerial parts and fresh expressed juice :
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Herbalists have long regarded cleavers as a valuable lymphatic tonic and diuretic. ...
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Corn Silk |
Zea mays |
Indian Corn |
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silk :
Mayan :
Corn silks are the silky tassels running the length of an ear of corn. Those same strings you work so hard to get out of an ear of corn soothe and rel ...
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Couch grass |
Agropyron repens |
Twitch grass, witchgrass, dog's grass, scutch, quick grass, triticum |
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Rhizome :
Greek :
Couch grass it valued by herbalists for its mucilage rich rhizome. ...
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Cranberry |
Vaccinium macrocarpon |
cranberry, American cranberry, bog cranberry |
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berry :
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Cranberry may help reduce both urinary tract infections and the amount of dental plaque-causing bacteria in the mouth ...
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Cumin |
Cuminum cyminum |
cummin |
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Seeds :
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Cumin is aromatic, containing up to 4 percent essential oil, warm, spicy and slightly sweet. ...
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Cypress |
Cupressus sempervirens |
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Needles and twigs :
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The cypress is a tall, conical shaped tree with small flowers succeeded by round cones, or nuts.Many cemeteries in the East a ...
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Dandelion |
Taraxacum officinale |
Priest's crown, Swine's Snout |
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roots,flowers,leaves :
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Like burdock, dandelion root helps the body dispose of unwanted skin bacteria. It also stimulates digestion and supports the liver. ...
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Elecampane |
Inula helenium |
Wild sunflower, Horseheal, Yellow Starwort |
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Root and rhizome, flowers :
Greek :
Elecampane has been used since the days of ancient Greece and Rome and was included in the U.S. Pharmacopeia as a remedy for ...
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Elm, Slippery |
Ulmus fulva |
Red Elm, Moose Elm, Indian Elm |
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Inner Bark :
North America :
In herbal medicine a Slippery Elm bark powder is considered one of the best possible poultices for wounds, boils, ulcers, burns and reducing pain and ...
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Epazote |
Chenopodium ambrosioides |
Wormseed, Jesuit's Tea, Mexican Tea, Herba Sancti Mariæ |
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Leafy parts :
Mexico :
The use of epazote can be traced back to the Aztecs. Epazote essential oil contains up to 70% ascaridole, which gives it a similiar character to boldo ...
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Epimedium |
Epimedium grandiflorum |
horny goat weed, xian ling pi, and yin yang huo |
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leaf :
China :
Epimedium, also known as Yin Yang Huo or Horny Goat Weed, is a powerful remedy in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been used for thousands of year ...
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Eucalyptus |
Eucalyptus globulus |
Eucalyptus |
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Leaves, oil :
Australian :
Eucalyptus is best known for it's ability to relieve congestion and ease breathing in colds. The essential oil of eucalyptus contains cineole, a pote ...
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Fennel |
Foeniculum vulgare |
Sweet Fennel, Fenkel |
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Seeds, leaves, roots, oil - the whole plant :
Greek :
The uses for fennel go far beyond the kitchen however, fennel has been used as a medicinal herb by the early Romans and Greeks. ...
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Figwort |
Scrophularia nodosa |
Carpenter's square |
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Aerial parts and roots :
American :
Figwort is used in salves and poultices to soothe inflamed skin in cases of psorisos and eczema, and to heal burns. 1 Herbalists today c ...
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Forsythia Fruit |
Forsythiae suspensae |
Lian Qiao, yellow bell |
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Fruit :
Chinese :
Forsythia fruit is used to treat colds and viral infections and fevers in traditional Chinese medicine. ...
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Fumitory |
Fumaria officinalis |
Earth smoke |
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Aerial parts :
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Fumitory has traditionally been used as a vermifuge, to treat the skin, as a digestive tonic, and in sclerosis of the liver ...
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Geranium |
Pelargonium graveolens |
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Leaves :
Africa :
Many people still call pelargoniums by their common name, scented geraniums ...
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Hibiscus |
Hibiscus sabdariffa |
Roselle, rosemallow, Jamaica Sorrel, red sorrel, agua de Jamaica |
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flower, Calyx :
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Traditional cultures world wide, from China to the Caribbean and the Americas have used hibiscus for medicinal teas ...
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Holy Basil |
Ocimum sanctum |
Tulsi, Tulasi, Indian Basil |
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Leaves, essential oil :
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Holy Basil has been used for thousands of years the traditional medicinal of India, Ayurveda treatment. Known to Hindus as Tulsi the plant i ...
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Honeysuckle |
Lonicera periclymenum |
jin yin hua, lonicera |
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Aerial parts :
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The sweet smelling backyard shrub has suprising medicinal qualities. ...
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Hops |
Humulus Lupulus |
Hops |
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flowers :
Europe :
The Hop was first mentioned by Pliny who speaks of it as a garden plant among the Romans, who ate the young shoots in spring ...
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Horseradish |
Armoracia rusticana, syn. Cochlearia armoracia |
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grated root, seldom leaves :
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Horseradish or 'prepared horseradish' to refers to the grated root of the horseradish plant mixed with vinegar. ...
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Horsetail |
Equisetum arvense |
Shavegrass |
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All ariel parts :
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Gently stimulating increased urinary flow, horsetail helps "flush" infectious bacteria out of the bladder without altering the body's balance of elect ...
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Hyssop |
Hyssopus officinalis |
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Flowers, leaf and essential oil :
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Cultivated in gardens as an aromatic and medicinal herb, Hyssop is one of the main expectorant and decongestant herbs commonly used to treat respirato ...
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Joe-pye weed |
Eupatorium purpureum |
Gravel or kidney root, Trumpet weed, purple or tall boneset |
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Rhizome and roots :
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Gravel root, reflects its main use as a diuretic used to treat urinary infections and stones ...
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Juniper |
Juniperus communis |
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berries :
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The action of juniper closely resembles cypress, to which it is botanically related. ...
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Kava-Kava |
Piper methysticum |
Ava. Intoxicating Peper |
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rhizome :
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Kava kava can be used as a mild sedative for nervous tension and stress. The active constituents in the roots, kava lactones, have relaxing and intoxi ...
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Lavender |
Lavandula officinalis |
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Flowers, leaves and stems :
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Fresh lavender makes a wonderful, aromatic bouquet, and discourages insects from invading your home ...
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Lovage |
Levisticum officinale |
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leaves, root, seeds :
Europe, N. America :
Lovage came to America with the English colonists and was brought over for both food and medicine. ...
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Meadowsweet |
Spriea Ulmaria |
Queen of the Meadow, Bridewort, Quaker Lady |
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The meadowsweet is one of the best know wildflowers, its virtues have been known since the time of Dioscorides ...
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Motherwort |
Leonurus caridica L. |
Lion's tail, lion's ear |
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Aerial parts :
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Motherwort has been used for hundreds of years in Europe and China for all manner of heart problems and circulatory disorders ...
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Mugwort |
Artemisia vulgaris |
St. John's Plant |
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Leaves, roots :
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Mugwort is a close relative to wormwood , Artemisai absinthium. Sometimes overlooked for more "flashy" herbs in this current day, it is still a favori ...
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Nettle |
Urtica dioica |
Stinging Nettle, Common Nettle |
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Leaves, stems, and to a lesser extent root :
Europe, N. America :
The stinging comes from the presence on the bristles of histamine. Nettles are a potent herb with a long history of use. ...
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Oolong Tea |
Camellia sinensis |
Wu Long, Wu Yi Tea |
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leaves :
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It is true that Oolong/Wu Long tea not only boosts metabolism and suppresses sugar cravings, but it may also burn fat. ...
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Papaya |
Carica papaya |
Papaw, Melon Tree, Papaya Vulgaris |
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fruit,seeds :
S.America :
Papaya fruit offers not only the luscious taste but is a rich source of antioxidants. Papaya leaf is used as a dewormer. ...
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Parsley |
Petroselinum crispum |
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roots, leaves, seeds :
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Of the variety crispum, or curled-leaved there are thirty-seven variations, the most valuable are those of compact habit ...
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Plantain |
Plantago major ,lanceolata L. |
Broad-leaved Plantain, Ribwort, narrow leaved plantain, Slan-lus |
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root, leaves, flowers :
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An important constituent of plantain is the gluside aucubin. The macerated fresh leaves are put on bee stings and used for ...
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Raspberry |
Rubus idaeus |
Raspberry Leaf |
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fruit, leaves, bark :
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Raspberry's most extensive use is to alleviate menstrual cycle and facilitate childbirth ...
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Red Clover |
Trifolium pratense |
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Flowering tops :
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Red clover's phytoestrogens, the plant world's equivalents of human female estrogen, preform functions in the body similar to those of natural and syn ...
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Rehmannia |
Rehmannia glutinosa |
Chinese Foxglove, Shu Di Huang |
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dried root, fresh root, prepared root :
China :
Rehmannia is a very commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine. Know as or Di-huang, (earth yellow), prepared rehmannia is used for loss of bl ...
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Rosemary |
Rosmarinus officinalis |
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Leaves, stems and flowers :
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Rosemary is an extremely useful herb, with many culinary, medicinal and aromatherapy attributes. The essential oil is distilled from the fresh flower ...
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Sandalwood |
Santalum album |
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Heartwood :
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Sandalwood oil has a sweet-woody, warm, balsamic aroma that improves with age. The essential oil blends wonderfully with most ...
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Sheep Sorrel |
Rumex acetosella var. vulgaris |
Sheep or field sorrel, oseille |
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Aerial parts :
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Sheep sorrel is used most famously as an ingredient in Essiac formulas, and the
herb has a long history of use in folklore ...
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Shepherd's Purse |
Capsella bursa-pastoris |
Pickpurse, Casewort |
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whole herb :
Europe, N. America :
Shepherd's purse is one of the important herbs to stop bleeding an effect due to the tyramine and other amines it contains. ...
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Spearmint |
Mentha spicata |
Spear mint |
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Leaves, essential oil :
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Spearmint has much the same properties as peppermint, but is milder and good for use with children's complaints ...
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Sunflower |
Helianthus annuus |
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seeds, flowers :
Americas :
Sunflower seeds, and the oil that is pressed from them are the part of the plant used most often for food and medicine
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Detail
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Tribulus terrestris L |
Tribulus terrestris, |
Burra Gookeroo, Burra Gokhru, puncture vine, |
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seeds :
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Native to India, the role of Tribulus Terrestris in Eastern European folk medicine for muscle strength and sexual potency ...
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Uva Ursi |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
Bearberry |
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Leaves :
8 :
Uva ursi contains a considerable amount of tannins ( up to 40 percent) making it one of natures most powerful astringents. Uva usi is a strong herb th ...
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Violet |
Viola sp |
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Flowers and leaves :
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Violets have been used medicinally for ages, and are an important part of traditional medicine ...
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Watercress |
Nasturtium officinale |
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Stems and leaves :
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Watercress is a nutritional culinary food that can also be considered a medicinal plant ...
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