Asthma

Petasites or butterbur is a woodland plant that is a member of the daisy family. It grows freely in damp conditions throughout Europe and the British Isles. Petasites means ‘large brimmed hat’, which is the best way to describe the large, round leaves. The root and leaves are used in herbal medicine. Action of Petasites [...]

Continue Reading Herb Petasites/Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)

Reishi or Ling chih/zhi is a type of mushroom that is native to the coastal provinces of China and has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. The red variety is most commonly cultivated for this purpose, but there are 5 other colours that exist. The mushroom head is used in herbalism and [...]

Continue Reading Herb Reishi (Genoderma lucidum)

St Johns Wort or the ‘sunshine herb’, is a upright perennial with attractive yellow flowers and is native to Europe and the United States. It normally flowers around St Johns day, June 24th, which is how it gets its common name. The flowers, leaves and stems are used in herbal medicine. Medicinal Properties of St [...]

Continue Reading Herb St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Several types of savory (a small shrubby plant) exist. The main ones are summer savory (S. hortensis), a herbaceous annual, and winter savory (S. Montana), a perennial woody shrub. Both species are native to Southern Europe and N Africa, but now grow world-wide. The whole herb is used in cooking and herbal medicine. In Germany [...]

Continue Reading Herb Savory (Satureja)

Elecampane is a plant that grows freely in Europe and Asia. The dried roots and rhizomes are collected in the autumn when the plant is 2-3 years old for use as a herbal medicine. Medicinal Properties of Elecampane The roots and rhizome of Elecampane contain sesquiterpene lactones, triterpenes, sterols, thymol derivatives, mucilage and up to [...]

Continue Reading Herb Elecampane (Inula helenium)