Indigestion

Lemon balm, balm or Melissa is an aromatic plant that originates from southern Europe, but now grows freely all over the world. It is often found as a popular plant in domestic herb gardens due to its pleasant lemon fragrance and attractive white flowers. It is best grown in a pot due to its invasive [...]

Continue Reading Herb Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Also known as lime blossom or linden flowers it is relative to the floral parts of the various species of the Tilia family. The most used are Tilia platyphylos (broad-leaved lime) and Tilia cordata (small-leaved lime). The trees are native to northern temperate climates such as Britain, Europe, Asia and North America. It should not [...]

Continue Reading Herb Lime Flowers (Tila Flos)

Peppermint is a natural hybrid of garden spearmint (Mentha spicata) and water mint (Mentha aquatica) and was first cultivated in England in the middle ages. It now grows everywhere in Europe and is also cultivated in the USA. The two most popular varieties are white peppermint (green stems, light green leaves) and black peppermint (deep [...]

Continue Reading Herb Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

This small, aromatic, evergreen shrubby plant is native to the Mediterranean region and now cultivated world-wide. It has been used for thousands of years to improve memory and aid digestion, and as a preservative for meats. The leaves and terminal twigs are used in cooking and herbal medicine, the extracted oil is also commonly used [...]

Continue Reading Herb Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Also known as toothache tree, it is native to Canada and America. northern prickly ash is Z. americanum and southern prickly ash is Z. clava-herculis. In both cases the bark is used in herbal medicine and berries are also of some use. Another species growing in Asia is called Chinese prickly ash, Z. bungeanum. Medicinal [...]

Continue Reading Herb Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, Zanthoxylum americanum)

Mastic gum (mastic or gum) is the gummy extract from the stem and main leaves of the shrub-like tree, Pistachia Lentiscus, which grows mainly in Greece and Turkey. The tree originates from the Greek island of Chios. Mastic gum has been used for around 3,000 years, and today it is widely used as a food [...]

Continue Reading Herb Mastic Gum (Pistachia lentiscus)

Basil or sweet basil is a plant that originates from the middle east and Mediterranean regions. Today it is grown throughout the world as it is popular as a culinary herb. There are three froms of basil, all with similar properties: | O. sanctum (holy basil) | O. gratissimum (basil) | O. canum (hairy basil) [...]

Continue Reading Herb Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

This is a plant native to Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. It is now cultivated all over the world, and its name comes from the Saxon word meaning “to lull”. It has a calming effect on the digestive system and provides the active ingredient in gripe water. It is the seeds that are mainly used [...]

Continue Reading Herb Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Cinnamon is a tree native to various tropical regions of the world, and has been used since the times of the ancient Chinese. It is a popular sweet spice used widely in cooking, and the inner bark (sticks) and leaves are used in herbal medicine.. Medicinal Properties of Cinnamon Cinnamon contains a variety of compounds [...]

Continue Reading Herb Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

Thyme or common thyme is a perennial, evergreen shrub and is native to Spain and the Mediterranean region, although it is now found throughout the world. It originates from wild thyme (T. serpyllum), which is native to Britain and Europe, and has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians. The leaves and flowers [...]

Continue Reading Herb Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)