Peppermint has settled stomachs and freshened breath since ancient Egypt, and today it’s one of the few herbs with solid research behind it, especially for an irritable gut. Here’s how tradition uses the leaf and the oil, what the studies show, and who should skip it.
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Artichoke Leaf
ByClifArtichoke leaf is the bitter green leaf of the globe artichoke, a European digestive herb that people use to support bile flow and the liver. Members get the full entry: what the human studies show, typical amounts from the official European monograph, and who should skip it (especially anyone with gallstones).
Horsetail
ByClifAn ancient, jointed plant that looks like a little green bottle brush, horsetail is so rich in silica that people once used it to scrub pots and sand canoes. Here's what tradition and research say about it, and why it should be used carefully.
Chamomile
ByClifOne of the oldest and gentlest herbs in the world, with more than a million cups of its tea drunk every day. Here's how tradition uses chamomile for nerves, sleep, digestion, mouth and skin, what the research shows, and the one allergy to watch for.
Ginseng (Asian and American)
ByClifGinseng has been the prized "root of strength" in Chinese medicine for centuries, and American ginseng was a woodland medicine of Indigenous peoples before it became a major export to China. Here's how the two ginsengs differ in tradition, what modern studies show for energy and fatigue, and who should be careful with it.
Echinacea
ByClifA prairie wildflower that Plains nations used for sore throats, toothache and wounds long before it became Europe's best-known cold remedy. Here's what tradition says, what the research shows, and who should skip it.
Hawthorn
ByClifFor nearly 2,000 years hawthorn has been Europe's best-known heart herb, and in Chinese medicine its tart red fruit is a classic digestive. Here's what tradition uses it for, what the studies show, and why anyone on heart medicine needs to check before taking it.