Members-only herb and supplement profiles from a traditional and naturopathic point of view.
The garnish on your plate has a long history as a kitchen herb for the bladder and the belly. This profile covers how traditions used the leaf, root and seed, why the evidence is thin, and why the seed and its oil are a different matter from the leaf.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
The berry that flavours gin has a long second life as a European and North American folk herb for the bladder and the belly. This profile covers how traditions use it, why the evidence is thin, and the clear limits on how long and for whom it's used.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
Tea tree oil is the Australian bush oil found in countless acne gels, foot creams and shampoos. It is for the skin and mouth rinses only, never for swallowing, and it needs careful handling around children and pets.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
Borage is the blue "starflower" herb whose seed oil is one of the richest plant sources of GLA, an omega-6 fat. The leaf and flower carry liver-toxic alkaloids, so the vault page explains why only tested, PA-free seed oil is worth considering.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
The feathery pickle herb is also one of the oldest "wind" seeds, brewed after meals, taken in Ayurveda for digestion and breast milk, and used as the original base of gripe water. Members can see what traditions use it for, what small studies show, and who should keep to kitchen amounts.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
Epazote is a pungent Mexican kitchen herb traditionally stirred into a pot of beans, and it has a long folk history as a worm remedy. Its seed oil, though, is a known poison, so here's where the uses come from and what to know before you go beyond a sprig in the pot.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
Evening primrose is a tall North American wildflower whose yellow blooms open at dusk. Indigenous peoples ate its roots and greens and used it on bruises and sore skin, and today its seed oil is one of the best-known "women's" and skin supplements.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
A small, bitter garden flower from the cabbage family. It's the lead herb in Germany's best-known stomach drops, a multi-herb formula that has been studied for bloating, fullness and IBS-type discomfort.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
Greater celandine is a poppy-family herb with a long history in European folk medicine, but taken by mouth it is linked to liver injury, and European regulators decided its risks outweigh its benefits. Here's where the uses come from, what the research says, and gentler herbs to look at instead.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
Psyllium, known in India as isabgol, is the plant fibre behind many everyday fibre supplements, and it has some of the strongest research of any herb in the vault. Here's how traditions use it, what the newest guidelines say, and how to take it safely.
The full guide, with how to use it and the safety notes, is in the Remedies Vault.
