Saw Palmetto
A small Florida palm whose dark berries were food for the Seminole and Ais peoples and became the best-known men's herb in Europe and North America. Here's what tradition and research say about it, and who should be careful.
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Cinnamon
One of the oldest spices in the world, cinnamon was traded from Asia to Egypt as far back as 2000 BC. Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and Persian medicine all use it as a warming herb for digestion, circulation and the womb, and modern researchers are studying it for period pain and metabolic health.
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Turkey Tail Mushroom
A striped, fan-shaped mushroom that grows on fallen logs across North America, Europe and Asia, turkey tail is one of the most studied medicinal mushrooms in the world. It has a long history in Chinese and Japanese medicine as an immune tonic, and its extracts are used in hospitals in Japan and China.
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Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lion's mane is the shaggy white "monkey head" mushroom of Chinese and Japanese tradition, eaten as a delicacy and used for centuries to support the stomach and, more recently, memory and mood. Here's what tradition says, what the early research shows, and who should be careful with it.
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Ginseng (Asian and American)
Ginseng 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.
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Nettle
Nettle stings on the trail, but it has been a spring food, a joint remedy, a fibre plant and a "strengthening and cleansing" tea for peoples across Europe, North Africa and North America. Here's how tradition uses the leaf and the root, what the research shows for joints, the prostate and urination, and who should skip it.
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Valerian
Valerian has been the classic "sleep root" since the days of Hippocrates and Galen, and it's still one of the most-used herbs for restless nights and nervous tension. Here's how tradition uses it, what the research on sleep really shows, why it can take a few weeks to work, and who should skip it.
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Peppermint
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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Lemon Balm
For more than two thousand years, lemon balm has been the herb people reach for to “gladden the heart” and calm a racing mind. Here's how tradition uses it for nerves, sleep, digestion and cold sores, what the research shows, and why people with thyroid conditions should check first.
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Chamomile
One 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.