Long before rose was a perfume, Persian, Greek and European healers used the petals for sore mouths, nervous hearts and slow bowels. Today the EU recognises rose flower infusions for mild mouth, throat and skin inflammation, and one study tested rose tea for period pain. Here's the tradition, the research, how to brew it, and the cautions that matter.
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.
Frangula, or alder buckthorn bark, is a strong stimulant laxative herb used in Europe since the 1500s. It's for short-term use only, and the bark has to be properly aged first; here's what to know before reaching for it.
Chinese rhubarb root is a strong stimulant laxative herb with a 2,000-year history in Chinese medicine. Europe's herbal regulators allow it only for short-term use, and it isn't for everyone; here's what members need to know before trying it.
Caraway is the seed that flavours rye bread and sauerkraut, and Europe's classic after-dinner tea for wind and that over-full feeling. Here's what traditions use it for, what the studies on the caraway-plus-peppermint capsules show, how the EU says to brew it, and who should skip it.
Gentian root and Swedish bitters are sipped before meals in European tradition to wake up appetite, digestion and bile flow. Here's the history, what the research does and doesn't show, the EU amounts, and why most Swedish bitters are short-term only.
Tart, ruby-red hibiscus tea is drunk hot or iced from Egypt to Mexico and is one of the most-studied herbal teas for heart wellness. Here's what traditions use it for, what the trials show, how people brew it, and who should check first.
Kiwifruit, prunes, psyllium, mineral-rich water, magnesium, toilet posture and belly massage: the vault's full guide to the natural options people use for constipation, with each one labelled by how good the evidence is and the warning signs that mean see a doctor first.
Peppermint oil, caraway and fennel, low-FODMAP, belly breathing, enzymes and gut-directed hypnotherapy: the vault's full guide to the natural options people use for bloating, with each one labelled by how good the evidence is and the warning signs that mean see a doctor first.
Yellow dock was one of the classic "blood purifiers" of 19th-century herbal medicine, and it still turns up in liver and lymph cleanse blends and folk iron tonics. Members get the full entry: its history around the world, what the research does and doesn't show, traditional amounts, and why its safety section is longer than its benefits.
