People have used vinegar as a kitchen remedy for thousands of years, from Hippocrates' wound care to the honey-and-vinegar tonics of Persian medicine. Here's what tradition says, what the small modern studies found, and how to take it without hurting your throat.
A tropical fruit tree whose leaves have been brewed as a folk tea across the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa for generations. Here's what tradition says, what the research has (and hasn't) shown, and the safety points every user should know first.
A small creeping plant from the carrot family, prized in Ayurveda as a "medhya rasayana", a tonic for the mind, and across Asia for skin, wounds and longevity. Sri Lankan tradition held that eating the leaves helped people live longer.
An 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.
The silver-green leaves of the olive tree, one of the oldest cultivated trees on earth, have been brewed into a bitter tea around the Mediterranean for centuries. Here's what tradition and research say about them, and who should be careful.
A thorny vine from the Amazon rainforest, named for the curved hooks on its stems, that Peruvian peoples have boiled into a bitter bark tea for generations. Here's what tradition and research say about it, and who should be careful.
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.
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.
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.
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.
