Rhodiola
A hardy Arctic and mountain root that Scandinavian, Siberian and Russian folk medicine have long used for endurance, cold winters and recovering strength. Today it's one of the best-known "adaptogens" for everyday stress and tiredness.
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Olive Leaf
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.
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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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Reishi Mushroom
Reishi is the glossy "mushroom of immortality" of Chinese and Japanese tradition, prized for over 2,000 years as a calming, strengthening tonic. Here's what traditional medicine uses it for, what the research says so far, 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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Licorice Root
One of the oldest and most widely used herbs on earth, licorice root is the sweet "harmonizer" of Chinese formulas and a soothing tonic in Ayurveda. Here's what traditions use it for, what the research shows, and why it's one herb you need to respect.
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Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
One of Ayurveda's most prized rejuvenating roots, taken for centuries to build strength and help the body cope with stress. Members use it today for calm, sleep, energy and everyday resilience.