Tea tree, native to the northeastern coast of New South Wales in Australia but also grown elsewhere, is no way related to what we call tea. Its more akin to the best antiseptics in health care. Terpenes and other phytochemicals in tea tree oil are powerful antiseptics and fungus killers that are readily absorbed by the skin.

The oil has been successful in studies against acne, boils, foot odor, and toenail fungus. It also hastens the healing of corns, calluses, and bunions.

Tea tree can also help with Cystitis, dermatitis, vaginitis, lice, varicose veins, and muscle pain.

Grows in North America, but the plant originated in the southern Mediterranean.Thyme has long been dispensed to facilitate breathing, and science has since backed up the traditional use. Thymol, carvacrol, other components of the essential oil, and flavonoids all are good for breaking up congestion,stopping coughing, taming bronchial spasms, and stimulating respiration.

Thyme can also help with Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, bed-wetting, cancer, cavities, colic, colitis, fungal infections, gingivitis, hair loss, menstrual pain, vulva disease, asthma, fatigue, lack of appitite, depression, and scleroderma.

Tormentil ia a perennial European plant found in damp meadows, pastures, hills and marshes. The irregular, knobby rootstock is dark brown on the putside, white inside, turning red on exposure to air. The plant has several fine-haired, branched stems from 4 to 16 inches tall. The yellow, four-petaled flowers bloom on long stalks from May to August.

The decoction and tincture is used for diarrhea, enteritis, and inflammation of the mucos membranes in the mouth. The tincture is also good for sealing hemorrhages, for leucorrhea, and for fevers. Diluted it makes a good mouthwash and gargle for sore throat. The root, as an excellent astringent, is used for chronic and infectious catarrhal enteritis, dysentery, and jaundice.

Its wide, foot-long. lilylike leaves and yellow to yellowish white flowers-is native to India, Bangladesh, China, and Java and has been introduced to Latin America and other tropical lands. But its medicinal and culinary value is the root-or, to be technically correct, the rhizome (the belowground part of the stem), which is dried and ground into the spice.

Turmeric also helps with, hepatitis, scabies, dermatitis, fibrosis, heart disease, childbirth, hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, epilepsy, lymph gland problems, morning sickness and colic.

The curcumin and curcuminoids in turmeric are first-rate arthritis-alleviating anti-inflammatories that also help the gallbladder and liver and provide a defense against cancer.