Agave is a perennial plant which grows in the arid and semiarid regions of tropical America, and in some parts of Europe. The broad-linear, fibrous leaves grow upward from next to the ground to form a massive rosette. They are gray and smooth on both sides and have prickly edges. After 10 years or more, the plant produces a flower stalk 20 to 40 feet tall which bears large yellowish-green flowers on many horizontal branches. The fruit is a three-celled capsule. After flowering and fruiting, the plant dies.

The sap of agave has disinfectant properties and can be taken to check the growth of putrefactive bacteria in the stomach and intestines. It can also be used as a laxative, pulmonary tuberculosis, diseased liver, and jaundice. Water in which agave fiber has been soaked for a day can be used as a scalp disinfectant and tonic in cases of falling hair.

Native of the West Indies, cultivated in South and Central America; mainly imported from Jamaica and Cuba. Flowers in June to August, with berries appearing soon after.

Allspice is often used as an adjunct in the treatment of flatulence, dysepepsia and diarrhoea. Eugenol has local anaesthetic and antiseptic properties.

Almond is native to Western Asia but is extensivly cultivated, the fruit is botanically a drupe, the almond is the seed. Sweet almond consists of triglycerides, mainly triolein, and trioleolinolein, with fatty acids including palmitic, lauric, myristic, and oleic.

Almond oil is used largely as an emollient, alone or as an ingredient of cosmetics. It is also taken internally as a nutrient, demulcent and a mild laxative. Bitter almond oil is used mainly as a flavouring agent, in large doses it is toxic, it can cause depression and respiratory failure. Almonds are given to nursing mothers and invalids in India.

Alpine cranberry is a small evergreen plant that grows in European coniferous forests with dry soil, and also in mountain marshes. It grows from a creeping rootstock to a heigh of 4 to 19 inches. The leaves are alternate, obovate, pale green with brown spots underneath, and have rolled edges.

An infusion of leaves is useful for bladder problems because of its disinfectant action, which is similar to that of bearberry. Alpine cranberry can be substituted for bearberry, using double the amount of leaves. A decoction of the leaves can also be used for gout and rheumatism. The berries taste good, are refreshing, arouse the appetite, and are helpful in curbing diarrhea. They are good sources of vitamin C.

A common garden plant, flowering from August until the first frosts. It has rounded tufts of of minute flowers, hidden by tapering crimson bracts, are borne on flattened stems.

It can be used in menorrhagia and diarrhoea as a decoction, and internally as an application in ulcerated conditions of the mouth and throat. Amaranth is used more often as a colouring for food and medicines. The plant has a long history of use as a pigment for decorative purposes.

American centaury is a biennial plant, 1 to 2 feet high, that grows in moist parts of the U.S. on damp, rich soils. The yellow, fibrous root sends up a branched, erect, quadrangular, smooth stem. The leaves are opposite, smooth, and entire, their bases clasping.

The warm infusion is particulary good as a bitter tonic for indigestion and during convalescence, when the appetite suffers. The other categories indicate older uses and may be more or less effective.

American hellebore is a perennial plant whose branched stem may grow from 2 to 8 feet tall. It is found in swamps, moist meadows, and low grounds from Canada to Georgia, as far west as Minnesota, and in the mountains of the pacific coast states.

American hellebore acts as a cardiac depressant. Deaths are recorded from overdoses of the drug. Sometimes the leaves are gathered and cooked as vegetable by mistake, with severe skin reaction and poisoning as a result.

American ivy is a woody vine that can be found in almost all parts of the United States. It supports itself on trees, walls, fences, and other surfaces with tendrils whose tiny discs stick tenaciously.

The inconspicuous flowers are greenish or white, and in autumn the plant bears clusters of small, dark blue berries.

The bark and twigs are usually made into a syrup for use in coughs and colds, but a decoction can also be used.

Peeled and grated apple is excellent for illnesses involving diarrhea. A fasting diet of one or two days with only grated apple allowed is effective.

Unripe apples are better for this than ripe ones. If, on the other hand, you need a mild laxative, eat some apples whole.

Apple peel can be dried and made into a tea that is recommended for rheumatic illness. Apple wine is an ancient cure-all that was mentioned by Galen in the second century A.D. Use only wine that is at least two years old.

Arum is a perennial plant that grows in moist, shady places, along hedges, among bushes, and in deciduous forests.

Arum is generally used mixed with honey or syrup for internal use and as an ointment for external use. Internally, it can be used for bronchitis, asthma, chronic catarrh, flatulence, and rheumatic problems. For sore throat, gargle the decoction by itself. A mixture of arum and sweet flag in powder form is sometimes recommended as a stomachic. An ointment made with arum is useful for sores and ringworm, and for swellings simmer arum with cumin in wine or oil to make a plaster. In any case, only the dried root should be used.

Asarum is a perennial plant that grows in European woods. It is a low plant with a horizontal, creeping rootstock and prostrate stem.

Two long-petioled, upright, shiny, dark green leaves grow from each bud on the stem, rising from 2 to 4 inches above the ground. The large, solitary flowers appear from March to May and are characterized by a green-brown colour on the outside, reddish-black on the inside.

The basic use for asarum is as an emetic. As an errhine, it can be mixed with lance-leaf plantain to eliminate mucos from the nose and respiratory passages. Asarum is too dangerous to use without medical direction.

Asparagus is a highly regarded herb worldwide, chinese believe the roots of asparagus increase feelings of compassion and love. In India, this herb is used to promote fertility, reduce menstrual cramping, and increase milk production in nursing mothers. It has also been touted as an aphrodisiac.

These beliefs are not mere superstition; Asparagus root contains compounds called steroidal glycosides that directly affect hormone production, and may very well influence emotion. Asparagus is also very nutritious, high in folic acid, and also good for rheumatism. Powdered seed from the asparagus plant is good for calming an upset stomach.

A common plant in Britain, Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, widely cultivated, flowering in spring and early summer.

Carminative, sedative, diaphoretic and febrifuge. Hot water extracts have antiviral properties, mainly due to the rosmarinic acid and other polyphenolics. Topical formulations containing extracts of Balm are used for the treatement of cutaneous lesions of Herpes Simplex virus.Aqueous extracts also inhibit division of tumor cells. It also inhibits the receptor binding and biological activity of immunoglobulins in the blood of patients with graves disease.

Barley is widely cu;tivated throughout the world.

Nutritive and demulcent during convalescence and in cases of diarrhoeal, bowel inflammation etc.

TheBarley water is prepared from grains, so is malted barley, which is used to prepare extract of malt, used as a source of nutrients, beer and whisky.

This is an annual herb, erect and bushy, 20-60 cm tall, or twining with stems 3-3m long, with a taproot and nitrogenous nodules.

Common bean is most widely cultivated of all beans in temperate regions, and widely cultivated in semitropical regions.

Beans are said to be used for acne, bladder, burns, cardiac, carminative, depurative, diabetes, diarrhea, diuretic, dropsy, dysentery, eczema, emolient, hiccups, itch, kidney, resolvent, rheumatism, sciatica, and tenesmus.

Bearded darnel is an annual plant that occurs as a hated weed in grain fields, waste places, moist farm fields, and along roadsides. The stiff hollow stalk grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet and bears long, liner, flat leaves that are rolled up when they are young.

Bearded darnel is sometimes used by doctors to treat dizziness, insomnia, blood congestion, and stomach problems. It may also be used for skin problems like herpes, scurf, and sores.

Garlic grows abundantly throughout the U.K, preferring semi-shade under trees. It will succeed in most soils and prefers moist conditions, though it will also succeed where the soil is very wet in the winter.

From the health perspective, garlic has most of the benefits of the cultivated garlic, Sativum, . It is therefore a very beneficial addition to the diet, promoting the general health of the body when used regularly. It is particularly effective in reducing high blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. The juice of the plant has been used as a general household disinfectant

Bedstraw is an annual plant with a delicate quadrangular, prickly stem. Growing from 2 to 6 feet long, the plant often lines streams and lake shores. The leaves are 1 or 2 inches in lenghth, and about 1 inch in width, it has whorls of leaves in combinations of sixes, sevens, or eights.

Medicinial used are for dry skin conditions, cystitis and other urinary conditions where there is pain, ulcers, tumours, skin eruptions, and toxic conditions. Although used for several skin diseases in excess, the chemicals in this plant can cause severe skin irritation only worsening the existing problem.

Native to Central and Southern Europe, cultivated world-wide. Sometimes found on waste ground and in gardens in England. Belladonna can be used as a sedative, Narcotic, and Mydriatic.

The major alkaloids have anticholinergic activity, causing central nervous system stimulation followed by depression. Peripheral anticholinergic effects including the reduction of secretions and decreasing motility of the gastrointestinal tract. For these reasons Belladonna is used in stomach mixtures and powders as a sedative, in bronchial conditions as an antispasmodic, for colds and fevers to reduce nasal secretions, externally used for rheumatic and muscular pains.

Bennet is a common wayside plant in Great Britian, abundant in woods and hedges in England, Ireland and southern Scotland, though becoming scarcer in the north. It is common in the greater part of Europe, Russia and Central Asia.

In modern herbal medicine Bennet is considered useful in diarrhoea, dysenteries, leucorrhoea, sore throat, ague, chills, freshcatarrh, intermittent fevers, chronic and passive haemorrhages, gastric irritation and headaches.

The infusion is also used in some skin affections. When used externally as a wash, it will remove spots, freckles or eruptions from the face.

Bethroot comes from North America, Astringent, anti-haemorrhagic and expectorant, used internally for menorrhagia and haematuria as an infusion for leucorrhoea as a douch, and for varicose and other ulcers as a poultice, with slippery elm and a small amount of  lobelia seed. The American Indians used this plant as an aid to parturition, hence the name birthroot.

The rhizome is dull brown, sub-conical, more or less compressed, it tastes sweetish then acrid and the odour is characteristic.

Bistort grows in shaded places in the north of England, Europe, and Asia. Flowering in May and June. The rhizome is reddish-brown, about 5cm long and 1.5cm broad bent twice into an S-shape. It is channelled on the upper surface and transversely striated, with root scars on the lower surface.

Astringent, anti-diarrhoeal, anti-catorrhal. Anti-inflammatory activity  has been observed and traced to the triterpenes, interferon-inducing activity has also been seen in cultured kidney cells. It is used as a mouthwash and gargle, douce and ointment, as well as being taken internally as a decoction or infusion.

Black root comes from the Eastern parts of North America.

Rhizome about 0.5cm in diameter, showing stem bases at intervals of 1-2cm, blackish-brown, with transverse scars in rings 0.25-0.5cm apart, chiefly on the lower surface. Rootlets wiry, brittle, with a horny fracture showing a paler core of wood and thick brown cortex.

Mild cathartic, diaphoretic, spasmolytic and cholagogue. It is used especially for chronic constipation associated with liver dysfunction.

Brooklime is common in Europe in wet places.

A low creeping hairless perennial, with oval stalked leaves and small (7-8mm) blue flowers occurring in loose spikes at the base of the upper leaves.

Alterative and diuretic, but rarely used. Culpeper said it would provoke the urine and break away the stone and pass it away. Aucubin has been reported to stimulate the uric acid secrection of the kidneys, and to have a mild laxative effect in animals. The aglycone, aucubigenin, is antimicrobial; however very little is known of this plant.

Bryony is found in Central and southern Europe, northern Asia.

White Bryony has been used internally in small doses  for intestinal ulcers, asthma, hypertension and as an adjunct in parturition; and externally as a rubifacient for myalgia. It is used widely in homoeopathic preperations. The polyhydroxy acids from B.alba have been shown to have prostaglandin-like activity in several biological systems such as platelet aggregation and isolated smooth-muscle preperations, and induce hypoglycaemia under experimental conditions. They also restored disordered lipid metabolism in alloxan diabetic rats. White Bryony may precipitate menstruation and is highly toxic, especially in large doses, so should be avoided at least during pregnancy.

Buckthorn is found in Britain and parts of Europe.

A deciduous shrub or small tree, often thorny, with elliptical toothed leaves. The berries are globular, 8-10mm diameter, black. The bark has a glossy reddish or greenish-brown cork

The berries are used to make Syrup of Buckthorn, which is a laxative. It is used particularly in veterinary practice. The bark may be found as an adulterant of other rhamnus speices. Hepatic damage has been reported in mice fed with the extract but no other signs of toxicity were observed.

Comes from Europe, Asia, and North Africa. This is the wild form of the garden carrot.

The aerial parts resemble those of the garden carrot, but the root is small and white. The fruits are typically umbelliferous, composed of small double achenes, ridged, with numerous bristles arranged in five rows.

The herb is used as a diuretic, carminative and anti-lithic, particularly for kidney stone, cystitis and gout. The seed is used for similar purposes but is usually considered to be more potent, being diuretic, emmenagogue, carminative and anti-flatulent. Diuretic activity has been described for the fruits, and anti-tumor activity for the extract in vitro has been reported. Other properties include spasmolytic and liver protectant effects; anti-fertility and other actions in animals. 

A common garden plant in Europe, flowering in May. Leaves pinnate, green above, greyish below, 15-30cm long and 5-8cm wide. Leaflets opposite, deeply cut, with rounded teeth. Stems have recurved hairs and exude a saffron yellow juice when fresh and broken. The flowers are yellow, consisting of four small petals, and are followed by narrow pods containing the black shiny seeds. It has a bitter and acrid taste.

Has been used in the treatement of jaundice, eczema, and the fresh juices as an application for corns and warts. In chinese medicine this herb is also highly regerded and used as an analgesic, anti-tussive, anti-inflammatory and detoxicant

Comes from Central and northern Europe and many other places.  Stem woody, slender, elongate, with a few lateral, forked branches, and a few scattered, whitish roots below. Leaves crowded and scale-like, hair-tipped. Spore cases in spikes borne on erect forked, club-shaped branches, at right angles to the prostrate stem. Spores yellow, somewhat triangular, forming a mobile powder, which floats on water without being wetted.

Used as a sedative, also used for urinary disorders, in the treatment of spasmodic retention of urine, catarrhal cystitis and chronic kidney disorders, and as a gastric sedative in indigestion and gastritis. However, the alkaloids can be toxic and should be used with care.

Native to Europe, Africa, and naturalized in North America.

The fruits are globular, about 0.5cm diameter, with fine longitudinal ridges, separable into two halves, each of which is concave internally and shows two brown, longitudinal oil glands or vittae.

Experiments have shown that coriander is hypoglycaemic and anti-inflammatory in animals and the oil is reported to be larvicidal and bactericidal. Coriander seeds and the fresh leaves are used widely in cookery.

Grows wild throughout Europe, especially in cornfields, naturalized elsewhere and cultivated in gardens.

Less frequently used in medicine today, but formerly used as a tonic and stimulant, and for inflammation of the eye.

The polysaccharides are anti-inflammatory in a number of systems such as carrageenan, zymosan and croton oil-induced oedema, and also interfere with complement. Cnicin is anti-fungal and antibiotic. Nowadays Cornflower extracts are used as an ingredient of cosmetics such as hair shampoos and rinses and eye lotions.

A common tree throughout Europe.

The inner bark only used; it occurs in thin strips 2-3mm thick, externally rusty-brown colour but paler on the inner surface.

Astringent, demulcent, diuretic. The related Slippery Elm is more commonly used

Native to Europe, including Britain, south and east to the Mediterranean and Iran. Ivy is a bitter herb with a nauseating taste. It is often used in folk herbal remedies,especially in the treatment of rheumatism and as an external application to skin eruptions, swollen tissue, painful joints, burns and suppurating cuts.

The leaves are antibacterial, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, cathartic, diaphoretic, emetic, emmenagogue, stimulant, sudorific, vasoconstrictor. The plant is used internally in the treatment of gout, rheumatic pain, whooping cough, bronchitis and as a parasiticide.

The hard mycelium of the fungus is formed from the grains of rye; it is purplish, up to about 3cm long, 0.5 cm diameter, cylindrical, compressed, with a longitudinal furrow down each side and tapering to rounded ends.

The alkaloids ergotamine and ergometrine are normally used individually because of their potency and slightly different effects. Ergotamine is used to relieve migraine headaches, because it is a vasoconstrictor and has anti-serotonin activity. Ergometrine has been used after childbirth, in the third stage of labour and for post-partum haemorrhage; it is a powerful uterine stimulant but rather unpredictable.

Native to Europe, including the British Isles, Western Asia, North Africa and naturalized in N. America. European Centaury may be used whenever a digestive and gastric stimulant is required. Used primarily in appetite loss (anorexia) when it is associated with liver weakness. Centaury is a useful herb in dysepepsia and in any condition where a sluggish digestion is involved.

Historically, European centaury was one of the traditional panaceas, having been recommended and used for practically everything except diarrhea. It stimulates the activity of the salivary, stomach, and intestinal glands, thereby relieving constipation and gas and promoting proper digestion. Can also help with heartburn, colic, suppressed menstruation, anemia, and taken over a long period, it can help with weight loss.