The Herbal Library

Search the full collection

Browse every herb in the database by name, category, or the body system it's traditionally associated with.

All categories Aromatic Culinary Medicinal

Results

9 herbs

No. 001Medicinal

Cascara Sagrada

Rhamnus purshiana

The dried bark of a tree, accepted in the EU as a stimulant laxative for short-term use in occasional constipation. It shouldn't be used for more than a week.

No. 002Medicinal

Castor Oil

Ricinus communis

Oil pressed from castor seeds, a strong traditional laxative also used to bring on labour. The seeds themselves contain ricin, one of the most toxic plant substances.

No. 003Medicinal

Da Huang

Rheum palmatum

Chinese rhubarb root, a Chinese medicine used for thousands of years as a purgative, and accepted in the EU as a stimulant laxative for occasional constipation, for no more than a week.

No. 004Medicinal

He shou wu, a popular Chinese root traditionally taken to darken graying hair, as an anti-ageing tonic, and for dizziness and constipation. Hundreds of cases of liver injury have been linked to it, a few of them fatal.

No. 005Medicinal

Haritaki

Terminalia chebula

The dried fruit of the chebulic myrobalan tree, called the "king of Tibetan medicines" and one of the three fruits in Triphala. It's used for constipation, digestion, coughs and dental health.

No. 006Medicinal

Scrophularia Root

Scrophularia ningpoensis

Xuan shen, a Chinese medicine root recorded in the Shennong Herbal Classic and used for sore throat, abscesses and constipation. Research is in the lab and in animals.

No. 007Medicinal

Triphala

Phyllanthus emblica, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia chebula

A classic Ayurvedic blend of three dried fruits (amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki), used as a cornerstone of digestive care and as a laxative. Research in people is limited.

No. 008Medicinal

Vervain

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis

Called vervain in Jamaica and vervine in Antigua and Trinidad, a weedy plant whose leaves make a "cooling" tea used for the stomach, colds and coughs, and to clean wounds.

No. 009Medicinal

Yellow Dock

Rumex crispus

Curly dock, a plant whose root and leaves are traditional laxatives and tonics, also used for skin problems and jaundice. Research is in the lab and in rats.