The Herbal Library

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

All categories Aromatic Culinary Medicinal

Results

26 herbs

No. 001Medicinal

Avocado Leaf

Persea americana

Leaves of the avocado tree, made into a tea and used in Caribbean folk medicine for high blood pressure. They lowered blood pressure in rats but haven't been tested in people.

No. 002Medicinal

Cerasee

Momordica charantia

A bitter plant known in Jamaica as cerasee and elsewhere as bitter melon, widely used as a folk remedy for diabetes and high blood pressure.

No. 003Culinary

Cilantro

Coriandrum sativum

A fresh, citrusy kitchen herb. Its seeds, sold as coriander, are traditionally used to support digestion.

No. 004Medicinal

Cleavers

Galium aparine

A sticky, fast-growing plant traditionally used to increase urination and relieve bloating, and for swollen glands, fever and wounds. In the lab, an extract helped skin cells heal a scratch.

No. 005Medicinal

Duppy Gun

Ruellia tuberosa

Ruellia tuberosa, also called Mexican bluebell, a folk medicine for diabetes in Asia. It lowered blood sugar in diabetic rats but hasn't been tested in people.

No. 006Culinary

Flaxseed

Linum usitatissimum

Small seeds rich in fiber and the omega-3 fat ALA, eaten whole, ground or as oil. Research suggests flaxseed may lower blood pressure and cholesterol slightly.

No. 007Medicinal

Gambir Hook Vine

Uncaria rhynchophylla

Gou teng, the hooked stems of a climbing shrub used in Chinese medicine for over 1,500 years for convulsions, tremors, and high blood pressure with headache and dizziness.

No. 008Culinary

Garlic

Allium sativum

A pungent kitchen bulb traditionally used for heart and circulation health. Research suggests garlic supplements may lower blood pressure and cholesterol a little.

No. 009Medicinal

Gastrodia Elata Rhizome

Gastrodia elata

Tian ma, the tuber of an orchid recorded over 2,000 years ago and used in Chinese medicine for headache, dizziness, high blood pressure and stroke. Research is mostly in the lab and in animals.

No. 010Medicinal

Ginger

Zingiber officinale

A spicy, warming root traditionally used for nausea and inflammation. Research suggests it may help with nausea during pregnancy.

No. 011Medicinal

Ginseng

Panax ginseng

A root long used in traditional Chinese medicine as a calming herb and an adaptogen. Research on its effects is mixed.

No. 012Medicinal

Hibiscus

Hibiscus sabdariffa

The tart red calyces of this flower are made into a tea known as roselle or sour tea. Reviews of trials suggest it may lower blood pressure.

No. 013Medicinal

Jamaican Rat Ears

Peperomia pellucida

A small weed of damp, shady places, also called shining bush, used in Caribbean folk medicine as a cooling remedy and for skin sores. Research so far is limited and often weak.

No. 014Medicinal

Linden

Tilia cordata

Flowers of the lime (linden) tree, traditionally made into tea for colds, stress and nervous heart complaints.

No. 015Culinary

Mauby Bark

Colubrina arborescens

The bark used to make mauby, a bitter Caribbean drink and folk remedy. A very small study suggested it may lower blood pressure in some people.

No. 016Medicinal

A nutritious tree used as food and traditional medicine, including for stomach and gut problems. In animal studies it helped heal stomach ulcers; in people it has been studied mainly for blood pressure and blood sugar.

No. 017Medicinal

Motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca

A plant from the mint family, traditionally used as a heart tonic and for women's health. Recognized in Europe for nervous heart complaints such as palpitations.

No. 018Medicinal

Olive Leaf

Olea europaea

Leaves of the olive tree, recognised in Europe as a traditional remedy for mild water retention. In one trial, olive leaf extract lowered blood pressure about as much as a standard medicine.

No. 019Culinary

Parsley

Petroselinum crispum

A versatile, mild kitchen herb used as both a garnish and a flavor base.

No. 020Medicinal

Reishi

Ganoderma lucidum

A mushroom prized for centuries in traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean medicine. A Cochrane review found it didn't lower heart disease risk factors.

No. 021Medicinal

Scutellaria Baicalensis

Scutellaria baicalensis

Chinese skullcap, or huang qin, a root used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years for diarrhoea, bleeding, sleeplessness and lung infections. Most research is in the lab or on multi-herb formulas.

No. 022Medicinal

Search Mi Heart

Rhytidophyllum tomentosum

A Jamaican plant whose dried leaves are made into a bush tea, traditionally used for colds and flu, the heart, breathing problems and digestion. It hasn't been studied in research.

No. 023Medicinal

Serpentina

Rauvolfia serpentina

Indian snakeroot, the root that gave the blood pressure medicine reserpine. Doctors used it widely for high blood pressure in the 1940s and 1950s until side effects, especially depression, made it fall out of favour.

No. 024Medicinal

Spanish Moss

Tillandsia usneoides

A flowering plant in the pineapple family, not a true moss, that hangs from trees. Traditionally used for diabetes, high blood pressure and rheumatism; research so far is only in the lab and in mice.

No. 025Culinary

Susumber

Solanum torvum

Turkey berry, a small berry from the nightshade family cooked in Jamaican dishes and used in traditional medicine in Asia, Africa and South America. Some batches of berries have caused serious poisoning.

No. 026Medicinal

Wild Cherry

Prunus serotina

Black cherry (capulín), a North American tree used in Mexican folk medicine for cough, high blood pressure and digestive problems. Its seeds and leaves contain compounds that can release cyanide.