Tag: Antimicrobial

Kala zeera, often called black caraway or Persian cumin, is a fragrant mountain spice with a long history in South Asian, Central Asian, and...

Kahili ginger, or Hedychium gardnerianum, is a tall, fragrant member of the ginger family that stands out for its dramatic yellow flowers, red stamens,...

Kahili flower, better known botanically as Grevillea banksii, is a striking flowering shrub or small tree from the Proteaceae family. It is admired for...

Kaffir lime, botanically known as Citrus hystrix, is a highly aromatic citrus tree prized more for its leaves and peel than for its juice....

Kaffir lily, better known botanically as Clivia miniata, is a striking South African flowering plant with a complicated medical reputation. It is grown widely...

Juniper, most often known from its blue-purple “berries,” is an evergreen conifer with a long history in European herbal medicine, culinary tradition, and aromatic...

Jonquil, Narcissus jonquilla, is a fragrant daffodil best known as an ornamental spring flower, not as a routine kitchen herb or home remedy. That...

Java citronella, botanically known as Cymbopogon winterianus, is an aromatic tropical grass grown mainly for its intensely fragrant essential oil. Most people recognize it...

Jasmine is one of the world’s most admired aromatic plants, prized not only for its elegant white flowers but also for its long history...

Japanese sweet flag, identified here as Acorus calamus, is an aromatic wetland herb whose rhizome has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. It...

Japanese horseradish, better known worldwide as wasabi, is one of those plants that people think they know until they meet the real thing. The...

Japanese honeysuckle, or Lonicera japonica, is a fragrant climbing vine best known in herbal medicine for its flower buds and newly opened flowers. In...

Japanese barberry is a thorny deciduous shrub best known as an ornamental plant, but its story is more complex than its landscaping role suggests....

Jaborosa integrifolia is a little-known South American member of the nightshade family that sits in an unusual space between ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and ornamental botany....

Italian Spurge, or Euphorbia characias, is a striking Mediterranean shrub best known for its lime-green flower heads, blue-gray foliage, and thick white latex. In...

Italian Lavender, botanically known as Lavandula stoechas, is a Mediterranean aromatic herb often grouped under the broader lavender umbrella, though it is not the...

Italian larch, or Larix decidua, is a deciduous conifer better known for mountain forests and durable timber than for modern herbal medicine. Yet across...

The plant referred to here as Italian camphor is Tetraclinis articulata, a resinous Mediterranean conifer more commonly known as sandarac tree or Barbary thuya....

Italian buckthorn, or Rhamnus alaternus, is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub with a long but uneven history in traditional medicine. In North Africa and parts...

Isotoma fluviatilis, often called swamp isotome or blue star creeper, is a small mat-forming perennial native to eastern and southeastern Australia. Most people know...

Isopyrum thalictroides is a delicate woodland perennial from the buttercup family, native to parts of Europe and better known to gardeners and botanists than...

Island Snapdragon, traditionally known in horticulture as Galvezia speciosa and now more often accepted botanically as Gambelia speciosa, is a striking Channel Islands shrub...

Isatis, usually referring to Isatis tinctoria and commonly called woad or dyer’s woad, is one of those herbs with two very different histories. In...

Irish Bells, also called Bells of Ireland, is an aromatic annual in the mint family best known for its tall spikes of apple-green calyces...