Tag: Pain Relief

Curcuma—better known as turmeric—is the golden rhizome that gives curry its color and many traditional remedies their warming, earthy backbone. For centuries it has...

Crinum lily, also known as Crinum asiaticum, is a dramatic, tropical-looking plant with long strap-like leaves and showy, starry flowers. In many places it...

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a traditional European herb with a reputation for “knitting” tissues back together—an idea rooted in its long history of topical...

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) is the dried, unopened flower bud of a tropical evergreen tree, prized as both a warming culinary spice and a concentrated...

Chinese motherwort (Leonurus japonicus), known in traditional East Asian practice as Yi Mu Cao, is an herb best recognized for its relationship with women’s...

Chili peppers are more than a culinary thrill. These bright fruits from Capsicum species bring heat, color, and a surprisingly practical set of plant...

Cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum) is a bright, spicy chili often used as a culinary heat source and a traditional “warming” remedy. What makes it...

Cat’s claw is the common name for Uncaria tomentosa, a woody vine native to the Amazon region and parts of Central and South America....

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is a complex medicinal and recreational plant whose effects come primarily from cannabinoids—especially THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol)—along with aromatic terpenes...

Camphor is a strongly aromatic compound obtained from the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) and also produced in purified, synthetic form for many modern products....

California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) is an aromatic evergreen native to the Pacific Coast of North America. Its glossy leaves look similar to culinary...

Cajeput (often spelled cajuput) refers most commonly to the essential oil distilled from the leaves and small twigs of Melaleuca cajuputi, a paperbark tree...

Boswellia serrata—often called Indian frankincense—is a resin-producing tree traditionally used to support comfort in joints, breathing, and digestion. Today, it’s best known as a...

Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is a woodland plant native to eastern North America whose roots and rhizomes have a long history in traditional “women’s...

Black mustard (Brassica nigra) is a pungent, heat-building spice seed best known for the sharp “mustard bite” it brings to foods—and for traditional warming...

Black haw (Viburnum prunifolium) is a North American shrub whose bark has a long history in traditional herbalism for calming “tight” or cramping tissues—especially...

Bay rum oil (Pimenta racemosa) is an aromatic essential oil distilled from the leaves of the West Indian bay tree, best known for the...

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) is an aromatic evergreen native to colder regions of North America, treasured as much for its clean, resinous scent as...

Balm of Gilead is a traditional herbal preparation most often made from the sticky spring buds of certain poplar trees—commonly Populus candicans and closely...

Balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum) is a delicate climbing plant best known for its “inflated” seed pods and long history in traditional wellness practices. Today,...

Bai Zhi, the dried root of Angelica dahurica, is a traditional East Asian herb best known for supporting the head and nasal passages, easing...

Arnica (Arnica montana) is a bright yellow mountain flower best known as a topical herbal remedy for bruises, sprains, and muscle soreness. In modern...

Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, an evergreen tree native to the Caribbean and parts of Central America. Despite its name,...

Acmella (Acmella oleracea), often called the toothache plant or paracress, is a small herb in the daisy family known for a very specific sensation:...