More On Herbs

Goldenseal is a plant that grows wild in parts of the United States but has become endangered by overharvesting. With natural supplies dwindling, goldenseal is now grown commercially across the United States, especially in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Valerian is a plant native to Europe and Asia; it is also found in North America.

Common Names--valerian, all-heal, garden heliotrope

St. John's wort is a plant with yellow flowers.

Common Names--St. John's wort, hypericum, Klamath weed, goat weed

Saw palmetto grows in the southern United States.

Common Names--saw palmetto, American dwarf palm tree, cabbage palm

Like peas and beans, red clover belongs to the family of plants called legumes. Red clover contains phytoestrogens--compounds similar to the female hormone estrogen.

Milk thistle is a plant that is native to the Mediterranean region. It has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for a variety of ailments, especially liver problems.

Most licorice is grown in Greece, Turkey, and Asia. Licorice contains a compound called glycyrrhizin (or glycyrrhizic acid).

Common Names--licorice root, licorice, liquorice, sweet root, gan zao (Chinese licorice)

Kava is native to the islands of the South Pacific and is a member of the pepper family.

Common Names--kava kava, awa, kava pepper

Latin Names--Piper methysticum

Horse chestnut trees are native to the Balkan Peninsula (for example, Greece and Bulgaria), but grow throughout the northern hemisphere. Although horse chestnut is sometimes called buckeye, it should not be confused with the Ohio or California buckeye trees, which are related but not the same species.

Hawthorn is a spiny, flowering shrub or small tree of the rose family. The species of hawthorn discussed here are native to northern European regions and grow throughout the world.