- Alternative Name:
- green tea, Chinese tea
- Scientific Name:
- Camellia sinensis L. (Family: Theaceae); synonym: Thea sinensis, Camellia thea, Camellia theifera, Thea bohea, Thea viridis
Green tea is made from an evergreen shrub called Camellia sinensis, native to China, Japan, and countries in North Africa and Middle East.
- Alternative Name:
- hawthorn, English hawthorn, harthorne, haw, hawthorne
- Scientific Name:
- Crataegus laevigata (also known as Crataegus oxyacantha), Crataegus monogyna
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…
- Alternative Name:
- common selfheal, heal-all, self-heal, woundwort
- Scientific Name:
- Prunella vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae)
The active ingredients that give heal-all its medicinal qualities are found in the leaves and shoots of the plant.
- Alternative Name:
- hoodia, Kalahari cactus, cactus
- Scientific Name:
- Hoodia gordonii
Hoodia is a flowering, cactus-like plant native to the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Its harvest is protected by conservation laws.
- Alternative Name:
- hops, bine, European hop
- Scientific Name:
- Humulus lupulus
Hops, a common flavouring agent used in beer, is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. It has been used in herbal medicine for many medical conditions…
- Alternative Name:
- horse chestnut, buckeye, Spanish chestnut, aescin, white chestnut
- Scientific Name:
- Aesculus hippocastanum
Horse chestnut trees are native to the Balkan Peninsula (for example, Greece and Bulgaria), but grow throughout the northern hemisphere. Its primary active…
- Alternative Name:
- hyssop
- Scientific Name:
- Hyssopus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae)
Hyssop is an evergreen perennial plant that is native to the Mediterranean region. It is thought to have been used as a cleansing agent or an insecticide…
- Alternative Name:
- iodine
- Scientific Name:
- Iodine
Iodine is a non-metallic trace element that can be found in foods (e.g., seafood, seaweed, iodized salt, and plants grown in iodine-rich soil). In our bodies…
- Alternative Name:
- iron
- Scientific Name:
- Iron
Iron is an essential mineral for the human body and plays an important role in the delivery of oxygen to vital organs. Foods rich in iron include beef, liver…
- Alternative Name:
- juniper, common juniper
- Scientific Name:
- Juniperus communis
Juniper is a tree of short to medium height and is native to parts of Northern Europe, North America, and Asia. Juniper extract and oil are used in a variety…
- Alternative Name:
- kava, kava kava, awa, kava pepper, ava pepper, ava root, kawa
- Scientific Name:
- Piper methysticum
Kava is native to the islands of the South Pacific and is a member of the pepper family. Kava has been used as a ceremonial beverage in the South Pacific for…
- Alternative Name:
- L-arginine
- Scientific Name:
- (s)-2-Amino-5-[(aminoiminomethyl)amino] pentanoic acid, L-arginine
L-arginine was first isolated in 1886. It is an amino acid, which is a chemical building block to make proteins. The body usually makes enough L-arginine, but…
- Alternative Name:
- L-tyrosine, tyrosine
- Scientific Name:
- L-tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid that is used by the body to make proteins. It is a building block for thyroid hormones, melanin, and neurotransmitters (chemical…
- Alternative Name:
- lavender, English lavender, garden lavender
- Scientific Name:
- Lavandula angustifolia
Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region, Africa, Russia, and the Arabian Peninsula. It was used in ancient Egypt as part of the process for mummifying…
- Alternative Name:
- lemon balm, melissa
- Scientific Name:
- Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae)
Lemon balm is a perennial, lemon-scented herb with pointed, heart-shaped or oval leaves and small white or yellow flowers. It is from the same family as mint…
- Alternative Name:
- licorice root, licorice, liquorice, sweet root, gan zao (Chinese licorice)
- Scientific Name:
- Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Chinese licorice)
Most licorice is grown in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Licorice contains a compound called glycyrrhizin (or glycyrrhizic acid). Licorice has a long…
- Alternative Name:
- Lungwort, bloody-butcher, boys-and-girls, hundreds-and-thousands, Jerusalem-sage
- Scientific Name:
- Pulmonaria officinalis
Lungwort is a flowering perennial plant that originated in Europe and Asia and was introduced to North America. Traditionally, lungwort has been used to treat…
- Alternative Name:
- L-lysine, lys, lysine
- Scientific Name:
- L-2,6-diaminohexanoic acid
Lysine is one of the essential amino acids. This means that although the body needs lysine to make proteins, it cannot manufacture its own lysine. The body…
- Alternative Name:
- magnesium, magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate, magnesium fumarate, magnesium gluconate, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium lactate, magnesium oxide, magnesium succinate, magnesium phosphate, magnesium sulfate
- Scientific Name:
- magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in many body functions, including maintaining bone strength and keeping the heartbeat steady. About half of the…
- Alternative Name:
- melatonin, pineal hormone, MEL, melatonina
- Scientific Name:
- N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine
Melatonin is a hormone that is found naturally in the body, produced in the pineal gland of the brain. It can also be made synthetically in a laboratory. In…