Botanical Name Matricaria chamomilla Family Asteraceae Commonly known as the daisy family. Common Name Chamomile, German chamomile, scented mayweed, wild chamomile The name chamomile is derived from the Greek khamaimēlon meaning “ground apple,” alluding to the apple-like scent of the plant There is a 'scentless mayweed' that is a different plant to chamomile however they look very similar. The defining factors are that chamomile has a strong smell and hollowed centre to the flower, whereas scentless mayweed is not hollow and is well... scentless. Hence chamomile gaining the name scented mayweed. Parts Used The flowers: tea, tincture, compress, salve, infused oil, soak, mouthwash Native To Southern and eastern Europe, Asia and northern Africa Botanical Description German chamomile...
Botanical Name Artemisia vulgaris Mugworts botanical name comes from the greek goddess Artemis, the goddess of the moon, hunt, fertility, women and the protector of the woods and animals. Family Asteraceae Commonly known as the daisy family. Common Name Mugwort, St. John’s plant, sailor’s tobacco, Felon herb, Chrysanthemum Weed, Maiden wort. Common mugwort was known as the Mater Herbarum, or Mother of Herbs, with a formidable reputation as a magical plant for women. Sailers tobacco comes from the use of mugwort instead of tobacco to smoke as it was cheaper and easy to find. One of Mugwort’s common nicknames, St. John’s Plant, comes from the belief that John the Baptist carried Mugwort with him into the wild for protection. The name Mugwort...
Botanical Name Calendula officinalis Common Name Calendula, Marigold, Pot Marigold, bride of the sun, bull flower, butterwort. Parts Used The flowers: dried for tea, extracted in tincture, oils, salves, balms or lotions. Also nice in a bath or as an edible flower in food. Native To Uncertain but possibly North Africa, Southern Europe and/or the Mediterranean. Botanical Description Calendula is a short-lived perennial that has a sticky texture due to her high resin content. She can grow up to 24 inches tall with orange or yellow flower heads that open when the sun rises and close when it sets. Roughly 1-3 inches across, the flowers have a central cluster of tubular flowers surrounded by several rows of ray florets. The...
Botanical Name Sambucus nigra (common to europe) or sambucus canadensis (common to america and more shrub like than tree) Elder’s botanical name Sambucus is from the Greek musical instrument the sambuke, made from the hollow stems of elder wood. Family Adoxaceae Commonly known as moschatel family. Common Name Elder, black elder, blue elderberry, bore tree, bourtree, common elder, elderberry, elkhorn, sweet elder. The name elder comes from the Anglo-Saxon word aeld, which means fire, as young elder branches were used to stoke fires by blowing through the hollow stems. Parts Used The flowers: dried for tea, extracted in tincture, made into wine, syrups, cordials, fritters, champagne and jelly. The berries: dried for tea, extracted in tincture, made into syrups, wines, cordials,...
