Materia Medica RSS



Hemp - Cannabis Sativa

  Botanical Name Cannabis Sativa, cannabis   Family Cannabaceae This family also includes hops!   Common Names Hemp, cannabis Hemp is the name for a type of cannabis with little to no THC - the psychoactive compound.   Parts Used  The hemp plant is one of the most nutritious, regenerative and versatile plants on the planet. With 50,000 known uses and counting, we’re still discovering more! Here are some of the medicinal uses of hemp...   The flowers: cbd extracts, tea, herbal smokes The leaves: tea, raw, wilted The stem: tea  The seeds: pressed into oil, ground to flour or protein Non-medicinal uses include fibre for construction, thermal insolation, bio plastics, clothing, bio fuels, cosmetics, cleaning products and more! They are also amazing carbon...

Continue reading



Parasol Mushroom - Macrolepiota procera

Botanical Name Macrolepiota procera    Family Agaricaceae   Common Name Parasol Mushroom   Parts Used Entire mushroom is edible, but the cap is tastier and less fibrous than the stipe.   Type of Mushroom saprobic/saprotrophic. They get their nutrients from dead organic matter in the soil.   Botanical Description Cap - average width between 15-30cm. Tan in colour, the cap is round when the mushroom is young but opens to a large flat parasol shape when the mushroom matures. The cap has scales that form as the skin stretches and cracks through rapid growth. Gills - white to cream in colour the gills are free and crowded. Stipe - white/off white/cream in colour with a tan snakeskin pattern that, like the cap,...

Continue reading



Chamomile (german) - Matricaria chamomilla

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...

Continue reading



Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris

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...

Continue reading



Calendula - Calendula officinalis

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...

Continue reading