Kava kava goes by the botanical name, Piper methysticum, is a member of the pepper family. It grows in the South Pacific, from Hawaii to the New Guinea. The parts used medicinally are the roots and rhizome. James Cook first described the plant in an account of his voyage in the South Seas in 1768. [...]
This herb is found in the tropical rain forests of South America. If you look at the picture to the right, you’ll see where “Una de Gato” gets its common name, “Cat’s Claw”. The variety of Una de Gato we are looking at is Uncaria tomentosa, it’s medicinal properties more focused on stimulating the immune [...]
This posting is about the variety of Wood Betony that goes by the botanical name Betonica officinalis or Staychys botanica. Isn’t this a beautiful picture? It was borrowed from Wikipedia. Like many medicinal herbs, this one has a list of historical uses, but the one that is most prominent in my thinking and experience is [...]
Each Fall we have had an over-abundance of VERY LARGE acorns on our property, which is shaded by several oak and maple trees. The squirrels are delighted, but our cars are dimpled, and if there is a lot falling, the driveway is a bit like walking on marbles. The variety of oak that I’m giving [...]
This is a plant that we saw growing in the wild and in gardens over a year ago when we took a driving trip out west to my husband’s family in Colorado. The plants are abundant in the west and southwestern US and in Mexico. This particular variety of yucca is Yucca baccata, or “Banana [...]
