Materia Medica

November – Bee Balm

November - Bee Balm Sydenham Teak Edwards (1768-1819) [Public domain] Latin name:  Monarda punctata (other species commonly utilized - M.fistulosa, M. didyma, M.citriodora ) - Lamiaceae Common name: Bee balm, horsemint, spotted bee balm, dotted…continue reading

October – Ashwagandha

October - Ashwagandha By Salicyna - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61791504 Latin name: Withania somnifera - Solanaceae Common name: Ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, winter cherries,asgandh Usage: Here in the Western world, ashwagandha root has recently…continue reading

September – Sida

September - Sida Sida rhombifoliaLatin name: Sida rhombifolia, Sida ulmifolia, Sida acuta, Sida cordifolia  - Malvaceae(* A note on S.acuta vs. S.ulmifolia - “ Although S. acuta has often been applied to Florida material, Krapovickas (2003) restricted the use of S. acuta to plants with…continue reading

August – Spiderwort

August - Spiderwort Latin name:  Tradescantia ohiensis - Commelinaceae Common name: Spiderwort, bluejacket, Ohio spiderwort, day flower Usage:  Tradescantia ohiensis, or spiderwort, is a Florida native edible and medicinal plant that is tolerant of the…continue reading

July Plant of the Month – Cayenne

July: Cayenne Latin name: Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens  - Solanaceae Common name: Cayenne, chili pepper, chile Usage: The powdered fruit of Capsicum annuum is a familiar culinary spice found in most grocery stores and many…continue reading

June Plant of the Month – Tulsi

June: Tulsi Latin name: Ocimum gratissimum - Lamiaceae, (Other variety - Ocimum sanctum syn. Ocimum tenuiflorum ) Common name: Tulsi, holy basil, sacred basil,Vana tulsi (O. gratissimum) Krishna tulsi (O.sanctum) Rama tulsi (O. sanctum), African…continue reading

May Plant of the Month – Bidens

BidensLatin name: Bidens alba - AsteraceaeCommon name: Spanish needle, beggarticks, shepherd’s needle, butterfly needle, pitchfork weed, ottrancedi, xian feng cao, gui zhen cao Photo by Audra Locicero Usage: There are approximately 250 species within the genus Bidens, all occurring within…continue reading

April Plant of the Month – FL Betony

Florida Betony Latin name:  Stachys floridana - Lamiaceae (Mint Family)   Common name:  Florida betony, wild radish, rattlesnake weed, Florida hedgenettle   Usage:  The tubers of S. floridana are used  as food and have a…continue reading

March Plant of the Month: Violet

March - Violet Latin name: Viola odorata,Viola affinis, Viola sororia, Viola tricolor, (and related species) -  Violaceae Common name: Violet , sweet violet, common blue violet, common wood violet, heartsease Usage: There are anywhere between…continue reading

February Plant of the Month: Spearmint

Latin name: Mentha spicata (aka M. viridis or M. sativa) Common name: Spearmint, gardenmint Usage: There are hundreds of varieties of cultivars within the mint family, many of which are used for their pleasant taste…continue reading