California Poppy: A Clinical Perspective by Benjamin Zappin California Poppy (Eschscholtzia californica) is a plant near and dear to the hearts of SIBM and to any herbalist who has taken time to establish a relationship with this predictably efficacious medicinal ally. Upon learning of, and experiencing it’s medicinal virtues, it is difficult to observe this [...]
What the Fouquirie!?!?
In a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico I was excited to see a near relative, Fouqueiria formosa, of a favorite domestic plant ‘Ocotillo’ or Fouqueria splendens, growing in the wild and in the exceptionally scenic El Jardin Ethnobotanico seen in these photos. Fouqueria splendens grows throughout the deserts of Southern California, Arizona, and various states [...]
Heracleum or Cow-Parsnip
Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) a well known plant from Western North America, being the only Heracleum native to the Americas. The seeds and root are known to be medicinal, but the root is very acrid and must be used with care and small doses. The seeds are more forgiving relating to their dosage and have [...]
Oregon Grape Root / Mahonia species
Mahonia species is found in herbal medical practice in several places around the world. The mahonia species from the Pacific Northwestern United States and Canada is home to what is probably the most popularly used of these species, Mahonia aquifolium. The yellow to orange root, especially the root back, contains berberine an alkaloid known to [...]
Ageratina adenophora 紫莖澤蘭 (zi jing ze lan)
I was recently asked about a plant used by the Hani People of Southern Yunnan, an area I have traveled a fair bit, thus these folks that I was a good person to ask. Here is some information I found about this plant for your reading enjoyment. For the record I am pretty sure I [...]
Wild Ginger (Asarum species)
Recently a question was asked about the possible substitutes that could be used in place of the Chinese herb “xi xin” (細辛) Asarum sp. because the practitioner was concerned the this herb is “toxic.” This post is part of my response and a very short over-view of the literature on this herb in regards to [...]
Perilla frutescens Zi Su 紫苏
Today I will touch on the wonderful herb known as Perilla frutescens in Latin but in Chinese it is called Zi Su (紫苏). The Chinese name is a dead give away for its appearance because the character zi (紫) means purple, and in fact the leaf and stem of this plant are purple (there is [...]
Plants as Medicine: Sylvan Institute of Botanical Medicine
Plants as Medicine: Sylvan Institute of Botanical Medicine: Thanks for stopping by for another read. I am proud to announce today the launch of a project my dear friend Benjamin Zappin and I have b…
Attending Traditions in Western Herbalism
Sylvan Institute will be at the Traditions in Western Herbalism conference in Arizona in September.
The meaning of “Sylvan”
A sylvan is a mythical forest creature; the term also refers to the language used by forest creatures. “Sylvania” and “selva” both mean “forest.” We see the forest as a complex ecosystem that is home not only to trees, but also to medicinal plants, animals, insects, fungi, bacteria, and people. We aspire to bring this [...]
- California Poppy / Eschscholtzia californica
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What the Fouquirie!?!?
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Heracleum or Cow-Parsnip
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Oregon Grape Root / Mahonia species
- Ageratina adenophora 紫莖澤蘭 (zi jing ze lan)
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Wild Ginger (Asarum species)
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Perilla frutescens Zi Su 紫苏
- Plants as Medicine: Sylvan Institute of Botanical Medicine
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Dendrobium
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Calming the Spirit with Albizia
- Chinese Medical Education in The West
- Tincturing Chinese Herbs
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Autumn Reine Garran 吳嶸曉
- Apple Cider
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Calendula
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In Loving Memory
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Amanda Brown: I used a topical application of the tincture in a ...
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Alan Russo: Glad to have found your blog. Didn\'t know of the...
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myron: see you there !...
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thomas: Dear Cory, I could only find one paper with th...
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Cory Trusty - Aquarian Bath: Thanks for looking into Loquat leaf. I think it i...
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KarenD: \"Western Herbs According to Traditional Chinese M...
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