Spearmint has been a popular herb in both culinary and medicinal uses for centuries, being prevalent in early medieval times and probably long before. Originating in the Mediterranean, it soon became widespread. It’s name in Spanish, yerba buena, which means “good herb”, points to its popularity and use for many things. Spearmint has been found in English gardens since at least the 9th century, and was brought over to the Americas on the first voyages.
This week, we'll be looking at the properties of the catnip plant. The Latin name for this plant is Nepeta cataria. It's other names include: Cataire, Catmint, Catnep, Catswort, Chataire, Field Balm, Herbe à Chat, Herbe aux Chats, Hierba Gatera, Menta de Gato, Menthe des Chats. Catnip is an ancient herb that has a long standing relationship with both mankind, and catkind. Growing native in Europe and Asia, it was used by Roman cooks and doctors. Records from England and France show that catnip was used as a hot drink before black tea became popular. European settlers brought catnip to the United States in the 1600's, introducing it to the Native Americans....
This week, we'll be looking into the attributes of the Cinnamon. The Latin name for the cinnamon tree is Cinnamomum zeylanicum. It's other names include: Batavia Cassia, Batavia Cinnamon, Ceylon Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum, Dalchini, Écorce de Cannelle, Laurus cinnamomum, Madagascar Cinnamon, Padang-Cassia, Panang Cinnamon, Saigon Cassia, Saigon Cinnamon, Sri Lanka Cinnamon, Thwak, Tvak . It is the specificity the bark of the cinnamon tree that comprises the herb we know as cinnamon. Cinnamon's history reaches back to Egypt where it was being imported as early as 2000 BC. The Hebrew Bible makes a specific mention of cinnamon several times starting with Moses when he is commanded to use...
This week, we'll be investigating the properties of the Osha Root. The Latin name for this plant is Ligusticum porteri. It's other names include: Bear Medicine, Colorado Cough Root, Chuchupaste, Porter’s Wild Lovage, Indian Root, and Mountain Ginseng. The root of the osha plant is a traditional Native American herb. Most Native American tribes treated this root with high regard as it was very crucial to their everyday needs. The tribal groups of the Zuni, Chiricahua, Tarahumara and Aztec were among the many groups who used this root. Osha got the name “bear medicine” because it was noted by Native Americans and early settlers that bears would seek it out when they first emerged from hibernation as a...