This week, we'll be exploring the properties of the Gotu Kola. The Latin name for this plant is Centella asiatica . It's other names include: Brahma-Manduki, Indian Pennywort, Indian Water Navelwort, Marsh Penny, Thick-Leaved Pennywort, Tsubo-kusa, Tungchian, and White Rot . In India, Gotu Kola is regarded as one of the most spiritual of all herbs and is regarded as one of the most important rejuvenating herbs in Ayurvedic Medicine.. Growing in some areas of the Himalayas, gotu kola is used by yogis to improve meditation. They use it in helping to develop the energy center at the top of the head, traditionally known as the crown chakra, and to balance the right and left hemispheres of the...
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...
This week, we'll be exploring the spicy root of the ginger plant. The Latin name for this plant is Zingiber officinalis. It's other names include: African Ginger, Gan Jiang, Gingembre, Ginger Root, Imber, Jengibre, Jiang, Kankyo, and Sunthi The Universtity of Maryland Medical Center writes that the use of ginger originated in China over 2,000 years ago. It was then exported to the Roman empire, where it became valued for its therapeutic as well as culinary properties. The name Ginger comes from Old French gingibre and means ”Spirit” or “Temper”. Ginger is apart of the Zingberaccae family, to which it lends it's name, and is a relative of tumeric, cardamom, and...
Herb of the Week - California poppy This week, let's take a look at the California poppy. The Latin name for this plant is Eschscholzia californica. Its other aliases include: TheGolden Poppy; California Sunlight; Cup of Gold; Copa de Oro; and Khishkhash Kalifornia. The California poppy was first identified by Adelbert von Chamisso. He named it's genus after Johann Fredrich von Eschsholtz, who was his friend and colleague on Otto von Kotzebue's scientific expedition to California aboard the Russian ship Rurik in the mid-1810s. California poppy is the state flower of California, and is native to California. Its natural habitat extends to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Throughout history, people have admired...
"Black Seed" (Nigella Sativa) has been known to Unani-tibb (Graeco-Arabic traditional) medicinal practice for it's effectiveness as a curative for a variety of illnesses for well over a thousand years, and numerous modern medical studies have shown it's principle constituent (Thymoquinone) to be an effective antioxidant, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory agent, to name but a few properties. The following sites can give you a more detailed understanding.
Nigella Sativa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa
Black Seeds
http://www.missionislam.com/health/blackseed.html
Midnight Garden Apothecary offers Nigella Sativa seeds, and we also offer Black Seed extractions in alcohol, glycerin, and traditional honey infusion using the "prophetic method" of Unani-tibb practice.