Kew Gardens: The top 20 plant remedies
Kew Gardens, Britain’s most famous botanical gardens and one of the world’s most prestigious plant research centres, is the home of the ethnomedica project, the purpose of which is:
“To collect and preserve a fast disappearing aspect of our British heritage – its medicinal plant traditions.
The people who remember using plants as a primary health resource are fast dying out. It is a matter of urgency to collect their information for the benefit of future generations – for its intrinsic interest and for its medical potential.
Ethnomedica is dedicated to preserving this knowledge and making it freely accessible to everyone.”
Preliminary results, from survey cards received since 2003, reveal the top 20 plants and their principal uses:
Ethnomedica
| Plant | Principal use |
|---|---|
| Rumex – dock | Stinging nettle |
| Allium cepa – onion | Antibacterial |
| Urtica dioica – nettle | Tonic; rheumatism |
| Symphytum officinale – comfrey | Bruising; bones |
| Sambucus nigra – elder | Coughs and colds |
| Taraxacum officinale – dandelion | Warts |
| Tanacetum parthenium - Feverfew | Migraine |
| Brassica oleracea – cabbage | Mastitis |
| Chamaemelum nobile | Sleep |
| Citrus limon – lemon | Coughs and colds |
| Allium sativum – garlic | Antibacterial |
| Lavandula x intermedia – lavender | Insommnia |
| Salvia officinalis – sage | Sore throats |
| Aloe vera – aloe | Skin ailments |
| Solanum tuberosum - potato | Burns; warts |
| Zingiber officinale - Ginger | Stomach problems |
| Rubus idaeus - Raspberry | Childbirth |
| Sempervivum tectorum - Houseleek | Burns; Sore eyes |
| Vicia faba - Broad Bean | Warts |
| Petroselinum crispum - Parsley | Breath freshener |
This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 9:08 pm and is filed under Ethnomedica, country remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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