What is Chia Seed? Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) are the small, oval-shaped edible seeds of a flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae), native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. Cultivated for over 5,000 years, chia was a dietary staple for the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations,
What is Chaparral? Chaparral (Larrea tridentata) is a resinous, aromatic evergreen shrub native to the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Despite sharing its name with the broader California desert plant community, chaparral refers specifically to the creosote bush, a rugged plant that can live for
What is Celery Seed? Celery seed (Apium graveolens L.) is the small, aromatic seed of the celery plant, a member of the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family that includes parsley, carrots, and fennel. While most people know celery as a crunchy stalk vegetable, the seeds are where the plant concentrates its most
What is Catnip? Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) is an aromatic perennial herb belonging to the Lamiaceae (mint) family, native to central Europe and now naturalized across much of North America, Asia, and beyond. While most people know catnip for the euphoric reaction it triggers in cats, this herb has a
What is Camu Camu? Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) is an Amazonian superfruit that holds the distinction of being one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C on the planet, containing up to 60 times more vitamin C than an orange per serving. This small, cherry-sized berry grows on a
What is Buchu? Buchu (Agathosma betulina) is an aromatic evergreen shrub native to the mountainous Western Cape region of South Africa. It belongs to the Rutaceae (citrus) family and has been used medicinally for centuries by the indigenous Khoisan people, who considered it one of their most prized healing plants.
What is Brahmi? Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) is a medicinal creeping perennial plant in the Scrophulariaceae family, with small oblong leaves and white to purple flowers. It has been used for centuries in traditional Ayurvedic medicine as a cognitive enhancer, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety agent), memory booster, and nerve tonic. The name "
What is Boneset? Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum L.) is a perennial herb native to eastern North America, belonging to the Asteraceae (daisy/composite) family. The plant grows up to 1.5 meters tall in wet meadows, marshes, and along streams from Canada to Florida and west to Texas and Nebraska. Its
What is Blue Vervain? Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) is a tall, slender perennial wildflower native to North America, belonging to the Verbenaceae (Vervain) family. Recognizable by its candelabra-like spikes of small, deep blue-violet flowers and serrated lance-shaped leaves, it grows wild across meadows, wet ditches, stream banks, and prairies throughout
What is Bladderwrack? Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) is a brown seaweed found along the rocky coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea. Named for the small, air-filled bladders along its fronds that help it float toward sunlight, this marine algae has been used as
What is Black Walnut Hull? Black walnut hull comes from Juglans nigra, a hardwood tree native to eastern North America. The hull is the green outer husk that surrounds the hard-shelled nut, and it is harvested in late summer to early fall before it ripens and turns black. This green,
What is Black Cumin? Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.) is an annual flowering herb belonging to the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family, native to Southwest Asia and now cultivated throughout the Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe and India. The plant produces small black seeds that have been used
