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300 Important Medicinal Plants and Herbs

medicinal plants

There are hundreds, if not thousands of medicinal plants around the world. The beneficial effects of these plants have been known since ancient times. This is a handy table of some of those herbs with known medicinal properties.

For each medicinal plant, there is both the Latin name and the common name by which it is more usually known.

Each medicinal herb often has unique active ingredients. So, when we are using a plant for a medicinal purpose it is important to know its Latin name. It is important because the Latin name is unique to a particular plant. Whereas, common names can refer to multiple different plants that may have different herbal ingredients.

Medicinal Herbs by Latin name

Latin NameCommon Name
Abies albaSilver fir
Acacia senegalAcacia gum
Achillea millefoliumYarrow
Acorus calamusSweet flag
Adhatoda vasicaMalabar nut tree
Adiantum pedatumMaidenhair fern
Adonis vernalisFalse hellebore
Aegopodium podagrariaGround elder
Aesculus hippocastanumHorse chestnut
Agrimonia eupatoriaAgrimony
Agropyron repens/ Elymus repensCouch grass
Ajuga reptansBugle
Albizia julibrissinMimosa
Alchemilla arvensisParsley piert
Alchemilla vulgarisLadies mantle
Alliaria petiolataGarlic mustard
Allium sativumGarlic
Allium ursinumWild garlic
Alnus glutinosaAlder
Aloe veraAloes
Aloysia citriodoraLemon verbena
Alpinia officinarumGalangal
Althaea officinalis/ roseaMarshmallow/ hollyhock
Amenopsis californicaYerba mansa
Ammi visnagaKella
Andrographis paniculataAndrographis
Anethum graveolensDill
Angelica archangelicaAngelica
Angelica sinensisDong-quai
Apium graveolensCelery
Aralia racemoseSpikenard
Arctium lappaBurdock
Arctostaphylos uva ursiBearberry
Areca catechuBetel nuts
Armoracia rusticanaHorseradish
Arnica montanaArnica
Artemisia abrotanumSouthernwood
Artemisia absinthiumWormwood
Artemisia annuaSweet wormwood
Artemisia vulgarisMugwort
Asclepias tuberosaPleurisy root
Asparagus racemosaShatavari, Wild asparagus
Astragalus membranaceusMilk vetch
Avena sativaOats
Azadirachta indicaNeem
Bacopa monnieraBacopa
Ballota nigraBlack horehound
Baptisia tinctoriaIndigo
Barosma betulinaBuchu
Bellis perennisDaisy
Berberis aquifoliumOregon grape
Berberis vulgarisBarberry
Beta vulgaris subsp. maritimaSea beet
Betula alba/ pendulaSilver birch
Borago officinalisBorage
Boswellia serrataFrankincense
Bupleurum falcatumHares ear root
Calendula officinalisMarigold
Calluna vulgarisHeather
Capsella bursa-pastorisShepherd's purse
Capsicum spp.Cayenne
Carica papayaPawpaw
Carum carviCaraway
Cassia acutifolia/ angustifoliaSenna
Caulophyllum thalictroidesBlue cohosh
Centaurium erythraeaCentaury
Centella asiaticaGotu kola
Cetraria islandicaIceland moss
Chamaelirium luteumFalse unicorn root, helonias root
Chamaemelum nobileRoman chamomile
Chamomilla recutitaGerman chamomile
Chelone glabraBalmony
Chionanthus virginicusFringetree
Chondrus crispusIrish moss
Cimicifuga racemosaBlack cohosh
Cinnamomum zeylandicumCinnamon
Citrus aurantium /limonOrange and lemon peel
Cnicus benedictusHoly thistle
Codonopsis pilosulaBellflower
Coleus forskohliiColeus
Collinsonia canadensisStone root
Commiphora molmolMyrrh
Commiphora mukulGuggul
Coptis chinensisGoldthread
Corydalis ambiguaYan Hu Suo
Crataegus spp.Hawthorn
Crataeva nurvalaVaruna
Crocus sativusSaffron
Croton eleuteriaCascarilla
Curcuma longaTurmeric
Cyamopsis tetragonolobusGuar gum
Cymbopogon citratusLemon grass
Cynara scolymusGlobe artichoke leaf
Cytisus scopariusBroom
Daucus carotaWild carrot
Dicentra canadensisTurkey corn
Dioscorea villosaWild yam
Dipsacus sylvestrisTeasel
Drosera rotundifoliaSundew
Echinacea purpurea/pallida/angustifoliaEchinacea / Coneflower
Echium vulgareBugloss
Elaeis guineensisPalm tree
Elettaria cardamomumCardamom
Eleutherococcus senticosusSiberian ginseng
Epilobium parvifoleumRosebay willow herb
Equisetum arvenseHorsetail
Erigeron canadenseFleabane
Eryngium maritinumSea holly
Eschscholzia californicaCalifornian poppy
Eucalyptus globulusEucalyptus
Euonymus atropurpureusSpindle bark
Eupatorium perfoliatumBoneset
Eupatorium purpureumGravel root
Euphrasia officinalisEyebright
Ferrula asa-foetidaAsafoetida
Filipendula ulmariaMeadowsweet
Foeniculum vulgareFennel
Fucus vesiculosisKelp
Fumaria officinalisFumitory
Galega officinalisGoats rue
Galium aparineCleavers
Galium odoratumSweet woodruff
Ganoderma lucidumReishi mushroom
Gaultheria procumbensWintergreen
Gentiana luteaGentian
Geranium maculatumCranesbill
Geum urbanumAvens
Ginkgo bilobaMaidenhair tree
Glechoma hederaceaGround ivy
Glycyrrhiza glabraLiquorice
Gnaphalum ulignosumCudweed
Gossypium hirsutumCotton
Grifolia frondosaMaitake
Grindelia camporum /robustaGrindelia
Guaiacum officinaleLignum vitae, tree of life
Gymnema sylvestreGymnema
Gynostemma pentaphyllumJiaogulan
Hamamelis virginiaWitch hazel
Harpagophytum procumbensDevils claw
Hedera helixIvy
Hemidesmus indicaIndian sarsaparilla
Humulus lupulusHops
Hydrangea arborescensSeven barks
Hydrastis canadensisGolden seal
Hyoscyamus nigerHenbane
Hypericum perforatumSt. John's wort
Hyssopus officinalisHyssop
Inula heleniumElecampane
Iris versicolorBlue flag
Juglans cinera /regiaWalnut
Juniperus communisJuniper
Lactuca virosaWild lettuce
Lamium albumWhite deadnettle
Larrea tridentataChapparral
Lavandula angustifoiaLavender
Leonurus cardiacaMotherwort
Levisticum officinaleLovage
Ligusticum porteriOsha
Linum usitatissimumLinseed, flaxseed
Lycium chinensisChinese wolfberry; Goji berry
Lycopus europaeusGypsywort
Magnolia officinalisMagnolia bark
Malva sylvestrisCommon mallow
Marrubium vulgareWhite horehound
Medicago sativaAlfalfa
Melaleuca alternifoliaTea tree
Melilotus officinalisSweet melilot
Melissa officinalisLemon balm
Mentha piperitaPeppermint
Menyanthes trifoliataBogbean
Mitchella repensPartridge berry
Morus alba /nigraMulberry
Myrica ceriferaBayberry
Myristica fragransNutmeg
Myrrhis odorataSweet cicely
Narcissus pseudonarcissusDaffodil
Nepeta catariaCatnip
Nigella sativaBlack cumin
Ocimum basilicumSweet basil
Ocimum tenuiflorumHoly basil, tulsi
Oenothera biennisEvening primrose
Olea europaeaOlive
Origanum vulgareOregano, marjoram
Paecilomyces hepialidcordyceps
Paeonia lactifloraWhite peony
Panax ginsengGinseng
Papaver somniferumOpium
Parietaria diffusaPellitory of the wall
Passiflora incarnataPassionflower
Pelargonium sidoidesPelargonium
Petasites hybridusButterbur
Petroselinum crispumParsley
Peumus boldoBoldo
Picrasma excelsaQuassia
Pimento dioicaAllspice
Pimpinella anisumAniseed
Pinus sylvestrisScots pine
Piper methysticumKava kava
Piscidia erythrinaJamaican dogwood
Plantago lanceolata /majorRibwort, plantain
Plantago ovata /psylliumPsyllium
Polygonatum multiflorumSolomons seal
Polygonum bistortaBistort
Polygonum multiflorumFlowery knotweed
Populus gileadensisBalm of Gilead
Potentilla erectaTormentil
Primula verisCowslip
Primula vulgarisPrimrose
Prunella vulgarisSelf heal
Prunus serotinaWild cherry
Pueraria lobataKudzu
Pulmonaria vulgarisLungwort
Pulsatilla vulgarisPasque flower
Quercus roburOak
Ranunculus ficariaPilewort
Rehmannia glutinosaChinese foxglove
Rhamnus frangula /catharticaAlder buckthorn
Rhamnus purshianaCascara sagrada, Californian buckthorn
Rheum palmatum /officinaleRhubarb
Rhodiola roseaRoseroot
Rhus aromatica /glabraSumach
Ribes nigrum and rubrumBlackcurrant, redcurrant
Ricinus communisCastor oil
Rosa damascenaRose
Rosmarinus officinalisRosemary
Rubus idaeusRaspberry
Rumex acetosaCommon sorrel
Rumex crispusCurled dock
Ruscus aculeatusButchers broom
Ruta graveolensRue
Salix albaWhite willow
Salix nigraBlack willow
Salvia miltiorrhizaRed root sage, dan shen
Salvia officinalisSage
Sambucus nigraElder
Sanguinaria canadensisBloodroot
Santalum albumSandalwood
Saponaria officinalisSoapwort
Schizandra chinensisChinese Mongolian vine
Scrophularia nodosaFigwort
Scutellaria baicalensisBaical skullcap
Scutellaria laterifloraSkullcap
Selenicerus grandiflorusNight blooming cactus
Sempervirum tectorumHouseleek
Seneco aureusLiferoot
Seneco vulgarisGroundsel
Serenoa repensSaw palmetto
Silybum marianumMilk thistle
Smilax ornataSarsaparilla
Smyrnium olusatrumAlexanders
Solanum dulcamaraBittersweet
Solidago virgaureaGoldenrod
Sonchus sppSow thistle
Sophora japonicaChinese scholar tree
SpirulinaBlue green algae
Stachys betonicaWood betony
Stellaria mediaChickweed
Stemona japonicaStemona root
Stillingia sylvaticaQueen's delight
Symphytum officinaleComfrey
Syringia vulgarisLilac
Syzygium aromaticumCloves
Tabebuia impetigonosaPau d'arco
Tanacetum partheniumFeverfew
Tanacetum vulgareTansy
Taraxacum officinaleDandelion
Terminalia arjunaArjun
Thuja occidentalisArbor vitae
Thymus vulgaris /serphyllumThyme
Tilia cordata /europaeaLinden, Limeflower
Tinospora cordifoliaAmrita
Tribulus terrestrisTribulus
Trifolium pratenseRed clover
Trigonella foenum graecumFenugreek
Trillium erectumBethroot
Tropaeolum majusNasturtium
Turnera diffusaDamiana
Ulmus fulva /glabraSlippery elm
Uncaria tomentosaCat's claw
Urtica dioicaNettle
Usnea barbataOld man's beard
Vaccinium macrocarponCranberry
Vaccinium myrtillusBilberry
Valeriana officinalisValerian
Verbascum thapsusMullein
Verbena officinalisVervain
Veronica beccabungaBrooklime
Viburnum opulusGuelder rose, cramp bark
Viburnum prunifoliumBlack haw bark
Vinca majorPeriwinkle
Vinca minorLesser periwinkle
Viola odorataSweet violet
Viola tricolorHeartsease
Viscum albumMistletoe
Vitex agnus-castusChaste tree
Withania somniferaAshwagandha
Zanthoxylum americanum /clava herculisPrickly ash
Zea maysCorn silk
Zingiber officinaleGinger
Zizyphus jujubeChinese sour date

This table of medicinal plants is provided for information and educational use.

Each plant here has medicinal uses and may be called a herbal remedy. They all have a tradition of use in folk medicine. However, to use a plant or herb in herbal medicine it is important to learn about it first.

A medicinal herb or herbal product can interfere with prescription medicine. So, unless you are trained to use herbal medicine it is best to seek the advice of a qualified medical herbalist.

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