Herb & Plant Profiles

MILK THISTLE

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has a lot of other common names: blessed milkthistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Saint Mary's thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle. This kind of thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins.

LEGENDS ABOUT ST. JOHN'S WORT

According to legend, early Christians named the plant after John the Baptist in the first century. Because the sap of the plant turns red on exposure to air, it was equated with the blood of St. John the Baptist. Its latin name – Hypericum – means “over ghosts.” It was so named because it was believed to have great protective powers, particularly during the summer months, when there is a tendency to feel overly expanded and adversely affected by heat and light. The name perforatum is translated as “punctured,” and refers to the many tiny dots found on the leaves and flowers of St. John’s Wort, which at first glance seem to be small perforations or holes. But they are not actually holes but tiny glands which, when pressed, release the essential oils and resins.

PRECIOUS BARLEY SPROUTS

ACEROLA, OR BARBADOS CHERRY

Acerola is native to the Antilles, including the island of Barbados and northern South America. In the wild, the plant can be found up to the territory of the northern regions of Brazil. The plant is successfully cultivated in Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the USA (Texas, California and Florida), the Philippines, the Bahamas and Bermuda, as well as Central America; outside America - in Australia, Ghana and India.

SARSAPARILLA DATABASE

The genus Smilax is one of the three belonging to the family of flowering plants Sassaparilla or Smilax (lat. Smilacaceae). The vast genus includes more than 300 plant species found in tropical and subtropical climates around the world. Sarsaparilla (Smilax Medica) is a woody perennial clinging liana from the genus Smilax.

THE WHITE PINE: A LARGE AND POWERFUL TREE

The White pine (Pinus strobus) is a large pine native to eastern North America. It is distributed in Newfoundland, west to Manitoba, south to Ohio, Northern Indiana, along the Appalachian mountains to Eastern Kentucky and Northern Georgia. It grows in mixed forests with other coniferous and deciduous species.

ELEUTHERO. PRICKLY GINSENG RELATIVE

Eleuthero is a shrub with a height of 2-2.5 meters or more. The shoots are straight, the bark of the trunks is light brown, and the branches are almost black in color. The shoots are covered with thick spikes. The rhizomes of the plant are smooth from the surface, or slightly wrinkled, light brown, with a weak aromatic odor.

JUJUBE

Trees or prickly deciduous shrubs of Jujube species can reach a height of 10 meters. Trees of this species have a hemispherical openwork crown, shrubs have pyramidal or widespread crown. Jujube bark is thick, dark gray or anthracite black in color. The young representatives of the species have smooth bark, but over time, it becomes covered with cracks.

YOHIMBE OR AFRICAN GOLD

Yohimbe (lat. Pausinystalia Yohimbe) is a species of the genus Pausinystalia of the family Rubiaceae, which grows mainly in Africa (one species is in North America). Yohimbe is the only species of the genus that contains the alkalioid yohimbine, which is used as a component of some biologically active additives.

GYMNEMA

Gymnema is a highly branched, perennial, evergreen plant. This is a large tree vine capable of rooting in nodes. The stems of the plant are bare and branched. The young tips of the plant are pubescent. Gymnema leaves are simple, have elliptical or oval form. The calyx is dioecious.