A walk through the Massachusetts Medical Society HORTUS MEDICUS
Autumn Crocus

Colchicum autumnale/speciosum Colchicine first appears in recorded medical history in the Egyptian papyrus of Ebers....
Feverfew

Tanacetum parthenium syn. Chrysanthemum parthenium Parthenion is the Greek word for girl. Feverfew is Elizabethan...
Apothecary Rose

Rosa gallica officinalis  A native of Persia (Iran) that was described by the Ancient Greek...
May Apple

Podophyllum peltatum  Extracts of the dried rhizome are used as a topical agent for removing...
Opium Poppy or Joy Poppy

Papaver somniferum  It is a plant native to Turkey and Asia Minor with medicinal and...
Flanders Poppy or Corn Poppy

Papaver rhoeas  It is a native of Europe, North Africa, and the temperate zones of...
Medicinal Peony

Paeonia officinalis ‘lc mollis,’ A plant named after Paeon, physician to the Greek gods, by...
English Lavender

Lavandula officinalis* a.k.a. Lavandula angustifolia The Romans tossed fragrant freshly cut blooming prigs of this...
St. John’s Wort

Hypericum perforatum  St. John’s Wort and other plants that have St. John as part of...
Grecian Foxglove

Digitalis lanata  It is also called the wooly foxglove because of the furry texture of...
Bee Balm

Monarda didyma  The Oswego Indians made tea from the aromatic leaves and introduced this practice...
Pot Marigold

Calendula officinalis  Anti-inflammatory and antibiotic (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) properties are responsible for the antiseptic...
Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa  The Butterfly Weed or Pleurisy Root is a native plant to North America. Omaha...
Roman Chamomile

Anthemis nobilis a.k.a Chamaemelum nobile It is used for the relief of gastric distress. Peter...
True Aloe

Aloe vera  The gel from the leaf is used to treat superficial wounds and infections....
Garlic

Allium sativum  It has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes and as a culinary...
Common Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea  In 1775, Dr. William Withering, an English physician, discovered the efficacy of ingesting...
Vinca rosea (Madagascar Periwinkle)

Catharanthus roseus Madagascar Periwinkle contains seventy alkaloids and four are medicinal. It is the source...
Nasturtium

Tropaelum majus A native of Peru, it is a culinary as well as a medicinal...