We have new images of turmeric (Curcuma longa). This healthful rhizome from the ginger family has emerged not only as an important spice, but an important medicinal herb as well. Most of the supply comes from tropical Asian countries. Among the many benefits ascribed to the rhizome include anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.

Having recently visited Finca Luna Nueva in Costa Rica with the opportunity to shoot the plants in the wonderful ethnobotanical collection at Luna Nueva’s Semillas Sagradas (Sacred Seed Sanctuary), I have new images of Uncaria tomentosa (Cat’s Claw, Una de Gato). See also our images of the closely related Uncaria guianensis, shot on various trips to the Peruvian Amazon. In addition we also have images of the bark from markets in Peru. Note that Uncaria tomentosa has upturned “claws” (along with hairy “tomentose” stalks) while the claws of U. guianensis are downturned. These herbs are valued for antioxidant and immunostimulant activity and are widely used by native groups in the neo tropics.

It’s spring and peonies, perhaps more than any other garden perennial, mark the move from the cool weather of early spring to the warm days to come. I am happy to present exciting new peony photographs, many taken at sunset in the front yard of the Rosalie, the premier Victorian home in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Peonies have been cultivated as ornamentals in China since about 900 BCE. There are two well-known ornamentals in the genus Paeonia. The roots of both species are famous medicines in Chinese tradition. Paeonia lactiflora, the herbaceous peony so common in American gardens, produces two distinct herbal drugs bai-shao (cultivated root), and chi-shao (the wild-harvested root). The plant, itself, is known as shao-yao. The common garden peony, sporting white, red or pink flowers is among the most popular and widely grown  garden perennials throughout the northern hemisphere. Blooming peonies can be seen in every city, town, and tiny hamlet in the United States from May through June. The plant is thought to have been introduced to European gardens from Siberia as early as 1558. By 1805 Paeonia lactiflora was known in English gardens, introduced by Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820). When numerous varieties were imported from the Orient in the mid nineteenth century, their popularity as garden plants grew immensely. Peonies were undoubtedly introduced to American gardens at an early date. They were grown in Virginia as early as 1771. Bai-shao and chi-shao have been used for thousands of years in China, both in Traditional Chinese Medicine and folk medicine, for example, to treat knife wounds with much bleeding and pain. More information on the use of peonies and other Chinese drug plants common in American horticulture, see my book (with Yue Chonxgi) Herbal Emissaries: Bringing Chinese Herbs to the West.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) has been in the news lately as analogs of the sweet component of the leaves are about to hit the mass market products as a new natural sweetener after decades of languishing in FDA approval processes. For many years Stevia has been relegated to the regulatory realm of dietary supplements, even though its primary use has been as a sweetener. See our new Stevia image gallery uploaded today.