Ethnobotanical record
Bitki Tabanı
120 healing and ritual plants from Anatolia, Asia, the Andes, the Amazon and North America. Each entry brings together traditional use, what science says, safety notes and sources.
By region
Anatolia and the Mediterranean68 plantsSmoke against the evil eye, Anatolian folk healing and plants of the Mediterranean. Asia and Siberia19 plantsShamanic smoke of the steppe, Chinese medicine and the roots of Siberia. Andes29 plantsCoca leaf, the San Pedro cactus and cleansing herbs of the high Andes. Amazon25 plantsAyahuasca, huito body paint and the forest’s teacher plants. North America14 plantsWhite sage, peyote and the healing plants of the prairies.
A new plant every day. The catalog grows by one entry every night.
Where to start
120 plants can be a lot. Start with these five to get to know the site:
- Chamomile: the science behind a tea everyone knows, with its “How strong is the evidence?” table.
- St John’s wort: strong evidence but serious drug interactions; why a plant can be both remedy and risk.
- Syrian rue: a culture bridge from evil-eye smoke in Anatolia to ayahuasca in the Amazon.
- Salep orchids: what a beloved winter drink costs wild orchids.
- Coca: a sacred leaf in the Andes, a banned substance elsewhere.
Featured
BT-001
Syrian rue
Peganum harmala
Nitrariaceae
Evidence: TraditionalHigh risk
BT-031
Ayahuasca vine
Banisteriopsis caapi
Malpighiaceae
Evidence: LimitedHigh risk
BT-005
Salep orchids
Orchis, Anacamptis, Dactylorhiza türleri
Orchidaceae
Evidence: TraditionalGenerally safe
BT-035
Maca
Lepidium meyenii
Brassicaceae
Evidence: LimitedGenerally safe
BT-010
St John’s wort
Hypericum perforatum
Hypericaceae
Evidence: ClinicalCaution
BT-034
Coca
Erythroxylum coca
Erythroxylaceae
Evidence: TraditionalCaution
BT-069
Henna
Lawsonia inermis
Lythraceae
Evidence: TraditionalCaution
BT-081
Huito
Genipa americana
Rubiaceae
Evidence: TraditionalGenerally safe
BT-030
Saffron
Crocus sativus
Iridaceae
Evidence: LimitedCaution
BT-082
Guaraná
Paullinia cupana
Sapindaceae
Evidence: LimitedCaution
BT-003
Oriental sweetgum
Liquidambar orientalis
Altingiaceae
Evidence: LimitedCaution
BT-098
Peyote
Lophophora williamsii
Cactaceae
Evidence: TraditionalHigh risk
Culture bridges
Cultures thousands of kilometres apart have often used the same molecules, or the same plant, for similar troubles. See 16 bridges on the map.