Medicinal Plants

Perennial. Maybe outdoors if deeply mulched, good choice for greenhouse culture, part sun to dappled shade, moist well composted soil pH 5.5 to 7.  Medicinal value: used by ancient Andean cultures, all parts active, poisonous best used only by experts, carefully monitored doses of purified drug used in surgery, eye medicine, sedation, treatment of asthma, Parkinson’s, prevent motion or sea sickness.

Annual. Prefers full sun & dryish soils, wet conditions promote vegetative growth.  Medicinal Value: Leaf, anti-viral, bitter digestive, clears dampness in the lungs, immunity, bacterial attacks, allergies, congestion, heart health.

Biennial.  Rich, moist soil & shade, attracts beneficial insects, resistant to insect damage.  Medicinal Value: Root/branches/seeds, good for stimulating digestion, can help reduce painful menstruation, helps with asthma, pie with rhubarb, good for longevity, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, gastric disorders, chronic fatigue.  Ashitaba is the most edible of angelicas, likely one of the most medicinal, seeds of Ashitaba require special processing.  

Annual.  Full sun, well-drained soil, easy to grow.  Medicinal Value: Seeds used most but can use foliage also, digestive, menstrual cramps, hot flashes.  

Perennial.  Light to moderate water need, full sun to part shade.  Medicinal Value: Digestion, soothes lower respiratory track irritation, helps lower fevers, very tasty.

Perennial.  Likes fair amount of summer sun but not all day.  Medicinal Value: Pick flowers & buds to soak in olive oil & run through cheese cloth to make a great oil to rub on sore muscles, no internal use.

Annual in our area, prefers full sun, fertile fast draining soil pH 7.5 to 8, regular watering at first but drought tolerant later, harvest after first frost.  Medicinal Value: increase sexual stamina, promotes youthfulness & vigor, sedative to nerves, adaptogenic, alcoholism, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, mental acuity.

Perennial.  Prefers full sun to part shade & dryish deep soils or regular garden soil with high organic matter, well-drained soil, pH 6.5 to 7, deep, loose, sandy soil best, likes soil with rock phosphate, lime, & oyster shell, seedlings need regular watering drought tolerant with age, cut back flowers to force more energy to roots compost, mulch in fall to protect, widely adaptable.  Medicinal value: tonifies, immune stimulating, protects liver, good for recuperating, promotes stamina, increases vital energy, protects against illness, respiratory problems, preventative   

Perennial, sunny exposure, tolerates wide pH range, moist but well-drained soil, compost will help.  Medicinal Value: Harvest roots in fall of 2nd year.  Transforms phlegm  stops coughing, opens lungs, energizing, cook in stir fries & soups.

Annual. Tall, uniform, & slow to bolt, highly productive broadleaf variety, popular for gardens & pesto, prefers full sun & well-drained soil.  Medicinal Value: emphysema, headache, high blood pressure.

Annual.  Full sun, rich soil, pH 6 to 7.5, easy to grow, just prior to flowering cut top to get more tea herb.  Medicinal value: dried leaves for gentle stimulation to body, mind, & spirit, helps with stress, anxiety, colds, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, excellent digestive system support, dries dampness, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, expectorant, sedative.

Perennial, shade to sun, moist, rich soil pH 5.5 to 6.5, medium watering need, forest soils & mulches of deciduous trees.  Medicinal value: root or leaf poultices to relieve chronic pain, dangerous for non-experts to use, low dose botanical to treat cramps & spasms.

Perennial, full sun to part shade, moist, rich soil.  Medicinal value: calming to nerves, carminative, PMS. 

Perennial.  Full sun, dry soils, part shade best, rich garden soils of pH 6 to 7, moist soil, deer resistant.  Medicinal value: calming to nerves, antibacterial, skin & upper respiratory infections, used for high levels of cholesterol, anxiety, mental alertness, joint pain. 

Perennial.  Likes rich soil in shade, prefers partial shade, but can grow in full sun if given enough water, prefers moisture retentive soil, pH 5 to 6, well amended with compost, forest derived mulch is best, best 2 to 3 feet apart, grows best under a natural canopy of hardwood trees.   Medicinal Value: root used for hot flashes, painful menstruation, stimulates uterine contractions to aid in childbirth, antidepressant, pain relieving, relaxes smooth muscles & is strong antispasmodic, tinnitus.

Perennial.  Prefers forest garden, deep shade to dappled shade, pH 5.5 to 6.5, Grows best under a natural canopy of hardwood trees, mulch with deciduous leaves, well drained humus or limestone shelf or sandy clay, water requirement high but dislikes wet feet.  Medicinal Value:  Acrid sap will dissolve warts & kill ringworm, anti-cancer salve, internally as expectorant, dry cough, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antimitotic. 

Herbaceous perennial, sun to part shade, moist soil, does not need good drainage.  Medicinal value: Tea, cold infusion, tincture from leaf & flowering tops as a bitter stimulant, antiviral, helps with bronchitis, coughs, & fevers.

Self-seeding or overwintering annual, easy to grow, once planted will self-seed & return, prefers full sun, drying soil, dislikes being transplanted.  Medicinal value: Soothes mucous membranes, healing poultice.  

Perennial.  Wet areas, sun outside & warm moist conditions in greenhouse.  Medicinal Value:  Entire fresh or dried plant very bitter, nerve tonic, improves mental cognition & focus, Alzheimer’s; externally hot poultice for bronchitis.

Perennial. Sun to part shade, loam, silt, or clay, wet areas, pH 6 to 6.5.  Medicinal value: hyperthyroidism, toxic goiter, heart tonic, nervine sedative, sleep inducer, fresh or dried aerial parts in tincture, tea of dried aerial parts.

Biennial.  Full sun to part shade, 1st year roots best for medicine. Medicinal Value: root used to help with digestion, good nutrition, restorative, good for liver & kidneys, leaves antimicrobial, seeds stimulate immune response. 

Annual or short-lived perennial.  Easy to grow, prefers sunny areas, flowers last only a few days.  Medicinal value: Flowers mostly, but also the leaves, roots, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiviral, calmative, immune stimulant. 

Perennial, grows 6 – 26 inches tall, makes beautiful blue flowers, native to most of Washington, can grow in dry or wet areas & in forests or open meadows.  Medicinal Value: Food value, very popular with many native American tribes, they would campout for weeks to harvest & roast the roots. 

Perennial. Prefers understory shade to full sun, rich, moist soil pH 4 to 7, high water requirement, fire resistant, brings pollinators.  Medicinal value: Use cured bark as a laxative, tomatoes gastrointestinal tract, can take 6 hours to have impact, harvest 1 or 2 limbs from main trunk in early spring, peel bark and chop into 1-inch pieces, dry, put in paper bag to cure in rafters for 1 year.

Perennial - living for a decade, self-seeding, full sun, dry, well drained porous soil, pH 5 to 7.5,

once planted, it may keep returning, can get 2 cuttings per year.  Medicinal use: repels ticks, indigestion, infant colic.  

Annual or short-lived perennial. Full to partial sun, regular garden soil, water a lot until flowers, easy to grow.  Medicinal Value: Flower tea, gently sedative, calming to stomach, improves digestion.

Perennial.  Prefers full sun & well drained regular garden soil, nutrient poor, rocky or sandy soils pH 6 to 7, drought tolerant once established, but low to moderate water before establishment.  Medicinal Value:  Dried fruit used as uterine tonic, hormone balancer, PMS, endometriosis, infertility. 

Perennial, sun, grows in clumps, needs regular watering.  Medicinal Value: Helps prevent cancer & reduces high blood pressure.

Annual. Seed needs to be rubbed gently between 2 boards to break apart the 2-part system, easy to grow, attracts many pollinators, prefers full sun & medium heavy moist soil, mobilizes heavy metals, bolts more quickly in pots, can harvest 1/3 of leaf twice in season.  Medicinal value: Enhances digestion, combine with dandelion or bentonite clay to expel toxins.

Self-seeding annual, part to full shade, likes deep loam, pH 5.5 to 8, germination in cool soils in fall or spring.  Medicinal value: fresh juice for swollen glands, spring tonic, urinary tract infection, kidney stones, prostatitis. 

Perennial, climbing vine, up to 12 feet, likes sun in our environment, moderately rich, well-drained soil.  Very frost sensitive, dig roots in autumn after 2nd or 3rd year. Medicinal value: Ginseng substitute, revitalizes energy, strengthen immune system, tonify blood, good for asthma, indigestion, diabetes, chronic illness.  

Shade & moisture loving perennial, heavy feeder, best to cut back right before flowering, can be cut back & regrown up to 3 times/yr. Multiple values: Stems bleeding.  High protein, low fiber, creates heat in compost pile, good for first aid & limited internal use, anti-inflammatory, speeds healing, mature leaves have lower Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), too much PAs can harm liver, roots have more than leaves, making tea & oil infusions degrades & reduces PAs,  PAs degrade over time, true comfrey lower in PAs than Russian, deep roots accumulate minerals that protect orchard trees from disease, speeds growth of plants nearby, feeds earthworms, microsphere, & humic content of soil, taproots break up hardpan & bring up disease preventative micronutrients.  Mend sprains & bruises, relieve pain from injury, root or leaf, put fresh leaves in freezer.

Perennial, prefer full sun to part shade.  Medicinal Value: Bark in decoction or tincture for relaxing smooth muscle spasms & relieving pain, mainly for menstrual cramps, berries good for cardiovascular system.  

Perennial shrub, prefers damp fertile soils, full sun to part shade.  Medicinal Value: Plenty of antioxidants & anthocyanins, helps strength immune system, soothe sore throats, ease flu symptoms.

Perennial shrub, likes acidic, boggy, forest soils in the shade.  Medicinal value:

Very sacred to many Native Americans, inner bark of stem & root is made into a pain killing salve,  taken internally as tea or tincture to normalize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, safe expectorant & safe respiratory stimulant, helpful with rheumatoid arthritis, helpful adult-onset diabetes, reduces stress, & overall improve health.

Annual. Easy to grow, prefers warm, sunny areas with regular garden soil, composted manure below the planting row helps. Medicinal value: Seed helps with indigestion & calming infant colic.

Annual, prefers full sun to part shade, water average, well-drained garden soil, likes some compost.  Medicinal Value: Widely used to treat pain, fever, inflammation.

Perennial, prefers sun to part shade, fast draining, fertile, dryish soil, pH 6.1 to 7.8, regular watering for early growth becomes drought tolerant.  Medicinal value: treat fever, reduce delirium, promote vivid and lucid dreams; ground root in water or nibble leaf.

Perennial. Prefers full sun & well-drained soil, easy to grow, neutral pH, high organic matter. Medicinal Use: Root typically used but the whole plant medicinal, jump starts immune system response to colds, flu, anti-viral & anti-biotic. 

Perennial, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub to small tree native to Europe.  Berries are large & tasty. Prefers rich, moist soil in part shade to sun.  Best placed as understory. Protect from deer.  Appreciate frequent watering & spring application of nitrogen-rich compost or composted manure, applied within dripline.  Grow for 1 year before transplanting.  Medicinal Value: Colds, flu, immune enhancement.  Syrup, tincture or glycerite of berries is excellent for treating the common cold & for overall increase in immunity.  Antiviral especially COVID, cool fevers, clear mucus.  

Large, upright herbaceous perennial bearing many yellow flowers, prefers sun to part shade & moist, fertile soils, easy to grow. Medicinal Value: Premier cough & lung remedy.

Biennial. Prefers full sun, withstands poor & dry soils, grows well in watered soils.  Medicinal Use: Seeds & root, very good women’s herb, high in essential fatty acids, seeds can help with arthritis & dermatitis, root helps some with menstrual cramps. 

Herbaceous perennial.  Full sun, grows in most soils but prefers well drained soil with good organic matter, prefers very warm area open to sun, grows best in soils rich in lime, does not require compost or manure, inhibits growth of other nearby plants.  Medicinal Value: Choice cultivar producing seed & green herb that are tasty, aromatic, antiseptic, expectorant, carminative, indigestion, fennel honey to dissolve mucus.

Perennial. Prefers moist to dry soil, sun or part shade, can also grow from root divisions.  Medicinal Value: leaves/flowers, migraines.

Hard neck - green curled stalk, need to space 6 inches apart, large cloves, store 5 months.  Soft neck - 4-inch spacing, small cloves, somewhat difficult to peel, store for a year.  Full sun, moist, fertile, well drained, pH 6 to 7.  Best to plant in fall, aerial bulbils can be saved for planting, add mulch, when aerial parts turn 50% yellow stop watering, let soil dry out, dig bulbs.  Medicinal value: fresh is antibacterial, anti-parasitic, chemo-preventative, lowers cholesterol, makes other antibacterial & anti-fungal medicinals stronger, colds, infections, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, heart, detox carcinogens.

Herbaceous perennial.  Deep yellow flowers, root is where bitter tonic comes from, prefers rich, shallow, moist soil in partial shade, flowers 3 – 4 feet tall, long taproot, can get 5 feet tall, sun, limey soils, in low elevation it prefers cool, moist shade, dig roots from winter to early spring.  Medicinal value: The purest of bitter medicinals, indigestion, helps with phlegm, a little can kick start metabolism, balance blood sugar.

Perennial. Fairly drought tolerant in Western Washington, attracts pollinators, prefers full sun & moist soil.  Medicinal Value: Helps with allergies, antifungal, tension, digestion, especially good for respiratory & urinary tracts.  Harvest flowering tops when they are early for tea and tincture.  Also for external pain formula spray.  Can also use root in tincture.

Perennial, likes shade, rich soil, dappled sunlight, pH 5.5 to 6.5, if growing in pots likes coir based potting soil inoculated with forest soil, organic compost, natural canopy of hardwood trees.  Medicinal Value: Root good for fighting infections, antibiotic, antiviral, good for digestion, some skin conditions, mucous membrane tonic, helps with sinus disorders, root tincture with some aerial parts.  

Perennial. Spreads by runners that can root in, prefers warm, rich, moist, but well drained soil in sun or part shade, benefits from compost, irrigation, compost, comfrey tea, kelp tea, fish emulsion. Medicinal Value: Longevity, increases cerebral blood circulation, relaxes nervous system, promotes healthy growth of hair, healing of burns & wounds, mucous membranes, brain.

Perennial. Prefers full sun, drying soils, sand, gravel. Medicinal Value: Tincture of leaves, buds, & flowers relaxes & tonifies the mucous membranes, chronic asthma & emphysema.  Harvest resinous buds before they open.  When you pick flowers, more are produced.

Small Tree. Sun to part shade, moist garden soil, pH 6 to 7.5, sandy loam, clay, & calcareous soils, sensitive to excess heat, moderate to high watering, lifespan 250 years.  Medicinal Value: fresh or dried leaves, flowers, & fruits recuperation from heart surgery or heart attack, hypertension, anxiety, heartbreak, heart disease, irregular heartbeat, regulates blood pressure. 

Herbaceous perennial vine.  Can grow 30 feet tall, full sun to only partial sun, Seattle area is at the ideal northern latitude for growing hops, prefers soil that is deep, well drained, & heavily manured, water need high.  Medicinal Value: Sleep inducing properties, good variety for beer making. 

Perennial.  Full sun to part shade, regular watering, rich, well drained loamy soil, pH 6 - 7.5, compost, composted manure, get woody if left in soil too long, harvest after 1st frost.  Medicinal Value: stimulates gastric secretions, blood circulation, opens sinus passages, sinusitis, headache, allergies, cough. 

Perennial - 7-9 years, woody subshrub, prefers full sun, fast draining soil, pH 6.6 to 8.5, calcareous, gravelly soil, low nutrients, water to establish then drought tolerant, trim back in fall to above old wood, scarify seed, plant in March or April, keep moist & warm, water after cuttings of flowering tops to obtain 2 cuttings.  Medicinal value: stimulating expectorant, promotes elimination of toxins. 

Woody perennial. Cold hardy, prefers full sun, very fast draining soil, pH 6.4 to 8.3, sandy, gravelly, rocky, calcareous soil, sand & pumice will help, needs well-draining soil.  Medicinal value: Gives highest grade of essential oils, reduce anxiety & depression, carminative, antispasmodic; externally antibacterial & antiseptic for burns & wounds.  

Perennial. Prefers full sun & dry, sandy, well-drained soil, grown in open fields or as landscape plants, cuttings best made in fall, best to plant plants in fall.  Medicinal Value: Helps heal wounds, relaxing, aids digestion. 

Perennial.  Full sun to light shade, humus, nitrogen, well drained garden soil, pH 6.5 to 7, moderate watering.  Medicinal value: Promotes longevity, sedative, antiviral, hypothyroid, antispasmodic,

uplifting, antidepressant, anxiety, brain attentiveness, cognitive decline, memory loss, digestive ailments, prune back flowering buds to allow up to 3 harvests per year.

Perennial. Each flower for 1 day only, sun to part shade, dryish soil high in organic matter, mid-range pH, well-drained soil.  Medicinal Value: Expels phlegm, reduces swelling in throat, root used to treat coughs, asthma, wheezing, bronchitis, & sore throat, moderately toxic.

Perennial.  Add sand & lime to soil, best to plant plants in fall, central taproot, prefers sun, deeply manured, oh 5.5 - 8.2, medium water requirement, remove flowers to increase roots.  Medicinal value: helps with ulcers, adrenal function, daily use can deplete potassium & lead to sodium retention, demulcent, antibacterial, antiviral.

Perennial.  Calcareous soil with minimal water, grows best on hot, sunny exposure.  Medicinal value: Combine with dandelion to help rid body of toxins, COVID, upper respiratory infection, flu, hepatitis C, inhibits wide range of bacterial, fungal, & viral pathogens.  

Herbaceous perennial. Regular garden soil, sun – shade, well-drained soil, easy to grow, all parts of plant used, may live for up to 8 years, ours is close to 20 years old, can create divisions & plant.  Medicinal value: Aromatic, stimulant, carminative, mild substitute for Osha.

Perennial likes moist soil, full sun to partial sun, harvest leaves when it flowers, harvest roots in fall of 2nd year or spring of 3rd year, deep, sandy loam best, pH 6 to 7.5, frequent watering for seedlings, drought tolerant when rooted, mulch & compost help.  Medicinal Value: Roots & leaves have mucilage soothing to throat & digestive track, immune enhancing, cold infusion for inflamed mucous membranes.

Perennial.  Vine, prefers full sun, medium water, sandy loam, pH 5.3 to 7.5.  Medicinal Value: treating skin conditions, kidney problems, & inflammation, as a diuretic & to treat anemia. 

Perennial. Partial shade, patchy sunlight, depends on mycorrhizal relationships.  Medicinal Value: Low doses to relieve constipation, also for skin ulcers & sores, cathartic for indigestion, rhizome is used.

Perennial. Easy to grow, part shade to full sun, regular soil, pH 6.8 to 7.5, fertile, moist, well-drained soil, compost helps, can harvest twice in a season.  Medicinal Use: Leaves strengthen heart & reduce tension, relaxes muscles to ease menstruation & cramping & helps with transitioning from postpartum & menopause, helps treat hot flashes, bitter that helps with digestion. 

Perennial. Likes slightly alkaline, well-draining, dry soil in sun & nutrient poor.  Medicinal Value: Digestive bitter, stimulates dreaming.

Biennial.  Fairly drought tolerant, seeds can be viable for years.  Medicinal Value: Harvest leaves before stalk goes up for tincture.  Leaves can be great for moistening mucous membranes – throat, bronchi, lungs, good for asthma, coughs, be sure to strain the tea through a cloth bag to remove the tiny hairs that are an irritant, antiviral & antibacterial, flowers can be used to make an oil, which can be slightly warmed & a drop or two added to ear to help with earaches & infections.

Annual. Plant seeds 8 inches deep on last frost date, full sun to part shade, 5 hours sunlight best, sandy soil, pH 6 to 7.5, rich soils reduce flowers, moderate water need, discourage weeds, protect soil, conserve water.  Medicinal Value: Can be used on wounds to help fight infection, seeds can be ground to a paste & painted on fungal growth on toenails, pungent vapors while eating can help with bronchitis & other lung infections, clears nasal passages, antibacterial, chemo-preventative, urinary tract infections. 

Perennial.  Full sun to full shade, deep rich moist soils pH 6 to 7, high nitrogen and phosphorous content, but can grow in disturbed areas, water requirement high.  Medicinal Value: nutritive, spring tonic, blood builder & cleanser, improves resistance to allergens, fight hay fever, rhizome for prostatitis, seed a kidney tonic, harvest leaves when 1 to 2 feet tall.

Perennial.  Likes full to partial sun & well-drained soil, harvest at early blooming stage, fairly drought tolerant, but it will grow better if given some water.  Medicinal Value: Leaves antibiotic, improves respiratory capacity, good for asthma, good for digestion, anti-inflammatory, carminative, antiseptic, sore throat, antimicrobial.

Herbaceous perennial.  Hotter variety, full to partial sun & well drained soil, best to plant plants in fall.  Medicinal Value: Leaves antibiotic, improves respiratory capacity, good for asthma, good for digestion, anti-inflammatory, carminative, antiseptic. 

Perennial, very long lived, easy to grow, shade or sun, deer proof, rocky, clay, or acidic soil, loose mulch helps.  Medicinal Value: Digestive tonic, constipation, root and stem bark used in tea, decoction, or tincture, leaf also medicinal.  One of the best antimicrobials (antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal).  Remedy for food poisoning. 

Perennial.  Full sun, dryish soil, slightly acidic, prefers rock over clay, fertilize with rotted manure, mulch will help it survive cold winter, dried root needs special prep.  Medicinal Value: Dropsy, hot mash of cooked root helps with splinters, boils, & cysts. 

Perennial, prefers moist areas in shade, prefers carbon rich, ever moist soil, needs less water after well established, grows well at close spacing, direct seeding works best.  Medicinal Value: Seeds improve digestion, vasodilator & bronchodilator, reduces mucous in lungs, increases respiratory capacity, soothes irritated sinuses, good for allergies, asthma, pneumonia, antifungal, very good antiviral, antibiotic.

Biennial, easy to grow, regular garden soil, sun to part shade, Italian or flat leaved, curly leaved, & root parsley.  Medicinal value: Fresh or dried herb & seed are diuretic & digestive, neutralizes strong odors.  

Prefers full sun, dryish soils and a trellis. The first year or two, while the plant is getting established, you need to keep them watered and weeded. After that, you just provide a place for them to climb.

Medicinal Value: - Nervourness, ease pain, sleeplessness, sedative.

Perennial.  Root divisions work, sun to part shade, warm, friable soils rich in humus that are moist and well drained, pH 6 – 7, compost & manure help, loves mulch, harvest in full bloom.  Medicinal value: Antispasmodic, promotes digestion, helps intestinal upset, cool a fever, open sinuses.

Perennial.  Full sun to part shade, heavy mesic to dry clay soil pH 6.5 to 7.3, moderate water.  Medicinal value: spring tonic, nutritious, antiseptic, immune enhancing, anti-inflammatory, astringent; externally on wounds and skin problems.

Perennial.  Prefers full sun to light shade, drought tolerant after establishment, pH 6 to 7, range of soils.  Deer don’t like, aphids do.  Medicinal value: Root for upper respiratory congestion & inflammation, promotes expulsion of toxic metabolic waste. 

Annual.  Likes full sun, sandy rocky infertile soils pH 6.5 to 7.5, low water need, don’t plant in rich, moist soil, better to plant in abandoned places.  Medicinal Value: gentle sedative, green pods & roots are active.

Herbaceous perennial.  Early production of large, showy, purple flowers, prefers dryish sunny exposure in calcareous soils among limestone rock, low water need, tolerates extremes, grown in rockeries.  Medicinal value: Use fresh herb for acrid low dose botanical for nervous exhaustion, nerve pain, PMS, Menopause, insomnia, worry, depression.  

Annual. Prefers full sun & bare soil, highly adaptable, nutrient poor or rich soils, pH 5.5 to 7.5, water requirement moderate. Medicinal Value: treats urinary maladies & dysentery, very high in Omega-3 fatty acids, digestive, bolsters immunity, helps regulate blood sugar; externally for skin irritation, burns, wounds; bio-remediator for heavy metals especially chromium.

Perennial. Native to Washington, prefers dry, rocky ground, nitrogen fixer, feeds bees & native pollinators.  Medicinal Value: Superior gargle for oral lesions, bleeding gums, swollen tonsils, internally for swollen nodes, infections, poor digestion, constipation, poor circulation, rid body of excess metabolic debris.

Perennial, part shade, frost tolerant, plant seed in the fall in shade, variety of soil types but deep, moderately rich, well drained soils best, drought tolerant but grows better with regular watering, peaks at 5 yrs., fertilizer not needed, don’t overwater, harvest in 3rd to 5th yr.  Medicinal Value: Aerial parts & root nourishing, treats altitude sickness, reduce headaches & dizziness, fatigue & exhaustion, improve mental focus, sexual potency, antioxidant.

Perennial. Evergreen, woody shrub, pretty drought tolerant and deer have yet to eat any of ours  in 20 years, prefers full sun & well drained, dry soil, best to plant plants in fall, attracts many pollinators, full sun, rocky sandy or calcareous soil, prefers slightly alkaline soil, pH 4.5 to 8.7, drought tolerant, prune out dead wood, can last many years.  Medicinal Value: Leaves antibacterial, good for the heart, good for digestion and relaxing, good for immune system, circulatory tonic, improves memory, lifts spirits, carminative, antioxidant, circulation to brain, help prevent cognitive decline.

Woody evergreen perennial, well-draining soil, full sun, fast draining soil, pH 6 to 7, plant plants in fall, regular garden soil best, older plants drought tolerant, deer resistant, cut 1st year plants 1/3 in fall, remove all dead wood, composted manure helps.  Medicinal Value: Dries secretions including sweat, antioxidant, calming to stomach, promotes long life, for sore throat, stimulates memory.

Evergreen perennial, prefers full sun, fast draining soil, sandy low fertility soil, pH 6 to 8, frequent pruning in summer & removal of dead wood in fall will extend life from 2 to 5 years, harvest new growth.  Medicinal value: digestive, carminative, antioxidant, antibacterial, externally chewed leaves on bee stings.

Perennial, woody vine, each berry contains 1 or 2 seeds, rich, loose, sandy soil, pH 6 to 7, likes organic compost and mulch.  Medicinal value: Dried fruits harmonizing tonic, asthma, diarrhea, chronic coughing, promotes vitality & mental acuity. 

Perennial. Can grow in compacted, poor-quality soil, easy to grow, full sun to shade, moist, relatively fertile soil, pH 6 to 7.5, highly adaptable, likes compost & mulch, likes water but can get by on little.  Medicinal Value: Above ground part for nutrition, antibacterial, antiviral, immune tonic, for canker sores, shrinks lesions of mucous membranes, antiviral, reduces pain, promotes healing, Herpes, COVID, sore throat, wounds, make into poultice to apply to skin for bruises/burns/cuts/rashes/wounds, antimicrobial, antiviral.

Perennial.  Likes shade & water, best to grow from rhizome cuttings in autumn when leaves have dropped, can cut a lateral root where it grows from the mother plant, ropy rhizome is medicine.  Medicinal value: Root increases energy, stamina, helps with stress, immunity, blood sugar balance, endurance, adaptogen.

Perennial.  Long lived, full sun to part shade, deep dry well drained sandy soils, pH 6.8 to 7.2, regular watering to start then drought tolerant, grow from seed.  Medicinal value: Antiallergic, hypotensive, antibacterial, antiviral, tranquilizing, fever reducing, dysentery, hepatitis, use 3 year root.

Perennial. Full or partial sun & moist, loamy soil, easy to grow, relatives Native to WA, prefers wet areas, prefers shade but can take sun, rich soil, pH 6.2 to 7, mulches & organic compost.  Medicinal Value:  Entire aerial parts, nervine tonic, sedative, antispasmodic, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, anxiety, depression, premenstrual tension & cramping. 

Perennial, full to part shade, well drained, forest loam, pH 5 to 7, moderate water, leaves & berries toxic.  Medicinal value: rhizomes & spring shoots edible if steamed in 2 changes of water, dry cough, kidney & muscle pain. 

Perennial, sun to part shade, rich, moist soil, pH 6.5 to 7.5.  Medicinal value: nausea, indigestion, headache; externally - pain & inflammation.

Perennial. Moist soil.  Medicinal Value: Upper respiratory & pregnancy tonic.

Annual in our planting zone.  Easy to grow, fast grower once the soil warms up, likes sun, manure, lots of water,   Medicinal Value: Fresh buds best in tincture, anti-inflammatory, helps with tooth decay & gum disease, abates sore throat, can also eat fresh buds.  

Annual.  Prefers full sun, can grow in part sun, prefers dryish soils, likes nitrogen. Medicinal Value: Good antiviral, growing body of evidence that it is helpful against a number of cancers.

Perennial.  Prefers well drained dry soil, partial shade to full sun, drought tolerant.  Medicinal Value: Aromatic, digestive.

Perennial, usually pruned back to waist high for easy harvest, partial shelter in full sun to part shade, rich well drained soil pH 5.5 to 6.5, medium water need, mulch with evergreen needles & bark & deciduous leaves, softwood cuttings dipped in aloe vera gel then in pot of acidic soil, keep moist in warm shade until roots & shoots, soak seeds in 140-degree water overnight, sinkers best, plant cracked seed, mulch, spring harvested leaves best.  Medicinal Value: energy, longevity, promote weight loss, fewer headaches, less cardiovascular disease, some cancers, stimulant, aids in digestion of fats, reduces risk of heart disease, antibacterial, anticarcinogenic, antiviral, cardiotonic.

Evergreen perennial, very potent spice, full sun to partial shade, well drained & somewhat dry soil is best, cuttings in fall, best to plant plants in fall, requires frequent watering to get started then drought tolerant, can harvest 2 or 3 times/yr. from mature plants.  Medicinal Value: Winter illness & immune system support, helpful for digestive & respiratory problems, sore throats, nervous system support, skin health, antioxidant, coughs.

Perennial. Shade & dappled sunlight, cool, moist, humusy, woodland, wide soil range ok if mulched, plant with fine leaf mulch.  Medicinal value: dried rhizome to promote childbirth, upper respiratory, digestion, uterus; poultice for ulcers, tumors; regulates hormonal imbalance; large doses stimulates contractions.

Perennial. Full sun to partial shade, likes moist, rich soil, loam or sandy loam pH 6 to 7, high water requirement, mulch, compost, high phosphorous fertilizer, harvest root in fall to early winter.  Medicinal Value: Root tincture great for helping most people safely fall asleep, some people find it stimulating, nervine, antispasmodic, sedative, anti-migraine. 

Perennial, full sun to partial shade, moist, poorly drained soil, rich soil pH 6 to 7, water requirement high.  Medicinal Value: roots, leaves, flowering tops nervine, anxiety, depression, antispasmodic & fever reducing, winter illnesses, respiratory concerns, digestive tract problems, achy muscles, & reduce stress.  Excellent for children, colds, flu, PMS or menopause. 

Perennial, full sun, part sun, shade, easy to grow, shade to part sun, fertile moist well drained composted clay loam or sandy loam pH 5.5 to 7, high water requirement, dig out & replant elsewhere crowded plants.  Medicinal Value: make syrup for respiratory support, tea & tinctures, leaves & flowers edible, external use for acne, rashes, hives, lymph nodes, expectorant, veins & capillaries.

Perennial.  Likes wet soil, ideally next to a stream, prefers shade or part shade but not direct sun. humid or misty condition, moist rich soil, soil grown has good leaves, water borne has best roots, remove dead or discolored leaves, mist planting.  Medicinal Value: Leaves great in salad, peppery but mild, antiparasitic, reduces cholesterol, prevent cavities, good for the circulatory system, curbs hypertension, respiratory problems, arthritis, cuts cancer risk, colds, detoxifies the body, counteract seafood poisoning, anti-inflammatory, chemoprotective.

Perennial.  Aquatic or semi-aquatic, bright white flowers, from seed or cuttings, grow in a wide variety of soils, sun to part shade, prefers cold spring water, but moist garden soil works, pH 6.5 to 7.5, filters & purifies running water, seeds good in peaty soil, stem cuttings.  Medicinal Value: Rich in vitamin C, which supports your immune system, helps you heal from injuries, & supports healthy collagen production, full of beta-carotene & other carotenoids, which are known for being potent antioxidants,   tasty, peppery flavor, contains many different compounds & micronutrients that support weight loss & athletic performance, antioxidants, chemo-preventative, calcium. 

Perennial. Beautiful vine. Plant seed in fall, best to cut up root when fresh, sun dappled shade of hardwood forest, diverse soil types, pH 5 to 6, deep mulch of hardwood leaves, trellises help, composted manure helps.  Medicinal Value:  Rhizome & rootless used, dried root preferred, antispasmodic, cramping, ovarian cysts, muscle pain, hormonal imbalances, relaxed nervous system, harvest root in fall.

Perennial. Prefers well drained soil, loamy soil best, but can tolerate many soils, likes hot & dry conditions, sun to part shade, drought tolerant, good companion to fruit trees, attracts a lot of pollinators. Medicinal Value: Leaf & flower used. Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, good for colds, fever, & helps heal bleeding cuts.

Low growing perennial.  Over-picked in the wild, likes sunny areas & needs regular watering, sends out long runners that will root along the way, so if you start with one or two plants, you will soon be able to have more, but not invasive, need plant of different parentage to get seed, likes wet soil, filters & cleans water, rhizomes best harvested in fall or winter.  Medicinal Value: Mucous membrane & intestinal tonic, bacterial infections, poultice for contusions & swollen joints, immune-stimulating, upper respiratory, intestinal & urinary infections, ulcers, colds, canker sores, athlete’s foot, antiseptic for wounds.