• Used in Chinese medicine for treatment of ulcers.
• Otherwise, generally regarded as more a food than a medicinal herb.

Alfalfa is rich in protein, vitamin A, several B vitamins, vitamins E and K, Folic Acid calcium, trace minerals.

Note: Alfalfa contains saponins that have been found poisonous to poultry, depressing the growth of chicks and lowering egg production in laying hens.

Note: Aloe requires a minimum temperature of 41 degrees F. For this reason, it is often grown in containers that can be moved indoors during the winter.

Warning: Aloe has been used as a laxative. However, it can cause severe cramping.

• Diabetes. Leaves have a weak hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) effect.
• Tea used as a treatment for diarrhea. (When sweetened with sugar and milk, the berries have a mild laxative effect.)
• Urinary tract antiseptic.
• Extracts from leaves and berries used for mouthwash to treat gum disease.

Bilberry is a good source of vitamin C.

Note: Billberry's effects are based primarily on its anthocyanoside content. Anthocyanosides are derived by hydrolysis from anthocyanins, glycosides that are one of the main classes of plant pigments.

Warning: The parsley family contains a number of members that are highly poisonous, most notably, poison hemlock. Positive identification is essential before using any of these plants!

Note: Chimaja, Cymopterus fendleri, another member of the parsley family, is also called "Biscuit Root." Unlike Lomatium species, Chimaja has a tuberous root. Chimaja has different medicinal uses than Lomatium species, and is also known for its Cilantro-like flavor. It is primarily used as a spice.

Note: California Poppies are a good source of pollen for honey bees.

Note: Comfrey cannot be pollinated by honey bees, but is a major attraction for bumblebees.

Note: The Old English name for Comfrey was "knitbone."

Note: There are a number of plants that are often mistaken for dandelions. The key differentiator is that dandelions completely lack a stem; all leaves and flower stems grow directly from the root. Similar plants having stems are not dandelions.

Note: Where not destroyed by chemical spraying, dandelions are and important plant for honey bees.

• High vitamin and mineral content.
• Digestive aid.
• Diuretic.
• Aids in rebuilding tooth enamel.
• Root tea is a laxative.
• Mild blood-sugar and blood-pressure reducing effects.

Note: The potency of dandelion roots and leaves is highly variable, depending on the season and location where the plants are obtained. This may account for reports that dandelion does not have the "liver tonic" effects that have been claimed.

Note: An Ephedra species found in China, E. gerardiana, commonly called ma-huang, is the variety used for commercial ephedra preparations. It contains significant amounts of ephedrine. The Ephedra species found in the United States, E. nevadensis contains much less ephedrine; Mormon Tea is brewed from it.

Note: Ephedrine produces effects similar to those that result from stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, including bronchial dialatiion. For this reason it is used extensively for asthma.

Note: In the Middle East, Fenugreek is an important honey plant.

Note: Flax is grown in a number of countries for oil or linen fiber. Linum usitatissimum is the species grown for oil. This species has the following characteristics:

• Can withstand high temperature and drought, but is sensitive to cold.
• The oil content of the seeds is largely independent of climate.
• The content of linolenic acid is lower in plants from warmer climates, giving a better quality oil since this puts the unsaturation level into a more desirable range.

Other varieties that are grown for linen fiber do not produce as much seed., and hence less oil. Although the name flaxseed oil is sometimes used, it correctly apples only to the oil from varieties used to produce flax linen. On the other hand, flax grown for oil produces poor quality flax linen.

Warning: All parts of the flax plant contain linamarin, a cyanogenic glycoside. An enzyme in the plant acts on this glycoside to release hydrocyanic acid, a poison.

Note: Garlic does not produce seeds; it reproduces by "cloning" itself through the its cloves. "Non-bolting" garlic, which is the most common type, produces only bulbs containing cloves, typically about 15 cloves per bulb. The "bolting" or "top-setting" type also sends up a flower stalk; however, the flowers are sterile. What the flower stalk does produce are bulbils, which are also clones of the parent plant. The bulbils scatter like seeds, which greatly increases the chances fo the plant to reproduce successfully. Otherwise, the cloves in the garlic bulb must be separated and planted separately, at least 6" apart, or they will sprout "in-place" and overcrowding will result.

Note: The Horse Chestnut is a poisonous plant. The Pomo Indians used mashed seeds of the California Buckeye, Aesculus californica, as the source of a poison that would stun fish and cause them to float to the surface. They also leached the poison from the seeds and used the latter as a food source.

Warning: Lobelia is a poisonous plant.

Warning: The berries are poisonous.

Warning: Valerian is toxic if used continuously over long periods of time or in large doses.

Also used to flavor vermouth and Campari. Wormwood was the active ingrediant in the infamous alcoholic drink absinthe, which the painter van Gough was drinking when he cut off his ear.

Note: Often mistaken for Sage, which is a member of the Mint family. The leaves of the Mint family are always opposite. Members of the Compositae family Artemisia species, like Wormwood and Sagebrush, have alternate leaves.

Note: Steroidal saponins are not anabolic steroid, but precursors that the body can use to meet its requirements.

Externlly, saponins are sudsing agents; yucca root is also used to make shampoos.

Note: Fiber extracted from agave and yucca leaves was used by Indians in Southern California and Northern Baja California to make sandals.