Medicinal plants: what the research says

A free place to look up plants that people have used for health for centuries, including plants used to support the immune system and the airways. For each plant: what studies in people found, how strong the evidence is, who should be careful, which medicines it can interact with, and where to read the original research.

For education only, not medical advice. No plant on this page is proven to cure a disease. Herbs can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you use any herbal product, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, giving it to a child or taking medicines.

A child holding a drawing of hanging plants in macramé holders and a yellow flower

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Where the information comes from

Every statement is summarised in our own words from public, independent sources, and each plant links to them:

NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Herbs at a Glance
Cochrane Library systematic reviews
Peer-reviewed systematic reviews indexed in PubMed
Herbal monographs of the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization for further reading

Evidence levels on this page: Some evidence means several studies in people point the same way; Early / mixed means small, few or conflicting studies; Not enough evidence means research does not show a benefit yet. In the United States, herbal dietary supplements are not approved by the FDA before they are sold, and their labels may not claim to treat, cure or prevent a disease.

More plants are added regularly. Suggest a plant or a study: contact us.

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