ETHNOBOTANICAL GUIDE
Welcome to the amazing and diverse world of plants. In this Ethnobotanical Guide, you can embark on a botanical adventure exploring their history, uses, and nutrient-rich offerings. Whether you're satisfying a budding interest in plants, curious about what’s in your cocktail, or want to deepen your understanding of nature, we hope you’ll find useful information here.
CHERRY BARK
You may not think of bark as having medicinal qualities, but it actually acts as a phytochemical barrier, protecting trees from invaders of all kinds. For centuries, many Native American tribes have recognized its powers. Leaning into its astringent, sedative, antispasmodic, and bronchodilator activity, cherry bark has been used as a powerful cough suppressant, treatment for dysentery, remedy for cold symptoms, accelerator for wound healing, and anticoagulant for bleeding. In traditional Chinese medicine, cherry bark is the remedy of choice when “heart fire” is diagnosed—a constellation of symptoms that includes palpitations, restlessness, agitation, fever, and rapid pulse.
There’s also a bitter truth about cherry bark. Classified as a bitter herb, this type of plant supports digestive function in a big way by stimulating receptors on the tongue, stomach, gallbladder, and pancreas. Activation of these bitter receptors promotes the release of digestive juices such as stomach acid, bile, and enzymes that break down food and assist in the all-important absorption of nutrients.
Today, cherry bark is used to add cherry flavor to food and beverages and continues to be used in cough syrups for its soothing effect on the respiratory system. As a tea, it is believed to have a soothing effect and is sometimes consumed to promote sleep and relaxation.
Listed in the US Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1970 as an antitussive and a sedative, today we know cherry bark contains cyanogenic glycosides (prunasin and amygdalin), flavonoids, benzaldehyde, volatile oils, plant acids, tannins, calcium, potassium, and iron.
CHICORY ROOT
You may be familiar with chicory as the garden perennial commonly called blue daisies, cornflowers or bachelor’s buttons. This member of the Asteraceae family has been cultivated and used for food and medicine since ancient Egypt. While the entire plant has been used by different cultures to treat various symptoms and diseases, historically, chicory root has been used to treat jaundice, digestive ailments, malaria, inflammation, and liver disorders.
Known as ‘chicoree’ in France, it has been roasted, ground, and mixed with coffee since the 1800’s. During the Civil War, chicory also became popular in the US as a way to stretch diminished coffee supplies due to shortages. Mixing coffee and chicory continued and became a cultural tradition in New Orleans that still exists today.
With a similar taste and color to coffee, chicory is commonly used to make coffee alternatives. When roasted, the bitterness inherent in the chicory root is replaced with a nutty, toasty flavor and a hint of sweetness.
Research shows that chicory root acts as a prebiotic, which means it feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut. The root is 68% inulin, a starch-like prebiotic fiber that passes through the body undigested, promoting healthy bacteria growth by reducing inflammation, fighting harmful bacteria, and improving mineral absorption. There is a growing body of research that points to the role of a healthy gut biome in overall health and wellness.
Studies also show that chicory root fiber may regulate appetite and reduce caloric intake by decreasing levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger.
In addition to inulin, chicory contains flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, alkaloids, and volatile oils, among other phytochemicals, and is a rich source of beta-carotene.
COFFEE BEANS
The word "coffee" stems from “Qahwah” the Arabic word for "wine." In Turkish that became known as “kahveh”, and then in Dutch, koffie, which is where we get the English word “coffee.”
Although that gives us some clues about the origins of this ubiquitous beverage, the exact history remains murky. However, it is generally believed that wild coffee plants (Coffea species) date back to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau known as Kefa (circ 1400 AD.) According to legend, a goat herder named Kaldi was the first to discover coffee when he noticed how lively his goats became after eating the red berries from a particular tree. Kaldi tried them himself and felt the stimulating effect immediately.
Today, of course, coffee is grown, consumed, and loved worldwide. It holds the number 2 status as the most valuable legally traded commodity in the world, after oil. Brazil became the largest producer of coffee in 1852 and has held its position ever since.
The mild central nervous system stimulating properties of caffeine are credited with boosting energy levels and fine-tuning concentration, managing weight, and enhancing athletic performance. Research suggests that the far-ranging benefits of coffee can also be attributed to antioxidants and other compounds called diterpenes, which reduce inflammation and raise serum levels of total and LDL cholesterol.
LICORICE ROOT
With ancient roots, licorice is considered one of the world’s oldest herbal remedies, dating back to 2300 BC in China. It was revered for its strength and vitality bestowing qualities by the Chinese, and believed to keep evil spirits away in ancient Egypt. In fact, a large quantity of licorice was found in King Tut’s tomb. Native to Western Asia and Southern Europe, it was also used in ancient Greece and Middle Eastern cultures to soothe upset stomachs, reduce inflammation, alleviate respiratory problems, and treat other ailments.
Today, studies have shown licorice to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, relieving respiratory symptoms, heartburn, indigestion, gastric and stomach ulcers, acid reflux, and symptoms of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). Coating the respiratory and digestive tracts protects the lining while helping to speed repair.
Licorice is considered a powerful adaptogenic herb, meaning that it helps the body adapt to stress by breaking down the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol. Licorice also contains isoflavan and isoflavone, compounds that have been shown to have antidepressant properties.
Although a popular flavor in food, drink, and even tobacco, many “licorice” products don’t contain any licorice at all but instead are flavored with anise oil, which has a similar taste but is botanically unrelated.
Some of the compounds contained in licorice include glycosides called glycyrrhizinate, saponins, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, volatile oils, chalcones, coumarins, amino acids,
SARSAPARILLA
A shrubby plant in the ginseng family, sarsaparilla is a fascinating root that has been used by cultures around the globe to treat a wide variety of symptoms. In Ayurvedic medicine, sarsaparilla is considered a sacred herb known as a Rasayana, meaning an elixir for a long life.
Dating back to the ancient Peruvians, sarsaparilla was first used as a pain reliever for headaches, joint pain, and symptoms associated with colds and flu. Native tribes in Central and South America also used sarsaparilla to treat coughs and colds, promote detoxification, and as a tonic for sexual health. In the 1800s, it was believed to cure syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases.
In other supposed ‘old wives tales’ sarsaparilla was hailed as a cure for baldness. It now appears that it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. There are plant sterols in sarsaparilla that closely resemble the hormones testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. Proper levels of testosterone and progesterone are necessary for healthy hair growth.
Before the use of steroids, sarsaparilla also proved to be surprisingly effective in treating psoriasis. Other skin conditions that have been found to benefit from this ethnobotanical include eczema, rashes, acne, fungus, pruritus, and wounds.
Today, we know that the superpower behind sarsaparilla is its high concentration of saponins, more than in any other plant. Saponins are beneficial phytochemicals that act as synergists, increasing the bioavailability of other herbs. Classified as an “alternative” herb, which are herbs that gradually restore the proper function of the body and increase health and vitality, the saponins in sarsaparilla bind to endotoxins and remove them from the body. Saponins also have potent anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity.
With a root beer-like taste, sarsaparilla is one of the 23 ingredients found in Dr. Pepper and one of the first flavorings used in soft drinks. When eaten, sarsaparilla provides fiber and other nutrients, including ferulic acid, sarsapic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, chromium, iron, magnesium, selenium, calcium, and zinc.