Kawakawa, in plain English: the leaf that isn’t kava
Kawakawa tea or balm in the post from New Zealand? How to tell it from kava, what a cup has been shown to do, and who should go carefully.
The AIP Blog
Herbs in plain English
Short, jargon-free editions of the research articles in our Journal, written for anyone who uses herbs and never sat a chemistry exam. Same plants, same evidence, without the Latin you don't need. Each one links back to the full article if you want the studies.
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Gotu kola in plain English: the coin-leaf in the grass
Gotu kola grows wild in Australian lawns and sells as a memory herb. What it does, what the trials found, and the rare liver signs to know.
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Shatavari for menopause, in plain English
Shatavari is sold here as a non-hormonal answer to hot flushes. What its small trials show, what the label means, and who should ask first.
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Mullein tea and the lung detox promise, in plain English
Mullein tea is sold to vapers as a lung detox. What the woolly weed can do for a sore throat, what it can't do for lungs, and how to quit.
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Chanca piedra in plain English: the stone-breaker tea
Chanca piedra tea is sold to pass kidney stones. What it does to crystals, what happened in people, and who should hold off.
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Elderberry, in plain English: syrup, colds and safety
Andrographis has left the chemist shelf and elderberry sits in its place. Which part is food, what the cold trials found, who should wait.
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Prickly pear in plain English: food, trials and the law
Prickly pear fruit and nopal pads: what people eat, what the small blood-sugar trials showed, the bristles, and the one pear Queensland leaves undeclared.
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Rhodiola in plain English: golden root and cortisol
Rhodiola is sold online to lower cortisol. What people's hormone levels actually did, where it may help, and how to read the label.
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Schisandra in plain English: the five-flavour berry
Schisandra hides in many stress and sleep formulas. What the berry is, what the trials found, and which medicines it can affect.
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Tongkat ali in plain English: the root behind the ads
Heard tongkat ali sold as a testosterone booster? What the trials really found, why the bottle may not hold the plant, and who to ask.
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Jiaogulan, in plain English: the southern ginseng tea
Sold as southern ginseng, jiaogulan is a cucumber-family tea. What it shares with ginseng, what trials show, and a caution on diabetes tablets.
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Korean ginseng in plain English: which box, what works
Four plants are sold as ginseng. How to read the label, why red and white root differ, what trials found, and which medicines to check.