Plants and the knowledge around them

Ethnobotany looks at relationships between people and plants. I'm interested in the living plant, the context of its traditional use, and what careful scientific work can and cannot tell us about it.

The library brings together botanical literature, traditional plant knowledge and scientific questions. Inclusion here does not indicate that a species is held by the nursery or available for sale. Sensitive topics are presented as sourced education, without purchasing pathways or recommendations for use.

Keep the kinds of evidence separate

Documented traditional knowledge, laboratory findings and human evidence answer different questions. Traditional use is not proof of clinical benefit. A compound's presence does not establish a plant's safety or effectiveness.

Begin with the plant

A profile starts with a supported botanical identity and relevant ecological context. Nursery observations and literature-based profiles identify their evidence separately. An uncertain name stays uncertain; an article is not an inventory entry.

Read the history in context

Traditional knowledge deserves clear sourcing and attribution. A short plant profile cannot stand in for the communities, practices or circumstances from which that knowledge comes.

Leave room for unanswered questions

Safety concerns, gaps in the evidence and conflicting findings belong in the account. They are part of understanding a plant, rather than details to leave out of an appealing story.

This is botanical education, not individualized medical advice or a guide to dosing, consumption or extraction.

Plant Library & Journal · Research & Experiments · Discuss a botanical question