Pick a complaint or a herb. You get Culpeper's sentence as the 1850 edition prints it (most entries are his 1652 text; the ones that aren't are marked), then what has been published on it since, and the European regulator's verdict. Herbs recorded where you live come first.
Old claims, quoted verbatim, and paper counts: not medical advice. A paper count means people have studied a plant for a complaint. It does not mean the plant works, or is safe, or at what dose. Herbs that can seriously harm carry a red Poisonous flag; others show the substance of concern the EU food-safety agency lists. No flag does not mean safe: it means no source here has flagged the plant.
2,243 of Culpeper's claims, each searched in PubMed on 14 September 2026 (two of the searches on 22 October 2026) as the plant's accepted Latin name together with a modern reading of the complaint. Counts are papers that mention both. They measure attention, not truth.
The European Medicines Agency's herbal committee has assessed 74 of these plants. A monograph's "well-established use" rests on clinical evidence; "traditional use" means the use is plausible and has thirty years of safe practice behind it, fifteen of them in the EU. Below, every Culpeper claim whose complaint the monograph also names, matched by us from the monograph's own wording; the wording is shown so you can judge the match. 89 claims, 46 plants.
| Herb | Culpeper's heading | EMA basis | What the monograph says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flea-Wort Plantago afra | Piles | Well-established use | Herbal medicinal product for the treatment of habitual constipation. Herbal medicinal product in conditions in which easy defecation with soft stool is desirable, e.g. in cases of painful defecation after rectal or anal surgery, anal fissures and haemorrhoids EMA |
| Mint Mentha | Cholic | Well-established use | Herbal medicinal product relief of minor spasms of tract, flatulence and abd patients with irritable b Herbal medicinal product relief of mild tension ty EMA |
| Mint Mentha | Stomach | Well-established use | Herbal medicinal product relief of minor spasms of tract, flatulence and abd patients with irritable b Herbal medicinal product relief of mild tension ty EMA |
| The Black Alder-Tree Frangula alnus | Purging | Well-established use | Herbal medicinal product for short-term use in cases of occasional constipation EMA |
| The Vine Vitis vinifera | Inflammations | Well-established use | Herbal medicinal product for treatment of chronic venous insufficiency, which is characterised by swollen legs, varicose veins, a feeling of heaviness, pain, tiredness, itching, tension and cramps in the calves EMA |
| Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria | Bloody Flux | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for use as a gargle for the symptomatic relief of minor inflammations of the mouth and throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product for r… EMA |
| Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for use as a gargle for the symptomatic relief of minor inflammations of the mouth and throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product for r… EMA |
| Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for use as a gargle for the symptomatic relief of minor inflammations of the mouth and throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product for r… EMA |
| Ash Tree Fraxinus excelsior | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for relief of minor articular pain. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints. The product is a tradit… EMA |
| Balm Melissa officinalis | Melancholy | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. The product is a tradition… EMA |
| Balm Melissa officinalis | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. The product is a tradition… EMA |
| Balm Melissa officinalis | Surfeits | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. The product is a tradition… EMA |
| Bilberries, Called By Some Whorts And Whortle-Berries Vaccinium myrtillus | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations of the oral mucosa Traditional herbal medicinal product to relieve symptoms of discomfort an… EMA |
| Camomile Chamaemelum nobile | Cholic | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence EMA |
| Carraway Carum carvi | Cholic | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence. monograph (ref.: 1817… EMA |
| Carraway Carum carvi | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence. monograph (ref.: 1817… EMA |
| Comfrey Symphytum officinale | Bruises | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the symptomatic relief of minor sprains and bruises EMA |
| Dog’s-Grass, Or Cough Grass Elymus repens | Stone | Traditional use | product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints EMA |
| Fennel Foeniculum vulgare | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of minor spasm associated with menstrual periods. … EMA |
| French Beans Phaseolus vulgaris | Gravel | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary tract complaints EMA |
| French Beans Phaseolus vulgaris | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary tract complaints EMA |
| Horehound Marrubium vulgare | Coughs | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used as an expectorant in cough associated with cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of mild dyspeptic complaints such as bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal product us… EMA |
| Horsetail Equisetum arvense | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for supportive treatment of superficial wounds. The product is a… EMA |
| Horsetail Equisetum arvense | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for supportive treatment of superficial wounds. The product is a… EMA |
| Horsetail Equisetum arvense | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for supportive treatment of superficial wounds. The product is a… EMA |
| Horsetail Equisetum arvense | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for supportive treatment of superficial wounds. The product is a… EMA |
| Juniper Bush Juniperus communis | Cholic | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract in minor urinary tract complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as dyspepsia and … EMA |
| Juniper Bush Juniperus communis | Cramp | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract in minor urinary tract complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as dyspepsia and … EMA |
| Juniper Bush Juniperus communis | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract in minor urinary tract complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as dyspepsia and … EMA |
| Juniper Bush Juniperus communis | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract in minor urinary tract complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as dyspepsia and … EMA |
| Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare | Cankers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations in the mouth or the throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase th… EMA |
| Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare | Gravel | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations in the mouth or the throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase th… EMA |
| Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations in the mouth or the throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase th… EMA |
| Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations in the mouth or the throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase th… EMA |
| Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations in the mouth or the throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase th… EMA |
| Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations in the mouth or the throat. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase th… EMA |
| Liquorice Glycyrrhiza glabra | Coughs | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of digestive symptoms including burning sensation and dyspepsia. Traditional herbal medicinal product used as an expectorant in cough associated with cold. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal produc… EMA |
| Mallows And Marshmallows Malva sylvestris | Coughs | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used as a demulcent preparation for the symptomatic treatment of oral or pharyngeal irritation and associated dry cough. Traditional herbal medicinal product used as a demulcent preparation for the symptomatic relief of mil… EMA |
| Mallows And Marshmallows Malva sylvestris | Hoarseness | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used as a demulcent preparation for the symptomatic treatment of oral or pharyngeal irritation and associated dry cough. Traditional herbal medicinal product used as a demulcent preparation for the symptomatic relief of mil… EMA |
| Mellilot, Or King’s Claver Melilotus officinalis | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to relieve symptoms of discomfort and heaviness of legs related to minor venous circulatory disturbances. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively based upon long-st… EMA |
| Mellilot, Or King’s Claver Melilotus officinalis | Swellings | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to relieve symptoms of discomfort and heaviness of legs related to minor venous circulatory disturbances. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively based upon long-st… EMA |
| Mellilot, Or King’s Claver Melilotus officinalis | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to relieve symptoms of discomfort and heaviness of legs related to minor venous circulatory disturbances. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively based upon long-st… EMA |
| Motherwort Leonurus cardiaca | Faintings | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to relieve symptoms of nervous tension. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to relieve symptoms of nervous cardiac complaints such as palpitations, after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor EMA |
| Motherwort Leonurus cardiaca | Melancholy | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to relieve symptoms of nervous tension. Traditional herbal medicinal product used to relieve symptoms of nervous cardiac complaints such as palpitations, after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor EMA |
| Mullein Verbascum thapsus | Coughs | Traditional use | icinal product used to relieve symptoms of sore throat associated with dry cough and cold. os EMA |
| Nettles Urtica dioica | Gravel | Traditional use | product for the relief of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary co… EMA |
| Nettles Urtica dioica | Inflammations | Traditional use | product for the relief of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary co… EMA |
| Nettles Urtica dioica | Stone | Traditional use | product for the relief of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary co… EMA |
| Nettles Urtica dioica | Swellings | Traditional use | product for the relief of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary co… EMA |
| Our Lady’s Thistle Silybum marianum | Jaundice | Traditional use | product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders, sensation of fullness and indigestion and to support the liver function, after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor EMA |
| Our Lady’s Thistle Silybum marianum | Liver | Traditional use | product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders, sensation of fullness and indigestion and to support the liver function, after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor EMA |
| Polypody Of The Oak Polypodium vulgare | Coughs | Traditional use | a) Traditional herbal medicinal product used as an expectorant in cough and cold EMA |
| Queen Of The Meadows, Meadow Sweet, Or Mead Sweet Filipendula ulmaria | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the supportive treatment of common cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of minor articular pain. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively ba… EMA |
| Rest Harrow, Or Cammock Ononis spinosa | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints EMA |
| Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic relief of dyspepsia and mild spasmodic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of minor muscular and articular pain and in minor peripheral circulator… EMA |
| Roses Rosa | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for mild inflammations of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for relief of minor skin inflammation. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indi… EMA |
| Rupture-Wort Herniaria glabra | Gravel | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints EMA |
| Rupture-Wort Herniaria glabra | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints EMA |
| Sage Salvia officinalis | Cankers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild dyspeptic complaints such as heartburn and bloating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of excessive sweating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of inflammations in the mouth or… EMA |
| Sage Salvia officinalis | Hoarseness | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild dyspeptic complaints such as heartburn and bloating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of excessive sweating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of inflammations in the mouth or… EMA |
| Sage Salvia officinalis | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild dyspeptic complaints such as heartburn and bloating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of excessive sweating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of inflammations in the mouth or… EMA |
| Sage Salvia officinalis | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild dyspeptic complaints such as heartburn and bloating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of excessive sweating. Traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of inflammations in the mouth or… EMA |
| St. John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum | Stomach | Traditional use | Herbal preparations a), c), d), e), f), g), h), j), k): Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of temporary mental exhaustion. Herbal preparations b), d), e), j): Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of minor inflamma… EMA |
| St. John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum | Wounds | Traditional use | Herbal preparations a), c), d), e), f), g), h), j), k): Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of temporary mental exhaustion. Herbal preparations b), d), e), j): Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of minor inflamma… EMA |
| Strawberries Fragaria vesca | Bloody Flux | Traditional use | Fragaria x ananassa (Weston) Duchesne ex Rozier, folium Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary tract complaints in addition to the general recommendation of a sufficient fluid intake to increase the a… EMA |
| Succory, Or Chicory Cichorium intybus | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of symptoms related to mild digestive disorders (such as feeling of abdominal fullness, flatulence and slow digestion) and temporary loss of appetite EMA |
| Sweet Marjoram Origanum majorana | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the symptomatic relief of mild spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints such as bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal product used for relief of irritated skin around the nostrils EMA |
| The Birch Tree Betula pendula | Stone | Traditional use | product to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints EMA |
| The Burdock Arctium lappa | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary tract complaints. Traditional herbal medicinal product used in temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal med… EMA |
| The Cherry-Tree Prunus cerasus | Gravel | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary tract complaints in addition to the general recommendation of a sufficient fluid intake to increase the amount of urine EMA |
| The Cherry-Tree Prunus cerasus | Stone | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of symptoms associated with minor urinary tract complaints in addition to the general recommendation of a sufficient fluid intake to increase the amount of urine EMA |
| The Hedge-Mustard Sisymbrium officinale | Cankers | Traditional use | product for the relief the symptoms of throat irritation such as hoarseness and dry cough EMA |
| The Hedge-Mustard Sisymbrium officinale | Coughs | Traditional use | product for the relief the symptoms of throat irritation such as hoarseness and dry cough EMA |
| The Hedge-Mustard Sisymbrium officinale | Hoarseness | Traditional use | product for the relief the symptoms of throat irritation such as hoarseness and dry cough EMA |
| The Oak Quercus robur | Bloody Flux | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammation of the oral mucosa or skin. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic relief of it… EMA |
| The Oak Quercus robur | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammation of the oral mucosa or skin. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic relief of it… EMA |
| The Oak Quercus robur | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of minor inflammation of the oral mucosa or skin. Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic relief of it… EMA |
| The Ordinary Small Centaury Centaurium erythraea | Cholic | Traditional use | product used in mild dyspeptic/gastrointestinal disorders and in temporary loss of appetite EMA |
| Thyme Thymus vulgaris | Coughs | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used as an expectorant in cough associated with cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of symptoms in coughs and colds. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indicatio… EMA |
| Thyme Thymus vulgaris | Lungs | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used as an expectorant in cough associated with cold. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of symptoms in coughs and colds. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indicatio… EMA |
| Tormentil, Or Septfoil Potentilla erecta | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations of the oral mucosa. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in spe… EMA |
| Tormentil, Or Septfoil Potentilla erecta | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild diarrhoea. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations of the oral mucosa. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in spe… EMA |
| Wormwood Artemisia absinthium | Appetite (to restore) | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for mild dyspeptic/gastrointestinal disorders. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively based up… EMA |
| Wormwood Artemisia absinthium | Cholic | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for mild dyspeptic/gastrointestinal disorders. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively based up… EMA |
| Wormwood Artemisia absinthium | Surfeits | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for mild dyspeptic/gastrointestinal disorders. The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indications exclusively based up… EMA |
| Yarrow, Called Nose-Bleed, Milfoil And Thousand-Leal Achillea millefolium | Inflammations | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal produc… EMA |
| Yarrow, Called Nose-Bleed, Milfoil And Thousand-Leal Achillea millefolium | Stomach | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal produc… EMA |
| Yarrow, Called Nose-Bleed, Milfoil And Thousand-Leal Achillea millefolium | Ulcers | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal produc… EMA |
| Yarrow, Called Nose-Bleed, Milfoil And Thousand-Leal Achillea millefolium | Wounds | Traditional use | Traditional herbal medicinal product used for temporary loss of appetite. Traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastro- intestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence. Traditional herbal medicinal produc… EMA |
Reviewed and declined, no monograph established: Celandine, Eyebright, Hemp, Male And Female Peony, Misselto, Onions. That is a verdict too: the committee looked and found the evidence insufficient for a licensed traditional use.
Ranked by how many trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews connect the plant to the complaint. A high count means people have studied it in people; it does not by itself mean it works, or at what dose, or safely. Headings with no modern equivalent (Blood (to cleanse), Ruptures, Blood (Culpeper says it harms)) are left out of this table and the charts below, because their search terms match almost anything. So are the headings of ours that record what Culpeper says a plant harms or causes.
Share of Culpeper's herbs for each complaint that have at least one modern paper on that use. Complaints with five or more herbs.
Culpeper assigned each herb a ruling planet. If the assignment carried any information about which plants would later attract research, the planets would differ here. The dark line is the rate across all claims, 58%.
Spread between the highest (Sun, 75%) and the lowest (Moon, 46%): 29 points. Read it as a lead. The planet also sorts plants by kind (Saturn gets the cold, poisonous and slow; the Sun the warm and aromatic), and research follows the plants people already use, so a gap here can come from the plants and not from the planet.
Eight or more uses in the herbal, fewer than 25 papers ever.
3 of the 306 plants have no paper at all under their accepted Latin name.
One source. Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal: Project Gutenberg #49513, which is the 1850 Thomas Kelly edition. That edition says it adds "upwards of one hundred additional herbs" and doesn't mark which, so not every entry is guaranteed to be Culpeper's own 1653 text. Checked against his 1652 first edition (The English Physitian, in the Text Creation Partnership's transcription A35365): 274 of the 345 herbs here have an entry in 1652, 45 do not (added by Culpeper in 1653 or by a later editor up to 1850; the check cannot say which), and 26 are index names with no herbal entry. Each herb says which.
The claims. The complaint names come from the edition's own List of the Principal Diseases. Every herb entry's virtues were searched for each complaint's phrase, and the matching sentence is quoted. 1850 index marks the pairs the editor listed. Every claim was then read for direction in October 2026: claims filed under the wrong heading were moved or dropped, and headings of ours mark where Culpeper says a plant harms or causes a complaint. 2,470 claims in all; quotes are verbatim except that line breaks are joined.
The modern reading. Each searched heading was translated to a handful of search terms by us: "Falling Sickness" became epilepsy, "Dropsy" became edema and diuretic, "Stone" became kidney stones. Some headings have no modern equivalent ("Blood, to cleanse") and are marked as loose readings. Headings only the 1850 index lists (Gout, Itch, Head-ache and others) have no search terms yet, and their claims say "not searched in PubMed".
The search. PubMed, the plant's Latin name in title or abstract AND the complaint's terms anywhere. A genus on its own ("Rosa") would also match unrelated words, so a genus is searched through PubMed's plant index (MeSH) where it has an entry, and in title or abstract where it has none. "Trials and reviews" restricts that to the publication types randomized controlled trial, clinical trial, meta-analysis and systematic review. Up to three papers are shown per claim, trials first, then by PubMed's relevance order.
What a count cannot say. A paper about a plant's toxicity counts the same as one about its benefit. A paper on a related complaint can match a broad term. The number is a doorway to reading, not a verdict. The words on each card ("studied in people", "a few papers") describe the size of the literature and nothing else.
The EMA layer. The European Medicines Agency's Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products publishes a monograph for each herbal substance it has assessed. Each plant here was matched to that list by botanical name, the monograph's therapeutic indications were read, and they were matched to Culpeper's headings with a list of plain rules of ours. "Well-established use" rests on clinical evidence; "traditional use" on plausibility and thirty years of documented safe use. A "public statement" means the committee assessed the plant and did not establish a monograph. The monograph's own wording is shown so you can judge the match yourself.
Warnings. A red Poisonous flag marks plants that can seriously harm or kill at amounts a person might take, each checked by hand against a source. A grey box names the substance of concern the EU food-safety agency (EFSA) lists for the plant. The warning sits above the claim and never hides it.
Latin names and places. Each herb's identification was proposed from Culpeper's description and then checked against GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. "Recorded in" a region means GBIF holds at least 5 occurrence records of that plant there: wild, garden or herbarium, from any origin. It says the plant is found there, not that it is native. Group entries (docks, roses, poppies) are placed by genus.
The planet chart. Each column compares the share of this complaint's herbs ruled by that planet (the bar) with its share across every herb in the concordance (the line). A planet is drawn dark when its share here is at least 1.5 times its share overall and it rules at least three of the herbs, and only for complaints with eight or more ruled herbs. Treat it as a lead, not a finding: Culpeper assigned both the planet and the use, so agreement inside his book isn't independent confirmation.
Permanent links and citations. Every heading, herb, quotation and claim here has an ID that never changes (CND-, HRB-, QUO-, CLM-) and a permanent address: a herb at /herbs/h/HRB-0027/, a heading at /herbs/c/CND-0012/, a claim at /herbs/claims/CLM-000327. Each card's “Copy citation” gives the full reference: Culpeper's edition, the entry heading as printed, the page where the 1850 index lists the pair, and the claim's address. A name can be respelt; the ID stays. Lists: herbs · headings · sources.
The one historical source is quoted; the modern sources are searched or read, and each record says when. A field a record does not know is left unknown. Every source has its own page under sources/.