Developing Your Materia medica

Materia medica comes from Latin meaning the materials used as medicine. These materials include salts, clay, plants, moss, mushrooms, trees, and animal products (such as bone broth).

Like other scientific names, the first letter of the first word, Materia, is always capitalized and the second, medica, isn't. And both words are always italicized. When applied to species, the first word is the genus and the second is the species.

I'm providing you with a worksheet to help you develop the your Materia medica. Many of my students print these off and keep them in a three-ring binder and update them as they learn more about each plant. If you really feel called to herbalism, you will find that you never stop learning. New things are learned through research all the time. Or you might uncover a bit of folklore watching a movie and then find that the folklore is truly in the literature and not an invention for entertainment. Or you read a novel and wonder if the person using herbs in the book is actually using them in a way that makes sense given the plant's actions or other qualities.

For instance, I was watching The Handmaid's Tale and caught a seen where someone puts calendula and comfrey on a gunshot wound, which may or may not have been cleaned enough to avoid infection.

OMG

Those herbs shouldn't be put on such a severe wound. Seriously, they are likely to heal the surface too fast, inhibiting the healthy process of healing from the inside out and possibly sealing in an infection.

YIKES.

So, have fun learning about herbs, but don't believe everything you read or see, even if the source might be valid. Because herbalists make mistakes, companies trying to sell herbs sometimes stretch the truth, and then those inaccuracies get cut and pasted into books by inexperienced herbalists. All true.

And if you see that I've made a mistake, please kindly let me know.

As you learn, remember to always seek more than one source.

Download the file that works for you to start your personal Materia medica or cut and paste below to create your own document.

• Plant Names: 

• Scientific (Latin):

• Plant Family:

• Description (botanical description, defining features, dimensions):

• Habitat and Region(s) Found:

• Part(s) Used:

• Energetics:

• Taste(s):

• Vital or Herbal Actions:

• Tissues or Organs Affected:

• Used for:

• Suggested Methods of Delivery:

• Doses:

• Safety (contraindications, warnings, potential drug or supplement interactions):

• Scientific Knowledge (how it might work, chemical constituents, nutrients, etc.):

• Folklore:

• Uses historically and now (such as carpentry, textiles, cultural uses):

• Emotional, Spiritual, and Ceremonial Uses:

Here is a start on what a Materia medica sheet can look like; remember create a way that you can return to your sheets to add as you learn more about each plant.