Words from the Hai Druid

Scientific Plant Names

July 08, 2026

Binomial nomenclature – A system devised in 1753 by Carl von Linne a Swedish biologist and botanist for the scientific naming of plants and animals. Also called taxonomy. Latin was used for most of the classification names because it was the internationally known language of the well educated during that time. All plants and animals are classified by:
      (1) Kingdom
      (2) Phylum (Division in Botany)
      (3) Class
      (4) Order
      (5) Family
      (6) Genus (genera or generic)
      (7) Species

Kingdom – Any of the four categories (as of the 1980’s) into which all natural objects have been classified Animalia for animals, Plantae for plants, Protista for bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoans, viruses and lichens, and lastly the mineral kingdom.

Division – The botanical classifications are:
      Bryophyta (non-vascular plants i.e. liverworts, hornworts, and mosses)
      Pteridophytes (vascular plants i.e. Psilophytes, psilotes, lycopods, horsetails, true ferns)
      Gymnosperms (cycads, ginkos, conifers such as pines and firs, gnetales)
      Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class – The Angiosperms are divided into
      Monocotyledons (plants producing a single seed leaf)
      Dicotyledons (plants which produce two seed leaves)

Order – Not used often in Botany

Families – There are 250-300 families in Botanical classifications depending upon the source used. (i.e. Gray’s Manual of Botany, 8th Edition 1950, lists only 168)
      Some of the more common families are Compositae (Ragweed) there are over 900 genus consisting of over 14,000 species in this family. The Labiatae or Lamiaceae (Mint) family and the Umbelliferae (parsley) family.

Genus – The generic name of a plant loosely corresponds to the family name. The generic name is often derived from the Greek language, but other languages are represented as well. Sometimes the name is representative of the original plant name, of the person who discovered the genus, the place in which it was discovered, some hero of Greek mythology or ancient legend, or whatever else flitted through the mind of the person giving the name. Thus we have the Artemisias named for Artemis, daughter of Zeus, and Achillaes named after Achilles. The genus name Rosemarinus is constructed of the Latin for dew or spray, ros, and for the sea, marinus, to denote the seaside habitat of the plant. When listing numerous plants with the same genus name it is common to use just the capitalized first letter of the genus for the subsequent plant species.

Species – The specific names are supposed to describe the plant, but this idea is sometimes missed. Occasionally, the name commemorates the name of the discoverer or the area to which the plant is native. Especially among the herbs, we see many plants with a specific name officinalis or officinale, which means the plant had some commercial value, generally to the apothecary. Vulgaris or vulgare describes the species as being the common or ordinary variety of the genus. When a variation occurs within a species, the variation is described with “var” in roman type. Sometimes there are various letters following the species line refers to the botanist who coined the plant name or the botanist who reviewed the classification of the plant and confirmed its correctness. The spp. means various species.

Herb Juice – This is usually made with fresh herbs by mashing and squeezing the pulp through a natural fiber cloth. Herb juices are commonly made with parsley, garlic and onions, lemons, limes and other such fruit. Dry herbs are somewhat weaker in properties than the fresh. If dried herbs are used, they are soaked in twice their weight of water for 24 hours and then the fluid is pressed out.

Herb Paste – This is made by grinding and mashing the fresh herbs into a mass. A little water may be then added, which is necessary with dry herbs. The paste may be taken as is or mixed with honey, ghee, or oil, usually in double the quantity. Paste will keep almost indefinitely if refrigerated. If only honey and no other moisture is added, they will keep indefinitely even without refrigeration. These pastes may be used as an electuary and eaten with a spoon, or stirred into a decoction. They also can be the basis for externally applied poultices and plasters.

Decoction – Heavier roots, barks and substances in which the volatile oils are not essential to the therapy are made into decoctions. Thus, aromatic herbs such as mints are not decocted, as the volatile oils will evaporate. In Western herbalism, the average amount used of most herbs in an ounce decocted in a pine of water. Bringing the water to a rolling boil, adding the herbs and covering, let the mixture continue to simmer for twenty to thirty minutes over a low flame.
      The methods of preparing Chinese decoctions vary according to the practitioner but the basic method is to simmer an ounce or more of herbs in three cups of water until the liquid reduces to two cups. The herbs may be double decocted by draining off and setting aside the two cups of the first decoction, adding two more cups of water, and simmering it down to one cup. The second decoction is added to the two cups of he first yield making three cups of double decocted tea.
      Ayurvedic medicine uses the basic formula of one-part dry herbs simmered in sixteen-parts water, or about a half ounce of herbs per cup of water. The herbs are then slowly boiled over a low flame down to one-quarter of the original amount, so that four cups of water would reduce to one. Boiling down the volume of water to half makes a milder decoction.

Hot Infusion – This is made by steeping and covering a recommened amount of herbs (1 tsp to 1 oz) with a pint of boiling water, for ten to twenty minutes. In some cases you may need to soak the herbs up to several hours. This method uses no fire so the aromatic principles of the herbs and volatile oils are kept intact.
      Since many Chinese formulas combine aromatic herbs with heavier barks and roots, a compromise in such case is to simmer the mixture on a low flame for twenty minutes to an hour. A simpler method is to make the decoction of the heavier barks and roots then steep the remaining aromatic and volatile oil herbs in the hot decoction.

Cold Infusion – This is made by allowing the herbs to stand in cool water for at least an hour. Some practitioners prefer to place the infusion in the sun to be energized by its rays (Sun Tea). Others allow the infusion to stand overnight by the light of the moon. This method is used for herbs with delicate volatile oils such as mints, hibiscus, lemon grass and sandalwood. Certain herbs, such as apricot seeds and wild cherry bark, are better extracted in cold water, since one of their active ingredients (amygdaline) is harmed by heat.

Powders – Made with dried herbs by grinding, using a mortar and pestle, a food processor, coffee grinder or buying them in powdered form. Powders are a way to achieve an even mix of ingredients from several herbs, in a form that is readily extracted and assimilated. Powders can be taken in several ways. The most common way is to put them into gelatin capsules. Another method is to stir them directly into a liquid, using warm milk or water. Chinese herbs are taken with meat soups. Ayurvedic medicine combines herbal powders with ghee, oil, honey or raw sugar.
      One of the problems in using herbal powders is that they will oxidize and lose their potency much quicker than the whole dried herb.

Pills – Pills are taken for convenience and are more effectively utilized if taken with warm water. Rather than make one large pill, Chinese pharmacies prepare several small grain sized pills for quick, efficient utilization.
      Pills are made in a variety of ways. One is to decoct the herbs down to a paste at the bottom of the vessel. This is then scraped off the bottom of the pan, rolled into small pellets and set out on a clean paper container to dry. My personally preferred method is to make a herbal paste of the powdered or fine cut and sifted herbs with honey. When you need to make some pills spoon out some of the paste from its storage jar and roll it into pills of the desired size. You can coat them with powdered sugar to make them easier to swallow.

Tinctures – There are three basic types of tinctures. They are alcohol, acetic and glycerite/glycerine.
      Alcohol tinctures are made by adding one ounce of powdered, crushed or cut & sifted herbs to one pint of 80 to 100 proof vodka. This is then shaken and allowed to stand in a warm place for two weeks. Then the liquid is poured out through cheesecloth (coffee filters are best with powdered herbs) and the herbal content squeezed until as much of the extract is removed as possible. Flavoring this type of tincture is done by adding one cup of honey per pint of finished tincture. Then adding flavoring herbs such as crushed anise seed, fennel seed and coriander seed. This mixture is shaken every day for seven days before staining. This end product will taste like licorice. For those that do not care for licorice you can use 8 to 10 cinnamon sticks and a touch of brown sugar with the honey.
      Acetic tinctures are made in the same way as alcohol tinctures using apple cider vinegar instead of alcohol. Acetic tinctures, while best for extracting alkaloids, are not as good for extracting the more acidic constituents that are of significant importance.
      Glycerite tinctures are more soothing and milder on the digestive tract. Their major disadvantage is that glycerine cannot dissolve resinous or oily materials as efficiently as alcohol. To make this type of tincture, mix one-part vegetable glycerine with four parts warm water. Add the powdered herb and process as with the alcohol tinctures.

Note: Many pagan herbalists find that tinctures are more successful when started on the new moon and strained on the full moon.

Liniments – These are made in the same way as alcohol tinctures but since they are intended for “External Use Only” the cheaper isopropyl rubbing alcohol may be used.

Herbal Meads and Wines – Utilizing the standard directions for making wines or meads practitioners substitute herbal infusions or decoctions for the water used in making the wines or meads. DO NOT USE bread Yeast due to the nature of this type of yeast.

Syrups – These are especially useful for throat and lung problems, because of their ability to soothe and coat the throat. A basic syrup is made by boiling three pounds of raw sugar or brown sugar in a pint of water until it reaches a syrupy consistency. To make and herb syrup, substitute the infusion or decoction for the water; or add tincture of the herb to the syrup while it is cooking, to allow the alcohol to boil off.

Poultices & Plasters – A poultice is made by crushing the fresh herbs and binding them directly to the affected part of the body. They relieve pain and promote local healing of injuries, cuts and such. A plaster is made by spreading a thin coat of honey on a piece of cloth and sprinkling it with powdered herbs or making a paste and applying it directly to the body. The cloth is then either taped over the area or the cloth is wrapped over the area that the paste was applied.

Formentation – These are made by making a decoction of a herb or an infusion, soaking a cloth in it, and applying it as hot as possible to the affected area.

Medicated Oils – While many different oils can be used such as olive, almond and others the basic Ayurvedic formula is one-part herbs to sixteen parts water and four parts of either sesame or coconut oil (they type of oil is based on diagnosis). This is then decocted until all the water has evaporated.
      Herbs with volatile oils, such as mint, camphor and rose, lose their potency when over-heated. The best method of preparing them is to soak the dried and powdered herbs directly in the oil. This mixture should then stand for one to two days before being strained through a cloth and bottled for use.

Salves and Ointments – These are made by adding two ounces of beeswax per five ounces of medicated oil then adding a drop of tincture of benzoin per ounce as a preservative. Lard, ghee and even petroleum jelly can also be used. Petroleum jelly base is best if a heating counterirritant, such as Vick’s Vapo-rub or Tiger Balm is desired. Lard, oils and beeswax are more absorbent and useful for promoting the healing of burns, bites and abrasions.

Medicated Ghee – Though similar to medicated oils, medicated ghee is more useful for inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, and for fevers, chronic inflammatory conditions and ulcers. Ghee is simply clarified butter, which is made by heating one pound of raw unsalted butter on a medium flame until the saturated fats condense and separate out from the pure unsaturated oil and are skimmed off.

Reference:

Balch, Phyllis A., CNC “Prescription for Herbal Healing” 2002 Avery
ISBN 0 89529-869-4

Frawley, Dr. David and Lad, Dr. Vasant, “The Yoga of Herbs An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine” Second Edition 2001 Lotus Press
ISBN 0 941524-24-8

Tierra, Dr. Michael, L.A., OMD, AHG “Chinese Traditional Medicine Vol. II Materia Medica and Herbal Resource” 1998 Lotus Press
ISBN 0 914955-32-2

Tierra, Michael, C.A., ND “Planetary Herbology” 1988 Lotus Press
ISBN 09415324-27-2