Abortifacient: An herb used to induce or cause abortion or spontaneous abortion.
Absorbent: An herb used to produce absorption of exudes or diseased tissues.
Adaptogen: An herb that help normalize body chemistry and increase resistance to stress.
Alterative: Tonifying herb that restores proper body function and vitality by correcting and improving blood composition.
Analgesic: Herb that relieves pain (taken orally).
Anodyne: Herb relieving pain (applied externally).
Antacid: Agent that corrects acidic conditions in the stomach, blood, and colon.
Anthelmintic: Herb that help destroy or expel intestinal worms and parasites from the digestive system.
Anti-arthritic: Herb used to relieve or palliate and heal arthritic-type conditions.
Anti-asthmatic: Herb that is used to relieve asthma.
Anti-bilious: Herb that helps neutralize and remove excess bile, and overcome jaundice conditions.
Anti-biotic: Herb that will kill and arrest the growth of harmful micro-organism.
Anti-catarrhal: Herb that help remove excess mucus and congestion, particularly from the respiratory tract.
Anti-emetic: Herb that relieve nausea and upset stomach, and help prevent vomiting.
Anti-Fungal: Herb that destroys or prevent the growth of fungal infections.
Anti-hydopic: Herb used to eliminate excess body fluids or dropsy.
Anti-inflammatory: Herb that helps reduce or overcome inflammation, internally and externally.
Anti-lithic: Herb that helps remove the formation of stones or sediment in the urinary tract.
Anti-microbial: Herb that help overcome and destroy pathogenic bacteria, and strengthens the immune (“defense’) system.
Anti-neoplastic: Herb used to help combat tumorous growth.
Anti-oxidant: Herb that increase the uptake of tissue oxygen and scavenge free radicals.
Anti-periodic: Herb used to relieve malarial-type conditions, i.e., chills, fever, sickle cell, etc.
Anti-philogistic: Herb used to reduce inflammation or swelling.
Antipyretic: Herb that help reduce fevers.
Anti-septic: Herb that combats and neutralizes pathogenic bacteria, and prevents infection.
Anti-spasmodic: Muscle relaxant herb that relieve cramping and spasms.
Anti-syphilitc: Herb that help overcomes sexually transmitted diseases.
Anti-tussive: Herb that prevents and relieves coughing and sore throat.
Anti-venomous: Herb used as an antidote to animal (i.e. snakebite), vegetable, and mineral poisons.
Anti-viral: Herb that combats and neutralizes pathogenic viruses.
Aperient: Herb that has mild laxative activity.
Aphrodisiac: Herb that increase, enhance, and strengthen sexual desire and vitality.
Aromatic: Herb with strong, pleasant odors, that ca stimulate digestion and well-being through both carminative activity and smell.
Astringent: Herb that tighten and contract tissue, and reduce irritation, secretions and discharges.
Balsamic: Herb that mitigate, soothe, and heal inflamed parts.
Bitter: Herb with strong, bitter taste that stimulate and tone the digestive system to produce healthful counteractive juices and secretions, such as bile.
Calmative: Herb used to alleviate stress and nervous tension.
Cardio-tonic: Herb that strengthen and tonify the heart and circulatory activity.
Carminative: Herb that normalize digestive system peristalsis to relieve flatulence (gas).
Cathartic: Herb to stimulate purging from the bowel.
Caustic: Herb that burn or destroy organic tissues.
Cell Proliferant: Herb to promote rapid new cell growth.
Chologogue: Herb that stimulate bile secretion from the gall-bladder, engendering natural laxative activity and digestive improvement.
Contra-indication: A term denoting conditions not to use a certain herb or formula.
Cordial: Tonic herb that warm the stomach and stimulate cardiac activity.
Demulcent: Soothing coating mucilaginous herb that protects irritated and inflamed tissue.
Dental Anodyne: Herb used locally to relieve pain from an exposed tooth nerve (toothache).
Deobstruent: Herb that removes obstructions.
Dessicant: Herb that dry surfaces by absorbing moisture.
Depurant: Blood purifying herb that stimulate the elimination of toxins.
Diaphoretic: Herb that include sweating, releasing body toxins through perspiration.
Digestant: Amino acid, enzyme-containing herb that promote digestion and nutrient assimilation.
Discutient: Herb that dissolve and remove tumors and abnormal growths.
Diuretic: Herb that stimulate kidney and bladder activity, and increase the flow of urine.
Electuary: A sweet paste, food or drink that is used to mask bitter or medicine-tasting herbs so they may be taken by children.
Emetic: Herb that in high dosage causes vomiting to rid the body of toxic substances or excess mucous congestion.
Emmenagogue: Herb that stimulate and normalize menstrual flow.
Emollient: Externally applied, soothing herbs that smooth and soften the skin and reduce inflammatory skin conditions.
Expectorant: Herb that help remove mucus congestion from the chest and respiratory system.
Febrifuge: Herb that help reduce fevers.
Galactagogue: Herb that enhances and increases the flow of MotherÂ’s breast milk.
Hemostatic: Herb that help stop bleeding.
Hepatic: Herb that support and stimulate the liver, gallbladder, and spleen and increase bile flow.
Hormonal: Herb that promotes hormone secretion and formation in the body.
Hypnotic: Herb that help induce normal natural sleep.
Hypotensive: Herb that lowers blood pressure.
Laxative: Herb that promote evacuation of the bowels.
Lithotriptic: Herb that dissolve and discharge urinary and gall bladder stones and gravel.
Lymphatic: Herb used to stimulate and cleanse the lymphatic system.
Mucilaginous: Herb with high mucilage content that has soothing, demulcent action.
Nervine: Herb that tone, relax and have a strengthening effect on the nervous system.
Nutritive: Food supplement herbs, rich in minerals and other nutrients, and that nourish and promote physical system.
Ophthalmic: Herb that heal and relieve eye disorders.
Oxytocic: Herb that aid uterine contractions in childbirth.
Parasiticides: Herb that kill and remove parasites from the skin.
Parturient: Herb that stimulates contractions in childbirth.
Pectoral: Herb that helps heal and strengthen the lung and respiratory system.
Prophylactic: Herb that help ward off and prevent disease.
Purgative: Herb that promotes watery evacuation of the bowels.
Rubefacient: Herb that increase circulation and stimulate dilation of the capillaries.
Sedative: Herb that calm the nervous system, and reduce stress and tension.
Sialogogue: Herb that stimulates salivary secretions.
Soporific: Herb that help induce sleep.
Stimulant: Herb that accelerate, enliven, and vitalize body functions.
Stomachic: Herb that strengthen and tone the stomach and its function, and stimulate appetite.
Styptic: Herb that reduces and stops external bleeding.
Sudorific: Herb that stimulate and increase perspiration.
Tonic: Herb that strengthen and tone specific organs and body parts.
Vaso-dilator: Herb that cause relaxation and expansion of the blood vessel.
Vermifuge:Herb that helps expel and/or destroy intestinal parasites
Vulnerary: Herb externally applied which aid in healing cuts and wounds.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
