Herbals & Botany Glossary

🌱 Herbals & Botany Glossary

A reference guide to common terms used in basic botany and herbal preparation.

🌿 Plant Structure & Botany Terms

1. Whole Plant – The above-ground portion of a plant, including stem, leaves, flowers, and fruit.
2. Root – The below-ground portion of a plant that anchors it and absorbs water and nutrients.
3. Rhizome – A horizontal underground stem that can produce new shoots and roots (e.g., ginger).
4. Stolon (Runner) – A creeping stem that grows along the ground and can root at intervals to form new plants (e.g., strawberry).
5. Tuber – A swollen underground stem that stores nutrients (e.g., potato).
6. Corm – A short, vertical underground stem that stores food for the plant (e.g., gladiolus).
7. Bulb – An underground storage organ made of layered leaves or scales (e.g., onion, tulip).
8. Crown – The part of a plant at soil level where roots and stems meet.
9. Node – The point on a stem where leaves, branches, or flowers grow.
10. Internode – The section of stem between two nodes.
11. Axil – The angle between a leaf and stem where buds often form.
12. Bract – A modified leaf, often brightly colored, that supports or protects a flower (e.g., poinsettia).
13. Taproot – A thick, central root that grows downward, with smaller roots branching off.
14. Succulent – A plant with thick, fleshy leaves or stems adapted to store water.
15. Umbel – A flat-topped or rounded flower cluster where stalks all arise from a single point (e.g., dill, carrot).
16. Whorl – A circular arrangement of three or more leaves, flowers, or branches growing from the same level on a stem.
17. Pistil – The female reproductive part of a flower, consisting of stigma, style, and ovary.
18. Stamen – The male reproductive part of a flower, consisting of anther and filament.
19. Pollination – The transfer of pollen from the stamen to the pistil, enabling fertilization.
20. Self-seeding – Plants that naturally drop seeds and regrow without human assistance.

🌳 Plant Life Cycle & Growth Terms

1. Annual – A plant that completes its life cycle (from seed to seed) in one year and then dies.
2. Biennial – A plant that grows leaves the first year, then flowers, produces seed, and dies in the second year.
3. Perennial – A plant that lives for more than two years, often flowering and seeding multiple times.
4. Deciduous – A tree or shrub that sheds its leaves annually, usually in autumn.
5. Evergreen – A plant that keeps its foliage year-round, replacing leaves gradually.
6. Dormant – A resting state where the plant is alive but not actively growing.
7. Hardy – A plant able to tolerate the climate of a specific region year-round.

🌼 Herbal Preparation Methods

1. Base Oil (Carrier Oil) – Oils such as olive, jojoba, or almond used to extract herbal properties.
2. Herbal Oil (Infused Oil) – A medicinal oil prepared by steeping or gently heating herbs in a base oil.
3. Compress – A cloth soaked in an herbal preparation and applied to the body externally.
4. Poultice – Fresh or dried herbs mashed and applied topically.
   
5. Soothing Poultice – Calms irritation or inflammation.
6. Drawing Poultice – Pulls impurities or toxins from the skin.
7. Heating Poultice – Stimulates circulation or relieves sore muscles.
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9. Decoction – A preparation made by simmering tough plant parts (roots, bark, seeds) in water.
10. Infusion – Extracting properties by soaking herbs in water.
    
11. Hot Infusion – Leaves, flowers, or fruits steeped in hot water.
12. Cold Infusion – Herbs steeped in cold water over several hours.
13. Solar Infusion (Sun Tea) – Herbs steeped in water and placed in sunlight for gentle heat extraction.
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15. Maceration – Soaking herbs in liquid (oil, alcohol, vinegar, or water) at room temperature to extract properties.
16. Tincture – An alcohol-based herbal extraction.
17. Glycerite – An herbal extract made using glycerine.
18. Aceta – An herbal extract made using vinegar.
19. Oxymel – A preparation combining herbs, vinegar, and honey.
20. Syrup – A sweet herbal extract made by combining an infusion or decoction with sugar or honey.
21. Elixir – A tincture blended with honey or syrup to improve taste.
22. Electuary – A paste made by mixing powdered herbs with honey.
23. Liniment – An external-use preparation, often alcohol- or vinegar-based, rubbed into the skin for pain relief or circulation.
24. Salve – A semi-solid herbal preparation of oil and wax, applied topically.
25. Capsules – Herbs dried, powdered, and placed into gelatin or vegetable capsules for ingestion.
26. Herbal Powder – Finely ground dried herbs used directly or in recipes.
27. Herbal Vinegar – Vinegar infused with herbs for culinary or medicinal use.
28. Herbal Honey – Honey infused with herbs for medicine or flavor.
29. Herbal Tea Blend – A mix of herbs prepared for flavor, relaxation, or therapeutic effects.
30. Essential Oil – A concentrated oil distilled from aromatic plants; requires specialized equipment.
31. Hydrosol (Floral Water) – A gentle, water-based product from essential oil distillation, containing trace plant compounds.

🌾 Herbal Practices

1. Constituents – The natural chemical compounds in plants that produce medicinal effects.
2. Menstruum – The liquid (alcohol, vinegar, glycerine, oil) used to extract herbal properties.
3. Wildcrafting – Harvesting plants from their natural, wild habitat.