Botanical Name: Ocimum sanctum| Family: Lamiaceae Common name(s): Holy Basil, Tulsi, Sacred Basil GROWING SOWING Grown as an annual in colder zones. Native to India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, southern China, Thailand, and Malaysia. Can be direct sown after the last frost or started indoors 6 weeks before planting.…

Botanical Name: Astragalus membranaceus | Family: Fabaceae Common name(s): Chinese Astragalus, Huang Qi, Milk Vetch GROWING Perennial; herbacious | Zones 4-11 | 3-4 feet | Pale yellow flowers (pea-flower shaped) from middle of the summer until frost Sun to partial shade | Dry, sandy soil HARVESTING Harvest roots in the fall after…

Botanical Name: Schisandra chinensis | Family: Schisandraceae Common name(s): Schisandra, Wu wei zi (Chinese, roughly translates to 5-flavored fruit), Magnolia Vine GROWING Perennial woody vine | Zones 4-7 | up to 30 feet long  | Fragrant leaves and flowers followed by red berries Need male and female to get fruit Partial…

Botanical Name: Eleutherococcus senticosus | Family: Araliaceae Common name(s): Siberian Ginseng, Eleuthero Root, Devil’s Shrub | Purple (male) and yellow (female) flowers in early summer. GROWING Shrub; perennial | Zone 3-8 | 8-15 feet tall | flowers (purple for male, yellow for female) bloom in early summer. Pollination is by bees | oval blue-ish black berries Part…

Botanical Name: Centella asiatica, syn. Hydrocotyle asiatica | Family: Apiaceae Common name(s): Gotu Kola, Indian Pennywort GROWING Perennial/Annual; herbaceous | Zone 8-11 | 6-8 inches tall | Greenish flowers sit underneath the leaves and bloom in early spring Partial shade to full sun | Rich garden soil preferred | Likes moisture | Propagate via root divisions or layerings. Hard to…

Botanical Name: Panax Ginseng (and other Panax varieties) | Family: Araliaceae Common name(s): Ginseng GROWING (for this and the harvesting section, I am going to focus on American Ginseng, since that’s the variety I would grow) Perennial; herbaceous | Zone 3-7 | 4-24 inches tall, depending on maturity | prongs develop from a single stalk and have…