Hawkweed | Hawthorne | Heartsease | Hemlock | Henbane | Henna | Herb Bennet | Herb Robert | Holly | Honeysuckle | Hops | Horehound | Horse Chestnut | Horseradish | Horsetail | Hyssop

Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) 10-40 cm (4-15 ins).
Solitary yellow flower-heads on bristly stalks, creeping leafy runners, leaves also bristly.
Found in dry soil on lawns, pastures etc.
Tea supposed to be a cure for diarrhoea and as a gargle for sore throats.

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Hawthorne (Crataegus monogyna).
Familiar shrub or tree with thorny branches. White flowers and red fruit-the "haw".
Medicinal use in drug industry of flowers and berries for cardiac disorders of nervous origin. Beneficial in treatment after a stroke.
Culinary use of leaf to make tea as a substitute for oriental green tea.

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Heartsease (Viola tricolor) (Wild Pansy) 30-50 cm (12-18 ins).
Solitary flowers of yellow, blue, violet or two-coloured. Angular soft hollow stem with alternate toothed leaves.
Widely cultivated in gardens but also found in fields and at the edge of woods.
Has been used in herbal teas for relief of catarrh and in treatment of rheumatism. Large doses can lead to skin problems.

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Hemlock (Conium maculatum) 2-2 m (2-6 ft).
Large umbels of small, white flowers, seeds grey-green, smooth purple-spotted stem, branching at the top.
Found in all sorts of waste places.
All parts of this herb are dangerous poison.
Used in classical times to execute criminals. Dangerous.

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Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) 30-70 cm (12-30 ins).
Dull yellow or beige flowers with purple veins, hairy leaves and stem which is sticky. Has a strong smell also known as Stinking Nightshade.
Found in waste places particularly on chalk. Long cultivated for medical purposes.
Medicinal use of oil from leaves as cure for earache and rheumatism, but only under medical direction.
The whole plant is poisonous.

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Henna (Lawsonia inermis).
Small shrub growing in Arabia North Africa, Iran and the East Indies. Greyish-green leaves and fragrant red flowers.
Medicinal use of leaves to make a soothing gargle. Often used for dying hair.

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Herb Bennet (Geum urbanum). Up to 30 cm (12 ins).
Five-petalled yellow flowers, hairy, erect stem.
Found in hedgerows and in deciduous forests. Grown as a pot-herb in the 16th century.
Root extract has been used to promote digestion and flowers as a gargle. Once thought to repel moths.
Culinary use in broths and soups.

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Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) 30-70 cm (12-30 ins).
Purplish-red or rose-coloured flowers, petals have long "claws". Reddish stem
is hairy, thick, juicy and forked.
Found in rocky woodland. Herb has been used medicinally for diarrhoea, enteritis and gout and as a hot poultice of boiled leaves for bruises and skin problems.

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Holly (Ilex aquifolium).
Common tree or shrub, with shiny, leathery prickly leaves, and bright red berries.
Medicinal use of leaves not common but once considered good for gout, rheumatism and arthritis.
The berries are mildly poisonous and are dangerous to children.

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Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum). Creeping stem 3-7 m (10-20 ft).
Yellow flowers tinged with red, rich in nectar, sweet scent, tough stem, leaves in pairs.
Found growing widely in hedges, and often trained up the side of houses.
Culinary use of flowers to make syrup, can be eaten raw, sweet tasting.
Has been used as a tonic for the heart, also for chest colds and coughs and glandular ailments.

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Hops (Humulus lupulus). Climbing vine, stems often reaching 6 m (20 ft).
Yellowish-green flowers, "hops" are the scaly cone-like fruit. Stems and leaves rough.
Found growing wild and widely cultivated.
Culinary use chiefly to flavour beer but not generally accepted until the 1 5th century.
Use of tea for insomnia (also hop pillows) and for digestion.

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Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) (White Horehound) 30-100 cm (12-40 ins).
Small white two-lipped flowers, wrinkled leaves, numerous bushy, square downy stems.
Found in waste places.
Medicinally has been used as a remedy for coughing and bronchial problems.
Tea or crushed leaves for persistent skin problems.

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Horse Chestnut see Chestnut

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Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) 1 m (3 ft).
Small white flowers on short stalks growing from thick stem, crinkly palm-like leaves, with characteristic smell when crushed. Long thick root.
Very common on waste ground though many people fail to recognise it.
Culinary use of shredded root to make traditional sauce for use with meats.
Root contains mustard oil and Vitamin C.
Medicinal use of grated root or as syrup supposed to relieve bronchial catarrh.

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Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) 10-15 cm (4-7 ins).
Fertile flesh-coloured stem with spike containing spores. Taller stem grows later with whorls of small branches.
Found wild in moist loamy or sandy soils.
Medicinal use of herb once claimed to cure lung problems, the silicic acid content said to stabilize scar tissue.
Tea makes wash for wounds Large doses are poisonous.

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Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).
Bushy evergreen plant, with several downy stems woody at the bottom, rose to bluish-purple flowers.
Mainly found as ornamental plant today but once widely cultivated for medicinal use.
Medicinally has been used for a variety of ailments, a great cleanser (Bible: "purge me with hyssop"). Use crushed leaves on wounds to prevent infection and promote healing.

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