{"id":4938,"date":"2026-10-24T10:44:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T05:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogantfoundation.com\/blog\/?p=4938"},"modified":"2026-10-24T10:44:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T05:14:28","slug":"medicinal-plants-names-and-uses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yogantfoundation.com\/blog\/medicinal-plants-names-and-uses\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicinal Plants Names: 20 Common Plants and Their Uses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Medicinal plants are plants whose leaves, roots, bark, seeds, or flowers are used to prevent or treat illness. Tulsi, neem, turmeric, aloe vera, and ashwagandha are well-known examples. If you searched for medicinal plants names, you probably want a clear list first and the explanation second, so this guide gives you both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will find 20 medicinal plants and their uses in one table, a section on herbs growing around homes and roadsides, and a closer look at medicinal plants in Kerala. It also covers endangered medicinal plants, because several famous herbs have become hard to find in the wild. Readers in India and the Philippines will see examples from both countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One caution before you start. A traditional use is not the same as a proven treatment. Some plants have solid laboratory or clinical evidence, while others have only generations of use behind them. Use this article to learn and identify plants, and speak to a doctor before treating any health problem with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are medicinal plants?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Medicinal plants are plants that contain natural chemicals people use to treat, manage, or prevent disease. They are the raw material of herbal medicine and of traditional systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The active chemicals are called phytochemicals. Common groups include alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and essential oils. A plant does not carry them evenly, so the plant part matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which plant parts are used as medicine?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Roots and rhizomes (underground stems):<\/strong> ashwagandha, turmeric, ginger<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Bark:<\/strong> arjuna, cinnamon<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Seeds:<\/strong> fenugreek<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Fruit:<\/strong> amla, bitter gourd<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Gel or sap:<\/strong> aloe vera<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How common is traditional medicine today?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
You may have read that 80% of people in Asia and Africa rely on traditional medicine. Researchers point out that this figure dates back to 1983. A later WHO survey of six middle-income countries found much lower use. In India, 19.0% of participants reported using traditional medicine in the previous 12 months, and 11.7% named it as their most frequent source of care (Oyebode et al., Health Policy and Planning). So medicinal plants matter in daily life, but most people also use modern healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What are some medicinal plants names and their uses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The table lists 20 medicinal plants and their uses, with scientific names so you can identify each one correctly. Rows 1 to 12 are popular in India and Ayurveda. Rows 13 to 20 come from the Philippines and match plants endorsed by the Department of Health (DA-BPI fact sheet; PITAHC summary).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/th>
Common name<\/th>
Scientific name<\/th>
Part used<\/th>
Traditional use<\/th><\/tr>
1<\/td>
Tulsi (holy basil)<\/td>
Ocimum tenuiflorum<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Cough, cold, fever<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>
Neem<\/td>
Azadirachta indica<\/td>
Leaves, bark, twigs<\/td>
Skin problems, oral care<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>
Turmeric (haldi)<\/td>
Curcuma longa<\/td>
Rhizome<\/td>
Wounds, inflammation, digestion<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>
Aloe vera (ghritkumari)<\/td>
Aloe vera<\/td>
Leaf gel<\/td>
Burns, skin soothing<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>
Ashwagandha<\/td>
Withania somnifera<\/td>
Root<\/td>
Stress, weakness<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>
Giloy (guduchi)<\/td>
Tinospora cordifolia<\/td>
Stem<\/td>
Fever, general tonic<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>
Amla (Indian gooseberry)<\/td>
Phyllanthus emblica<\/td>
Fruit<\/td>
Digestion, rich vitamin C source<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>
Brahmi<\/td>
Bacopa monnieri<\/td>
Whole herb<\/td>
Memory and focus<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>
Ginger (adrak)<\/td>
Zingiber officinale<\/td>
Rhizome<\/td>
Nausea, indigestion<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>
Fenugreek (methi)<\/td>
Trigonella foenum-graecum<\/td>
Seeds<\/td>
Digestion, blood sugar support<\/td><\/tr>
11<\/td>
Arjuna<\/td>
Terminalia arjuna<\/td>
Bark<\/td>
Heart health<\/td><\/tr>
12<\/td>
Shatavari<\/td>
Asparagus racemosus<\/td>
Root<\/td>
Women’s health, general tonic<\/td><\/tr>
13<\/td>
Lagundi<\/td>
Vitex negundo<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Cough, asthma, fever<\/td><\/tr>
14<\/td>
Sambong<\/td>
Blumea balsamifera<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Swelling, kidney stones, urine flow<\/td><\/tr>
15<\/td>
Akapulko<\/td>
Senna alata (Cassia alata)<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Ringworm, fungal skin infections<\/td><\/tr>
16<\/td>
Tsaang gubat<\/td>
Ehretia microphylla<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Stomach ache, diarrhea, mouthwash<\/td><\/tr>
17<\/td>
Ampalaya (bitter gourd)<\/td>
Momordica charantia<\/td>
Leaves, fruit<\/td>
Diabetes, burns<\/td><\/tr>
18<\/td>
Bayabas (guava)<\/td>
Psidium guajava<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Washing wounds, mouth infections<\/td><\/tr>
19<\/td>
Bawang (garlic)<\/td>
Allium sativum<\/td>
Clove<\/td>
Lowering cholesterol<\/td><\/tr>
20<\/td>
Yerba buena<\/td>
Clinopodium douglasii<\/td>
Leaves<\/td>
Body pain<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The other two Department of Health plants are niyog-niyogan (Quisqualis indica<\/em>), used against intestinal worms, and ulasimang bato (Peperomia pellucida<\/em>), used for rheumatism and gout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are traditional uses. Evidence varies from plant to plant, and none of these uses replaces a doctor’s diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which herbs around us have medicinal uses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Many medicinal herbs grow in home gardens, on boundary walls, and along village paths, so you may pass them every day. These are common ones and the use traditionally attached to each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum<\/em>) in courtyards and pots: leaves brewed as tea for coughs and colds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Aloe vera in pots: fresh gel applied to minor burns and dry skin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Mint or pudina (Mentha<\/em> species): leaves chewed or brewed for indigestion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii<\/em>): added to food and buttermilk to support digestion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Guava or bayabas (Psidium guajava<\/em>): leaves boiled and used to wash wounds and rinse the mouth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica<\/em>): leaves used on minor wounds and for memory support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Bhringraj (Eclipta alba<\/em>), a roadside weed: leaf juice or oil used in traditional hair care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Durva grass (Cynodon dactylon<\/em>): crushed fresh blades placed on small cuts in folk practice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Common names can mislead. “Brahmi” refers to Bacopa monnieri<\/em> in some regions and to Centella asiatica<\/em> in others, so check the scientific name before buying or collecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wild herbs near busy roads, drains, or sprayed fields can carry dust and pesticide residue. Pick from clean places, or grow your own in a pot. Never use a plant you cannot identify with certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
What are the main medicinal plants in Kerala?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kerala has a rich medicinal flora because the Western Ghats run along its eastern border and shelter many rare species. The State Medicinal Plants Board estimates that more than 1,000 of the state’s roughly 5,100 flowering plants have medicinal value (SMPB Kerala). The Board was formed in 2002 to coordinate cultivation, conservation, and research on these plants (About SMPB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is Dasapushpam?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dasapushpam means “ten flowers.” It is a group of ten herbs that women in Kerala wear in their hair on Thiruvathira, and many of them are also used in folk medicine (Amrita School of Pharmacy). Several grow as ordinary weeds on lawns and paths. Six examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which rare medicinal plants grow in the Western Ghats of Kerala?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A Kerala Agricultural University chapter on rare Western Ghats species names adapathiyan kizhangu (Holostemma adkodien<\/em>), analivegam (Alstonia venenata<\/em>), and arogyapacha (Trichopus zeylanicus<\/em>) among them (Mathew and Panjikkaran, 2011). Rarity is one reason conservation gets its own section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which medicinal plants are endangered?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Endangered medicinal plants are species whose wild populations have fallen sharply, usually because people collect them faster than they regrow. India supplies many of the wild-collected plants used in Asian herbal markets, and IUCN and TRAFFIC researchers report that key species have declined from over-collection (IUCN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plant<\/th>
Common name<\/th>
Why it is at risk<\/th><\/tr>
Saraca asoca<\/em><\/td>
Ashoka<\/td>
Listed as vulnerable by IUCN. Market demand and habitat loss are named as threats (Indian Botanical Society paper)<\/td><\/tr>
Coscinium fenestratum<\/em><\/td>
Maramanjal, tree turmeric<\/td>
Assessed as critically endangered in India by IUCN, and reported as endangered in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (Pharmacognosy Journal review)<\/td><\/tr>
Nardostachys grandiflora<\/em><\/td>
Jatamansi<\/td>
Roots and rhizomes are collected in large quantities in the Himalayan region (IUCN)<\/td><\/tr>
Picrorhiza kurroa<\/em><\/td>
Kutki<\/td>
Collected in hundreds of tonnes for the herbal trade, along with jatamansi (same IUCN report)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Trade matters to people as well as plants. The IUCN report notes that collecting and processing medicinal plants gives poor and under-employed people in India at least 35 million workdays a year. Conservation therefore works best when it protects both the plant and the collector’s income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How can you help protect medicinal plants?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n
Grow common herbs such as tulsi, aloe vera, and brahmi at home instead of buying wild-collected material.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Ask suppliers whether a product comes from cultivated plants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Do not dig up or strip bark from wild plants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Support state medicinal plant boards and nurseries. Kerala’s board, for example, rala\u2019s board encourages cultivation to take the pressure off wild habitats (SMPB Kerala).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
How can beginners use medicinal plants safely?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beginners can use medicinal plants safely by identifying the plant correctly, checking with a doctor first, trying one herb at a time, and buying only from a reliable source. Herbs act like drugs in the body, even when they are sold as natural, and they often lack thorough scientific study (National Jewish Health).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Confirm the plant by its scientific name, not only its local name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Talk to a doctor or pharmacist if you take regular medicines, have a long-term condition, or are due for surgery. Herbs can interact with medicines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Ask before use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Reviews note that safety data for herbal medicines in pregnancy is generally insufficient (Frontiers in Pharmacology).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Start with a single plant. Using several at once raises the risk of side effects and interactions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
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