THE HERB HUNTERS GUIDE AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS OF COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE

"AMONG THE WILD PLANTS of the United States are many that have long been used in the practice of medicine, some only locally and to a minor extent, but others in sufficient quantity to make them commercially important. The collection of such plants for the crude-drug market provides a livelihood for many people in rural communities, especially in those regions where the native flora has not been disturbed by agricultural or industrial expansion and urban development.

There is an active interest in the collection of medicinal plants because it appeals to many people as an easy means of making money. However, it frequently requires hard work, and the returns, on the whole, are very moderate. Of the many plants reported to possess medicinal properties, relatively few are marketable, and some of these are required only in small quantities. Persons without previous experience in collecting medicinal plants should first ascertain which of the marketable plants are to be found in their own locality and then learn to recognize them. Before undertaking the collection of large quantities, samples of the bark, root, herb, or other available material should be submitted to reliable dealers in crude drugs to ascertain the market requirements at the time and the prevailing prices.

To persons without botanical training it is difficult to describe plants in sufficient detail to make identification possible unless such descriptions are accompanied by illustrations. It is the purpose of this publication to assist those interested in collecting medicinal plants to identify such plants and to furnish other useful information in connection with the work.

https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/HerbHunters/hhunters.html

Aletris Aletris farinosa	American Bittersweet Celastrus scandens
American Cranberrybush Viburnum trilobum	American Elder Sambucus canadensis
American False-Hellebore Veratrum viride	American Linden Tilia americana
American Mountain-Ash Sorbus americana	American Pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis	Balm Melissa officinalis
Balm-of-Gilead Poplar Populus candicans	Bamboo Greenbrier Smilax pseudo-china
Bayberry Myrica cerifera, M. carolinensis	Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Bitter Nightshade Solanum dulcamara	Black Cherry Prunus serotina
Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium	Black Mustard Brassica nigra
Black Willow Salix nigra	Blessed Thistle Cnicus benedictus
Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis	Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides
Blueflag Iris Iris versicolor	Blue Vervain Verbena hastata
Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata	Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
Bugleweed Lycopus virginicus	Burdock Arctium minus
Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa	Butternut Juglans cinerea
Button-Snakeroot Eryngium aquaticum	Canada Wildginger Asarum canadense
Carolina-Jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens	Carolina-Vanilla Trilisa odoratissima
Cascara Buckthorn Rhamnus purshiana	Catnip Nepeta cataria
Celandine Chelidonium majus	Chamaelirium Chamaelirium luteum
Citronella Horsebalm Collinsonia canadensis	Cohosh Bugbane Cimicifuga racemosa
Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara	Comfrey Symphytum officinale
Common Juniper Juniperus communis	Common Winterberry Ilex verticillata
Culvers-Physic Veronica virginica	Dandelion Leontodon taraxacum
Echinacea Echinacea angustifolia	Elecampane Inula helenium
Figwort Scrophularia marilandica	Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida
Foxglove Digitalis purpurea	Fragrant Goldenrod Solidago suaveolens
Fringetree Chionanthus virginica	Ginseng Panax quinquefolium
Golden Groundsel Senecio aureus	Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
Goldthread Coptis trifolia	Ground-Ivy Nepeta hederacea
Gum Plant Grindelia robusta, G. squarrosa	Hazel Alder Alnus rugosa
Hemlock Tsuga canadensis	Hemp Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum
Hoarhound Marrubium vulgare	Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana
Hoptree Ptelea trifoliata	Horsechestnut Aesculus hippocastanum
Horse Nettle Solanum carolinense	Horseweed Erigeron canadensis
Jack-In-The-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum	Jimson Weed Datura stramonium
Ladyslipper Cypripedium pubescens, C. parviflorum	Leather Woodfern Dryopteris marginalis, D. filixmas
Liverleaf Hepatica americana, H. acutiloba	Lobelia Lobelia inflata
Mad-Dog Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora	Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
Maypop Passiflora incarnata	Moonseed Menispermum canadense
Mullein Verbascum thapsus	Narrow Dock Rumex crispus
Oregon Hollygrape Berberis aquifolium	Peppermint Mentha piperita
Pinkroot Spigelia marilandica	Pipsissewa Chimaphila umbellata, C. maculata
Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum	Pokeberry Phytolacca americana
Prickly-Ash Zanthoxylum americanum, Z. clava-herculis	Prickly Lettuce Lactuca scariola
Purplestem Angelica Angelica atropurpurea	Purple Trillium Trillium erectum
Quack Grass Agropyron repens	Sassafras Sassafras variifolium
Saw Palmetto Serenoa serrulata	Seneca-Snakeroot Polygala senega
Skunkcabbage Spathyema foetida	Slippery Elm Ulmus fulva
Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens	Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra
Snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria A. reticulata	Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum
Spearmint Mentha spicata	Sweet Birch Betula lenta
Sweet Cudweed Gnaphalium obtusifolium	Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina
Sweetflag Acorus calamus	Tamarack Larix laricina
Tansy Tanacetum vulgare	Trailing-Arbutus Epigaea repens
Turtlehead Chelone glabra	Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
Upland Cotton Gossypium hirsutum	Virginia Strawberry Fragaria virginiana
Wahoo Euonymus atropurpureus	White Ash Fraxinus americana
White Mustard Brassica alba	White Oak Quercus alba
White Pine Pinus strobus	Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum
Wild-Sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis	Wild Yam Dioscorea villosa
Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens	Witch-Hazel Hamamelis virginiana
Wormseed Chenopodium ambrosioides anthelminticum	Wormwood Artemisia absinthium
Yarrow Achillea millefolium	Yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Yellow Wild-Indigo Baptisia tinctoria	Yerba Santa Eriodictyon californicum