Legend has it that an angel appeared to a monk during a great plague, and revealed that the roots of this parsley-like plant could ward off the plague and other evils.

Benedictine and Chartreuse monks still use Angelica root in their liqueurs for a bit of je ne sais quoi.

Latin Name: Archangelica

Part of plant used: Root

Found in: Detox

Ever-calm domestic goddess Nigella Lawson has a heavenly recipe for Bitter Orange ice cream.

She uses the fruits, of course, rather than the little white flowers which, smelling like sweet peas, might not quite the desired effect… You never know.

Latin Name: Citrus Aurantium

Part of plant used: Flowers

Found in: Chill out

It was the sticky seeds of the Burdock plant that first gave George de Mestral the idea for Velcro.

Whilst we know it in the UK as part of "dandelion & burdock" diuretic drinks, it's more common still in Japan, where pickled burdock root is used as a healthy addition to Sushi.

Latin Name: Arctium Lappa

Part of plant used: Root

Found in: Detox

People were eating chillis in Ecuador 6000 years ago.  And I didn't even know people were living in Ecuador 6000 years ago.

Turns out it was a smart move - chillis are rich in vitamin C, and all sorts of benefits are emerging.  Though by the time you've had enough to cure all the things they're said to cure, you've probably burnt a hole in your tummy.  Life's never that simple...

Latin Name: Capsicum annuum

Part of plant used: the fruit / seeds

Found in: Recharge

Cardamom would be a bore at school speech day – it’s good at everything: a coffee flavouring in Arabia, a spice in Indian cooking, an aphrodisiac in Pakistan, and a breath freshener in ancient Rome. Versatile little pods…

Latin Name: Elletaria cardamomum

Part of plant used: Pod

Found in: Sharpen up & Chill out

We may think of it as a nice addition to mulled wine and Apfel strudel, but in the 18th century the Dutch and Portuguese fought great wars to control these little brown sticks.
And the clever Egyptians used this tree-bark with myrrh to embalm their deceased for us to find and put in the British Museum.

Latin Name: Cinnamonum verum

Part of plant used: bark

Found in: Chill out & Health Kick

Ancient Mexican Indian peoples used Damiana to get them feeling a bit fresco and feisty.

Latin Name: Turnera diffusa

Part of plant used: leaf

Found in: Wake up

Echinacea's one of the few herbs we'd actually heard of before we got into herbal drinks and started getting to know Andrew and Michael. 

American Indian tribes used it for centuries for everything from snakebites to anthrax.  Millions swear by it for warding off flu - but others say the evidence isn't conclusive.  Either way, it'll look very pretty in your garden.

Latin Name: Echinacea purpurea

Part of plant used: the root

Found in:  Recharge

Europeans have been warding off colds using Elderberry since medieval times. Elderberry pie is supposed to be good too, but apparently blackberry and apple had better marketing…

Latin Name: Sambucus nigra

Part of plant used: berry

Found in: Health Kick

Elderflowers make me think of balmy summer walks, fields of barley and old rickety gates.  So Brideshead.

But not if you're an evil spirit or a witch.  They can't stand elderflowers, according to the Russians and the Manx.  Elders growing outside the door are enough to make you run a mile - or should I say waft/ cackle/ fly... 

Latin Name: Sambucus

Part of plant used: flower

Found in: White tea, Pom & Elderflower water

Also known as Chinese Ginger, and a good Scrabble word when you're stuck with all the As. (Though Dad would probably say it's a proper name)

Latin Name: Alpinia galanga

Part of plant used: seed

Found in: Health Kick

Confucius and Pliny praised it, Nostradamus made recipes with it, the Koran speaks of a fountain of ginger flavoured water, and the Famous Five wouldn’t go anywhere without their ginger beer. Those rather mystic-looking roots were always destined to be something pretty special…

Latin Name: Zingiber offialis

Part of plant used: root

Found in: Detox, Health Kick, Chill out

The illustrious Chinese emperor Shen Nong was camping out one fine evening, pondering building a big wall or something, when Green Tea leaves from a nearby plant dropped into the pot of boiling water his devoted helpers were preparing. Amazed by its gentle boosting effect, he spread the word on his travels and all his helpers would drink it before a tiring day.

Latin Name: Camelia sinsensis

Part of plant used: leaf

Found in: Wake up

Guarana is the Amazon's answer to the coffee bean.  In fact, Guarana seeds have three times as much caffeine as coffee beans. 

What's more, a number of studies have shown improved memory retention in rats given Guarana.  So it seems Guarana has been tested on animals.  Rats.

Latin Name: Elletaria cardamomum

Part of plant used: Pod

Found in: Sharpen up

The Kola nut was so cherished in West Africa that they used it as a currency.
It became a household name over here after an American chap called Dr. John Pemberton put it in a soft drink you’ve probably heard of. (Clue – it’s not Firefly)

Latin Name: Cola Nitida

Part of plant used: Nut

Found in: Wake up

An errant member of the mint family, Lemon balm has been used to soothe the tummy and help insomniacs drift off for 2,000 years.
During the English Civil War, men with tights and spikes on their heads drank Lemon Balm steeped in white wine to cheer them up. Maybe they could’ve just had a giggle at each other…

Latin Name: Melissa

Part of plant used: herb

Found in: Chill out

Thought by the Chinese to aid long life and strength, Liquorice was carried by Alexander's armies to allay thirst and sustain energy.

Latin Name: Glycyrrhiza glabra

Part of plant used: root

Found in: Wake up

Despite their sting, nettles have been part of British rural folklore since well before King Lear.  A known diuretic, nettles are a natural detoxifier.

Ours are gathered in the wild in Eastern Europe.

Latin Name: Urtica dioca

Part of plant used: leaf

Found in: Detox

Redbush is pretty special.

First drunk by the Xhosian tribes of Western cape, it still only seems to grow successfully in South Africa.  But they're having to grow a bit more these days...  First, the colonialists decided it was rather tasty, and it became something of a South African national drink.  And now that scientists have discovered reams of antioxidant benefits, it's going global.

Latin Name: Aspalathus linearis

Part of plant used: the twig-like leaves

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance”, said Ophelia to Laertes (Guess which Shakespeare we did for A-level). Called the herb of fidelity (it was said to strengthen memories of marriage vows), Rosemary obviously didn’t work for Anne of Cleves, who wore it at her wedding…

Latin Name: Rosmarinus officinalis

Part of plant used: leaf

Found in: All Firefly drinks, but particularly in Sharpen up and Wake up

A climbing vine found in the tropics, Sarsaparilla root gives root beer its, er, refreshing flavour.
According to the Victorian adverts, the root will make blue-eyed girls grow “fair from day to day” with “the best blood purifier”. But then they also suggested letting blood, didn’t they?

Latin Name: Smilax ornata

Part of plant used: root

Found in: Detox

Sorry, still working on this one!

Latin Name: 

Part of plant used: berry

Found in: Detox

Soviet Olympic athletes, never known to miss a trick, used Siberian Ginseng to enhance stamina and endurance during training. But old man Shen Nong actually got there first, including Eleuthero in his famous book. The root was also much used after Chernobyl, to counter the effects of radiation.

Latin Name: Eleutherococcus senticosus

Part of plant used: root

Found in: Health Kick, Sharpen up, Wake up

A nice fragrant herb from the Med, Thyme's been popular with European mothers for centuries as a mild cough remedy for their little ones.

Latin Name: Thymus vulgaris

Part of plant used: leaf

Found in: Health Kick

You know how good green tea is? 
Well, if you want to go "one better", make way for white tea...

It's picked even younger, when the buds are still buds, all silvery and downy, like pussy-willow.  It's unfermented and uncured - just dried - which might mean it's even better for you, but the jury's still out on that.
Either way, it's excellent stuff - particularly in Fujian province, China, where ours comes from (of course).

Latin Name: Camelia sinsensis

Part of plant used: the silvery buds

Found in: White tea & Pomegranate Firefly water

The Guarani tribes of Paraguay have long used Yerba Mate leaves for health, vitality and longevity. Mate tea is now popular throughout South America - it's known to give a gentle lift without the jitters associated with coffee...

Latin Name: Yerba Maté

Part of plant used: leaf

Found in: Wake up and Sharpen up

Well, it isn't really a herb, but we had to put it somewhere.

It is rather wonderful though - with its rich flavour and antibacterial properties.  You have to check out the "Manuka factor" - ours is Factor 10, which is pretty good.  Gordon Burns would be proud.  Sorry, that's the Krypton factor.

Latin Name: Leptospermum scoparium - or at least that's the Manuka shrub...

Part of plant used: the pollen...

Found in: Health Kick