


This sampling is designed to stimulate interest in the diversity of useful plants all around us, and provide some interesting tidbits about historical and modern use.
Our entries include descriptions, historical uses, modern uses, and adverse effects, but are not meant to be extensive monographs. We have included both ornamental plantings and wild plants. If you are interested in more detailed information about herbs, please see our Resources section.
- The gardens combine Western and Asian medicinal plants (including echinacea, aconite, black cohosh, and malaria-fighting qinghaosu) culinary herbs, prairie wildflowers (including Gaura, Rudbeckia, Gaillardia, and Baptisia), fruits and unusual ornamentals.
- Nectary plants, including a dozen varieties of Salvia and many mints, attract a variety of butterflies, bees and other pollinators; hummingbirds are regular visitors.
- The gardens are used in several Georgetown courses, including Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman's course in Medicinal Plants and Pharmacognosy PHAR-604-01 and Dr. Edd Barrows Forest Ecology course (BIOL-355).
- Student volunteers care for the garden and create the plant monographs. Gardening internships are available. Please email Dr. Fugh-Berman at ajf29@georgetown.edu for more information.
- To learn more about our M.S. program in Pharmacology with a concentration in Natural Products, please see Department of Pharmacology & Physiology.
Also, check out The Biodiversity Database of the Washington D.C., Area associated with the Georgetown University Laboratory of Entomology and Biodiversity. It is a fantastic site for those who wish to identify organisms in the D.C. area and want to learn more about them.
Copyright Adriane Fugh-Berman MD. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint any text, contact Adriane Fugh-Berman at ajf29@georgetown.edu. For web or accessibility issues, please contact webmaster Vi Nguyen at vnn3@georgetown.edu