Summer is at its fragrant height. Many plants contain essential oils, these are comprised of the volatile scent compounds important not just for attracting pollinators (and us) but also their means of communicating and healing.
Some of our five herbs to look out for this month have ‘officinalis’ in their latin name (and one was historically an officinalis, though now reclassified). When you see this in a name it’s an indicator that they are historically part of the official Materia Medica – that’s the apothecary’s list of plants with medicinal uses. So they don’t just look good and smell good, they also do you good.
