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RCP Garden of Medicinal Plants

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The Royal College of Physicians' garden contains 1,100 plants all linked to medicine 🌱
Free tours 🌿
lecture series 🍃 see podcasts via link

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After the rain! by @rcp_garden

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20 hours ago

🍒 The fruit of the ‘Chilean guava’ Ugni molinae are ripe and ready for harvesting🍒

🌶️Known as uñi in the Mapuche language of Chile, this Myrtaceae shrub is native to the temperate rainforests and woodlands of Central-Southern Chile and adjacent Argentina, where its berries ripen from late summer into autumn with a wild strawberry-pineapple flavour.🍓🍍

⚕️It has long been used in traditional medicine: leaf infusions for urinary infections and sore throats, the fruit valued for its astringency. Today it’s being studied for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and researchers see potential for it as an export crop for Chile.

🌱 A hardy evergreen perennial that fruits reliably in the UK climate. It was introduced to England in 1844 and became a favourite fruit of Queen Victoria.
❔Have you grown or tasted Chilean guava? ❔

#ugnimolinae #chileanguava #medicinalplants #myrtaceae #edibleplants by @rcp_garden

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12 days ago

🔎 insects in the medicinal garden

Hoverflies are working the fleeting yellow stars of Hypoxis hemerocallidea, while in the tall stems of Inula helenium, ladybirds and their larvae are busy among the spent flowerheads.

This year we began monitoring moths and have recorded 78 species so far, including the Light Emerald (photo 5: Campaea margaritaria) 🌙

And then there’s our Buxus sempervirens caterpillar topiary (picture 6), a nod to the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis), whose caterpillars feed on box. However this year, this the only box losses have came from the heat and drought of climate change.

Which plants are busiest with insects in your garden right now?

#medicinalplants #gardeninsects #mothsofinstagram #hoverfly #wildlifegardening by @rcp_garden

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19 days ago

🌾 Autumn equinox 🌾

As the autumn equinox arrives (September 23 2026), valerian’s (Valeriana officinalis) above-ground growth is dying back and the plant’s energy goes into its roots. This is when the plant is harvested for use by herbalists 🌙

Earthy, sharp, a little funky (yes, they smell like old socks), the roots are asscciated with rest and winding down. ✨

As the days shorten, cosy up and take a listen to the Valerian podcast on our website 🎧 (link in bio)

#autumnequinox #valerianaofficinalis #roots #medicinalplants #rcpgarden by @rcp_garden

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a month ago

❤️ Glowing in the RCP garden this September is the scarlet globe-shaped umbel of Scadoxus multiflorus from the Amarylidaceae family with a native range throughout Tropical and South Africa to SW. Arabian Peninsula.

🏷 Its binomial name originates from the Greek words sciadion meaning umbel and doxa meaning glorious with the specific epithet deriving from Latin and meaning many flowers. Indeed, the umbel is formed of up to 200 individual flowers.

🦋 A 2020 study discovered that in S.Africa the plant was pollinated by butterfly wings!
(Butler and Johnson, 2020, Butterfly-wing pollination in Scadoxus and other South African Amarlidaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Sociery, Volume 193, Issue 3, 363-374. Available online)

⚠️ S. multiflorus is highly toxic but contains many alkaloids which have been and are of pharmacological interest for example Galanthamine which has been used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Have you encountered this plant before? Please let us know in the comments ✨️

#medicinalplants #rcpgarden #amaryllidaceae #plantsofinstagram🌱 #londongardens by @rcp_garden

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a month ago

Colchicium autumnale, the autumn crocus has been in flower for the last two weeks! It has an ancient history; its name is derived from the land of Colchis at the eastern end of the Black Sea. This plant has long been regarded as highly poisonous, but after the active ingredient called colchicine was identified in 1820, it became the standard and highly effective treatment for acute gout until the 1970's. Despite the fact that overdosage is dangerous and can lead to organ failure, colchicine is still a useful anti-inflammatory medicine in a number of diverse diseases such as Mediterranean fever.

In 2020, colchicine was trialled as an anti-inflammatory drug in COVID-19 infection and was shown to reduce oxygen dependence and death, but its use has not been continued.

(Excerpt from: Modern medicines from plants growing in the RCP garden booklet, which includes essays written by the garden fellows and gardeners)

For more information on this fascinating bulbous plant, check the database and podcast on our website (link in bio). by @rcp_garden

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a month ago

We’re harvesting hops from Humulus lupulus! 🌿

This beautiful native perennial climber is dioecious and we are growing the female plant as it is the cone-shaped flower (strobile) that secretes the fine, yellow, resinous powder called lupulin, prized in both traditional herbal medicine and beer brewing. 🍻

Beyond its long history of human use (see our post from October 2025), the hop plant also provides vital cover, food and microclimates for local wildlife. Look closely and you’ll spot how some of the older leaves have been nibbled (swipe to see 🍃).

Maintenance is currently underway at the RCP, we’re cutting back some plants to allow for scaffolding and painting work, and also because of the impact of this year’s drought. So parts of the garden won’t be looking their best right now, but there’s always plenty to discover.

Want to learn more about hops? We’ve got a whole podcast episode on this wonderful plant — link in bio 🎧 taken in Royal College of Physicians by @rcp_garden

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a month ago

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2 months ago

Five heatwaves and two months without rain, here are some of the effects we have noticed throughout the Central London RCP garden.

Photo 1,2: North-facing bed where mint, lemon balm, vervain and musk mallow are thriving, barely watered since the hosepipe ban. Their dense growth is protecting the soil beneath.

Photo 3, 4: Platanus orientalis is struggling. The early leaf fall has picked up sharply over the last two weeks.

Photos 5,6; South-facing lawn is parched and straw-like, but self-seeded yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is holding its ground.

We are thinking about aspect, plant communities and how each plant is built to cope as drought doesn’t affect a garden evenly. by @rcp_garden

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

taken in Royal College of Physicians by @rcp_garden

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2 months ago

Here are some of the nocturnal visitors to the garden of medicinal plants. These are just 9 of the 39 moth species that had an overnight stay in the Robinson moth trap (see post from 19 March).

Dr. David Lees, Senior Curator for Microlepidoptera at the Natural History Museum joined us to help with identification and to share some insights about these fascinating creatures. We also looked at some Lepidoptera activity within various leaves of the garden.

Have you seen any of these moths? Please share in the comments 😊

Common names are:
1. August thorn
2. Spongy moth
3. Common plume
4. Tree-lichen beauty
5. Comfrey ermine
6. Straw grass-veneer
7. Box tree moth
8. Oak processionary moth
9. Turnip moth taken in Royal College of Physicians by @rcp_garden

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3 months ago