Calluna vulgaris
Calluna vulgaris
Other names: Vřes
Low heather with tiny leaves and pink flowers; nectar plant.
Small scale-like leaves and fluffy inflorescences.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Plant type
- Perennial shrub
- Safety level (indicative)
- Generally recognised as safe
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
- Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
- Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
- Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
- Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
- Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
- High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
- Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Quick overview
A practical summary; details are in the sections below.
- Safety grade
- Generally recognised as safe·details
- Scientific sources on the card
- Yes — sources are listed with claims·Science section
- When and what to harvest
- Flower — August–September
- Processing methods
Herbal infusion (tea), Essence (aromatic concentrate)
All methods and recipes on the card- Topics and symptoms
- No topic links yet.Topics section · Symptoms overview
Identification and mix-ups
Typical heathland with heather.
Possible mix-ups and risks
Heather (Calluna) vs heath (Erica) by leaves and flowers.
Similar herbs
No related herbs are linked yet.
Topics and symptoms
More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.
No topic links are recorded yet.
Geographic occurrence
Czechia
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Austria
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Germany
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Hungary
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Poland
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Slovakia
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Harvest
- FlowerAugust–September
podzim
Region: CzechiaNotes: Harvest note (full translation pending): Kvetenstvi v plnem kvetu.
Storage
- Drying(Leaf)
Sušený rostlinný materiál uchovávej v uzavřené nádobě.
- Light:
- Mimo přímé UV.
- Moisture:
- Nízká relativní vlhkost.
Processing methods on this herb card
Infusion or brief extraction in hot water; usually without long boiling.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
In the narrow sense, “tea” often means an infusion: you pour water just off the boil over the dried plant matter and let it steep for a few minutes. Temperature, steep time, and the herb-to-water ratio change both flavour and what dissolves into the liquid.
Compared with a decoction, heat exposure is shorter and gentler; tender leaves and flowers are often better as an infusion than with prolonged simmering. For each herb, always follow the plant card for suitable plant part, preparation, and safety notes — general rules never replace species-level judgement.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Procedure (recipe)
Heather flower tea
About 15 min · Difficulty: Beginner
- Pour hot water over dried inflorescences (about one teaspoon per cup), cover 10 minutes, strain.
- Honey-like, astringent taste — use short-term.
Why this way (extraction / behaviour of constituents)
Home preparation following this recipe is mainly educational and cultural in intent; it does not automatically match the extraction or safety profile of registered medicines or standardized extracts. Check specific effects, drug interactions, and contraindications on the herb card and with a clinician if you use medication.
- What is typically released
- orientační domácí extrakce — profil závisí na teplotě, čase řezu a poměrech
- Solvent / water
- mediální složení (voda, alkohol, olej, med…) viz jednotlivé kroky
- After preparation
- po přípravě uchovávej hygienicky a podle typu výrobku (chlad, světlo, alkohol)
Extra literature for the recipe
- Vyhledávání studií (PubMed apod.)Konkrétní vědecká tvrzení ověř na kartě byliny a v primární literatuře.
Strongly aromatic fraction; meaning differs between traditions and brands.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
“Essence” may mean a strongly scented fraction from distillation, maceration, or a commercial blend. It is not interchangeable with essential oil without manufacturer clarification.
Always read composition and whether use is topical or culinary.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Procedure (recipe)
Heather “essence” (extract orientation)
About 30 min · Difficulty: Advanced
- The word essence is used in different ways — often for an alcoholic or glycerine extract of aromatic plant material.
- At home, a macerate in strong alcohol or a diluted syrup is more practical than trying to match a commercial essence with defined composition.
- Do not exceed doses from reliable recipes; omit if you are allergic to Ericaceae plants.
Clarifies the word essence on the preparation page — a home kitchen is not pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Why this way (extraction / behaviour of constituents)
Home preparation following this recipe is mainly educational and cultural; it should not be assumed to match the extractive or safety profile of registered medicines or standardized extracts. Check specific effects, drug interactions, and contraindications on the herb card and with your clinician if you use prescription drugs.
- What is typically released
- orientační domácí extrakce — profil závisí na teplotě, čase řezu a poměrech
- Solvent / water
- mediální složení (voda, alkohol, olej, med…) viz jednotlivé kroky
- After preparation
- po přípravě uchovávej hygienicky a podle typu výrobku (chlad, světlo, alkohol)
Extra literature for the recipe
- Vyhledávání studií (PubMed apod.)Konkrétní vědecká tvrzení ověř na kartě byliny a v primární literatuře.
Traditional / spiritual use
Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.
Related guides in the library
Traditional folk context
General
The herb appears in older folk customs referenced on Czech cards. This note is cultural memory and seasonal storytelling — not a dosing guide, clinical indication, or substitute for the safety section.
- Form:
- různé
- Claim strength:
- Tradition
- Source note:
- Cultural framing only.
Scientific notes
Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.
How to read evidence strength and study type labels
Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.
Evidence strength
- Evidence level not specified
- The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
- Narrative / orientational literature
- Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
- Weak evidence
- Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
- Preliminary findings
- First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
- Moderate strength of evidence
- Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
- Stronger evidence
- Stronger design or consistency of results within the study’s stated limits.
- Review article
- A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.
Study type
- Narrative / expert text
- Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
- In vitro study
- Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
- Animal study
- Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
- Observational study
- Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
- Clinical trial
- Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
- Randomised controlled trial
- Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
- Review study
- A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
- Systematic review
- Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
- Meta-analysis
- Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
- Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
- Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
- Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
- Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.
Evidence summary (full translation pending): O ucincich a bezpecnosti existuje odborna literatura; zaznam je orientacni a nenahrazuje peci odbornika.
Evidence level not specifiedNarrative / expert textLimitations: Limitations (translation pending): Seed katalogu — dopln konkretni studie podle obsahu.
Images
No uploaded images yet.
Safety
What the warning types mean
The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.
- Internal use
- Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
- Interactions / medicines
- Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
- Raw plant parts
- Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
- Toxins and regulation
- Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
- Contact with the plant
- Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
- Allergy
- Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
- Harvesting and contamination
- Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.
No structured safety records yet.