There are some interesting common names for this plant; Elfwort or Elfdock, Horseheal, Yellow Starwort. This plant is thought to be native to Asia and spread to southern and eastern Europe but has been naturalized in North America and many other parts of the world. It is a fairly large and hearty perennial plant, in the same family as sunflowers and grows up to 8 feet tall with gorgeous and multiple blooms of yellow flowers and a downy underside to it’s broad green foliage. Much folklore surrounds the plant not limited to it’s inclusion in a 9-herb blend consisting of Rue, Nettle, Verbena, Yarrow, Mugwort, Wood Betony, Celandine, and White Clover which is an old European-style tea-bath for Protection Against Witches. The species name (second of the latin binomial) comes from ancient Greek Myth relating to a tale of how this plant sprouted up from the tear’s cast by Helen of Troy upon her abduction from Sparta by Paris.