For example, Chinese materia medicas from 1,500–2,000 years ago include hundreds of plants in which dozens are used in drinks today such as great yellow gentian, ginseng and cinnamon bark.

We were walking though patches of wild purple irises, yellow gentian, orange lilies, edelweiss and primrose.

Gentiana acaulis, with deep-blue flowers; Gen′tianine, a yellow crystalline bitter compound obtained from the yellow gentian.

The assafoetida was mixed with an equal part of powdered yellow gentian, and this was given to the extent of about 8 grains a day in the food.

Here we found the large yellow gentian, used in the fabrication of absinthe, and the bright yellow arnica, whilst instead of the snow-white flower of the Alpine anemone, the ground was now silvery with its feathery seed; the dark purple pansy of the Vosges was also rare.