Tag: edible weeds

Fumitory (Fumaria Officianalis) has long been used for treating skin problems like scabies, eczema and acne.  It has a bitter taste and is good for stimulating the liver and gallbladder.  Culpeper has a long list of uses for fumitory including leprosy, jaundice, plague and pestilence!  “The distilled water also…helps with all sores of the mouth and throat, being gargled often therewith.”    Fumitory can be toxic in large doses.  I’ve been eating small amounts, cut up finely, in my salads. The leaves and flowers can be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mallow (Malva Sylvestris) leaves and flowers can be added to salads and soups or made into a tea.  Traditionally it has been used to make a soothing syrup for coughs, sore throats and inflammation of the respiratory passages.   It’s also soothing to the urinary tract and intestines.  Mallow helps to cleanse and strengthen the lymph system.  Externally it can be applied to wounds and sores as a wash, or used as a poultice on irritations.

Chickweed (Stellaria Media) is a great addition to salads and sandwiches.  While some books say you can cook it, I find that cooking makes it mushy and unappealing.  It has a mild taste, which makes it a great replacement for lettuce.  It can also be made into a tea using either fresh or dried leaves.

Other names for Chickweed include Adder’s mouth, starwort, stitchwort, tongue grass and winter weed,

It is rich in iron, contains calcium, cobalt, molybdenum, magnesium, manganese, silicon, zinc, vitamin c and has a protein content of 15-20%.

Chickweed has many healing applications including applying the fresh leaves, or an ointment,  to bruises, irritations and skin disorders such as eczema or psoriasis.  It has also been found to relieve painful joints, tendons and ligaments.  It is soothing to the digestive system, easing inflammation and ulceration.

Culpeper states that “the herb bruised or the juice applied with cloths or sponges dipped therein to the region of the liver, and as they dry to have it fresh applied, doth wonderfully temperate the heat of the liver, and is effectual for all imposthumes, and swellings whatsoever, for all redness in the face, wheals, pushes, itch, scabs: the juice either simply used or boiled with hog’s grease applied, helpeth cramps, convulsions, and palsy.”

I’m not quite sure what an “imposthume” is and I think I’ll give the hog’s grease a miss, but I’m currently enjoying  eating this almost daily in a salad.