After years of teaching bushcraft in London I am still so inspired about the many ways one can connect with nature in the city. Ribwort plantain (Plantago laceolata) is a prolific weed (or treasure as I like to see it) that can benefit our lives in many ways and also help us in reducing waste as we need to buy less.
Learn how to identify and use common wild edible weeds that might be growing in your backyard with this eBook: Wildcrafting Weeds: 20 Easy to Forage Edible and Medicinal Weeds.
Horsetail has been used for centuries for it's variety of health and cosmetic benefits. It's easy to find and harvest in the wild!
What you may not realize as you’re hoeing or pulling weeds, is that although it may look like just another stubborn invader, hairy bittercress actually has a pungent, peppery flavor and many uses in t
This delightful recipe pairs garden-fresh daylily blooms with a scrumptious mix of garlic, onion, and wild greens. Bound together by tofu or goat cheese and adorned with an edible flower, this dish is a flavorful tribute to nature's bounty. Serve warm or chilled, and savor the moment.
Symphytum officinale NL: Smeerwortel / F: Consoude Comfrey is another amazing perennial herb, essential to any herbal first aid kit as well as to any healthy organic and permaculture garden. Comfrey in the garden: it contains more Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) than most commercial fertilizers. Its long roots draw nutrients from deep in the soil and transfer it all to the leaves. The nutrient-rich leaves can then be used directly as a mulch, added to compost piles as a compost activator or chopped and added to a container with rain water to allow it to ferment and be later used as liquid compost. Comfrey not only enriches the soil but it can also speed up heat processes, which is pretty handy to have near and around fruit shrubs and other fruit trees or larger crops that require higher soil temperatures. Do not allow it to grow near to smaller plants, as it is a pretty strong, large and rather dominant plant. it also comes in white Comfrey as first aid herb: it has been used in folk medicine to help reduce bruising and to speed up tissue repair: broken bones and ligaments, damaged cartilage or connective tissue. Its tissue healing properties (mainly attributed to a substance called allantoin) are so strong that it is not advisable to be used in case of open wounds, as it risks “closing” the wound much faster than the time the body might need to get rid of any harmful microorganisms. It is also useful externally in the treatment of varicose veins, joints inflammation, to stop bleeding and in eye injuries. Its tincture or tea made out of the dried leaves or roots have been used internally to reduce heavy menstruation flow and to relieve gastric ulcers. The leaves can be used freshly squeezed, dried and made into a strong tea or macerated in oil for 3-4 weeks, the drained oil can be used to make salves to be applied in bruises and rheumatic joints to help relieve pain and swelling. hairy leaves and stems Comfrey in the kitchen: it has also a long history of being used as an edible but in the light of recent studies this is no longer advised, since the plant contains varying amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloids - which are toxic. The young leaves contain little amounts of the harmful alkaloids and can therefore be consumed in moderate amounts (I personally would do that only in case where there is no other food source available). Dried leaves and roots can be made into tea and its roots can be roasted into coffee, such as with dandelion and chicory roots. More on Comfrey: Comfrey -Symphytum officinale - Knitbone, Bruisewort, Miracle Herb Comfrey Comfort - Lesley Tierra - PlanetHerbs Comfrey - The Superfood for Plants Medicinal & Poisonous Plants to Livestock - Comfrey Montana Plant Life: Comfrey Nice videos: Common comfrey Symphytum officinale - Sylvanbotanical Why permaculture folks love comfrey - Paul Wheaton
Wood Sorrel (Oxalis sp.) is a delicious edible wild weed with a bright, lemony flavor. It grows all over the world, and it's easy to identify. Wood sorrel is one of the most uniquely flavored
Chickweed may be a common backyard weed, but it's a little herbal powerhouse! Learn all about chickweed in this helpful article.
Garlic Mustard Root = Wild-Style Horseradish
Plantago major, also known as the plantain weed, is considered a garden nuisance by many people. Here are 10 plantain benefits you should know about.
Chickweed is a nutritious edible and medicinal weed. Foraging for chickweed is easy, and it may even be growing in your backyard!
A friend of mine spends her summer weekend trying to wipe knotweed off the face of the earth. She comes back from trips exhausted, having used everything (including fire) to try to eradicate a patch
Violets are welcome “weeds” in my garden. In fact, the common blue violet—my particular brand of violet garden guest—is native to these parts, which is more than I can say for myself.
Botanical Name: Scutellaria baicalensis. Other Common Names: Huang qin, baikal, baical skullcap root, scute, scutellaria. Habitat: Chinese skullcap is native to eastern Asia. It thrives on sunny, grassy slopes in higher elevations. The plant grows well in sandy, rocky soils and needs full sun. It prefers dry soils and does well in cultivated planting beds. Plant Description: This perennial grows to a height of 0.3 meters and a width of 0.3 meters. It has narrow, single erect stems with many 2.5 centimeter bluish-purple flowers. The plant is anchored by a skinless, yellow root. Plant Parts Used: The root of Chinese
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is one of the first Spring weeds to pop up after a long and cold Winter. A very similar look alike, is Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum). In this post we'll talk about the
Botanical Name: Cuminum cyminum. Cumin should not be confused with black cumin (Nigella sativa), a similar and closely related species from Pakistan and India with slightly larger and bent seeds. Other Common Names: Cummin, Roman caraway, Egyptian caraway, comino (Spanish), spisskummen (Norwegian), roomankumina (Finnish), Kreuzkümme (German), cumin de prés (French), zi ran qin (Chinese), spiskummin (Swedish), spidskommen (Danish). Habitat: The original habitat of cumin is not known, but it has been theorized that it could have its origins in the Nile valley and from there it spread to other countries in North Africa, Southwest Asia, East Mediterranean and all the
Many invasive weeds that landowners battle in their farms or gardens are actually delicious edible plants that are popping up in farmers' markets everywhere.
Horsetail (Equisetum sp.) is a common edible and medicinal wild weed that grows just about everywhere. It's been around since the time of the dinosaurs, and it knows how to thrive in a variety of
Botanical Name: Angelica sinensis. Other Common Names Chinese angelicaFemale ginsengDang gui (Chinese)Toki (Japanese)Tanggwi (Korean)Chinesische Engelwurz (German)Kinesisk angelikarot (Swedish). When Chinese angelica is used as a medicinal herb it is mostly known by its Chinese name 'dong quai'. Habitat It is found growing wild in China, Korea, and Japan. In China, it has been cultivable for more than 1500 years, mostly in the southern and western parts of the country. Description Dong quai is a member of the Umbelliferae family and is a fragrant perennial plant which can grow up to 2 meters tall and produces white flowers in early summer.
Botanical Name: Grindelia camporum, G. cuneifolia, G. squarrosa. Other Common Names: Gum Plant, gum Weed, tar Weed. Habitat: The plant is indigenous to the southwestern part of the United States of America and Mexico. It is found in prairies, plains and along the sides of roads. Description: Grindelia is a perennial herb with leafy stems that attain the height of up to three feet. It has yellow flowers that are surrounded by bracts, which produce a resinous substance. Plant Parts Used: Dried Aerial parts. The aerial parts of the plant are plucked before the flower buds open, to be dried
Botanical Name: Levisticum officinale. Other Common Names: Old English lovage, Italian and Cornish lovage, maggi plant, smellage, cajoler’s weed, levisticum, maggiqurzel, sauerkrautwurz. Habitat: Lovage is native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and Asia Minor, and can be found growing throughout central and southern Europe, parts of Britain, Eastern U.S., and southwestern Asia. It is cultivated in Europe to be distilled for essential oils. It does best in sunny to partly shaded locations, in a moist, well-drained soil rich in humus. Lovage prefers a pH range from 5.0 – 7.6. Description: Lovage is a perennial plant that may reach
Did you know magnolia flowers are edible? Learn how to forage & use them
I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. More details here. The appearance of stinging nettles in my neighborhood is exciting, because it marks the beginning of the foraging season! Last year, spring came in so late that we were desperate enough to go collect nettles that had just barely […]
Here are the Best Smokable Plants & They are Not Marijuana or Tobacco. They are not addictive and come with some benefits.
Beautiful Aegopodium podagraria, native to Eurasia but invasive in the United States, has a flock of common names. The shade-loving perennial I call ground
Read about these 5 ways to use comfrey around your home and garden!
Bracken fern is the most prolific herbaceous plant in North America and is found most everywhere in the world. The fiddleheads taste delicious!
Wondering what to do with all those lambsquarters? Check out this huge collection of inventive lambs quarter recipes and get cooking!
Acțiunea terapeutică generală a brusturelui este de natură purificatoare. Acesta activează și tonifică organele detoxifiante ale corpului, inducând un proces de curățare internă profundă a organismului.
Did you know magnolia flowers are edible? Learn how to forage & use them
Chicory is one of the safest wild edibles you can forage, with a huge number of health benefits. We tell you everything you need to know about it.
Ramps are a spring ephemeral, which means they're only here for a very short time. A short harvest window helps us appreciate natures bounty, but sometimes its just not enough. There are simple ways to preserve
There are a lot of common names for the native weed Galium aparine (Rubiaceae). They include cleavers, stickywilly, and catchweed bedstraw. Although I find some humor in the name “stickywil…
There are many medicinal wild herbs that you can forage for in the early spring. They include tonic herbs, and medicinal herbs.
The Weedy Connection have posted a great image listing the most common edible weeds in Australia. (See the full size image.)
