Isn’t it a wonderful feeling to watch your lovingly nurtured flowers bloom? To harvest a meal from your well tended veg patch?
If only we could feel the same enthusiasm for weeds….
Do No Harm
As I’m sure you already know, weedkiller products pose a harmful risk to our health and our planet, yet sadly the destructive practice persists among thoughtless gardeners and farmers!
The more we learn about the eco-system, of which we are (willing or not) a part of, the more we see that everything is connected in ways more complex and wonderful than we could ever have imagined!
But surely there is a better option for the more conscientious gardener than a lifetime of tedious weeding?
What Is A Weed?
"And what is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
Weeds With Virtues
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
Meet Your Weeds
Weed Number One
Dandelion
"Blessings on thy sunny face, In my heart thou hast a place, Humble Dandelion! Forms more lovely are around thee, Purple violets surround thee,-- But I know thy honest heart Never felt a moment's smart At another's good or beauty,-- Ever at thy post of duty, Smiling on the great and small, Rich and poor, and wishing all Health, and happiness, and pleasure, Oh, thou art a golden treasure!"
Name: Taraxacum Officinale
Virtues:
Nutrition:
In the garden:
Medicine:
Culinary:
Dandelion Recipes...
"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust."
Weed Number Two
Herb Robert
Name: Geranium Robertianum
Virtues:
Insect repellent:
It is said that the crushed leaves are effective as an insect repellent when rubbed on the skin. One of the common names Stinking Bob relates to an apparent unpleasant aroma, though it seems to effect some more than others (I’ve only noticed it once and didn’t find it offensive, although I use it often).
Foot Infusion:
Another recommended use is to pour boiling water over the leaves and soak your feet in the cooled liquid to remove toxins, heavy metals and radiation.
Nutritional Benefits:
Herb Robert contains flavonoids, vitamin A, B vitamins 1,2 and 3, vitamin C and small amounts of vitamin E as well as minerals calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium.
Medicinal Values:
A 2010 study suggested anti-diabetic potential in lowering blood sugar levels by as much as 35%.
Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
Weed Number Three
Plantain
Name: Plantago spp
Virtues:
There are something like 200 species of plantain but the two most often found in UK gardens are Greater Plantain (P.Major) commonly known as Broadleaf plantain or Rats-tail, and Lesser Plantain (P.lanceolata) commonly called Ribwort or Narrowleaf plantain.
It is a very good plant to know…
In The Garden:
It also attracts helpful insects like hoverflies and is great for wildlife attracting certain moths and butterflies and the seeds provide food for birds.
Medicine:
Plantain is a great plant to have in your first-aid knowledge!
If you remember being stung by nettles as a child, chances are you may have been instructed to look for dock leaves to relieve the sting?
Well, you may want to sit down before I tell you this…
You were looking for the wrong plant!
It’s ok, take a moment.
Yes, it’s true, I’m afraid. Beyond distraction, placebo and the cooling effect of plant juice, Dock has little to offer as a treatment for nettle stings (although, of course, it does have many virtues of it’s own).
Plantain, however, is an effective treatment, not only for stings or bites but for cuts and grazes too. Applied directly to the wound as a poultice, it draws out toxins as well as stemming the flow of blood and accelerating the healing process. It’s also mildly anti-sceptic.
A popular form of application is to chew a leaf to release the juices before pressing onto the skin to provide quick relief.
It can even be used for splinters, bringing them to the surface for easy removal.
I wonder how many Plantain leaves we stepped on in our haste to find those Dock leaves! (Tell the children!)
Food:
A source of calcium, vitamin C, carotene, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus and more, Plantain provide a healthy and abundant food source!
I must admit, I have not really explored the culinary potential of Plantain yet, my experience is mostly limited to using it as a topical medicine.
However, whilst writing this article, I became very hungry and unable to divert my focus very far, I went into the garden, gathered Leaves of Dandelion, Herb Robert and Plantain and cooked them with garlic and lemon juice. I ate them seasoned and tossed with wholemeal spaghetti!
I wouldn’t particularly recommend this dish as an introduction to wild food, there are much better ways to enjoy these plants but it did provide the fuel for what you see before you now.
Some ways I have heard to enjoy plantain are cooked into crisps (or chips for Americans) as is popular with kale.
Some other suggestions include soup or smoothie from Julia’s edible weeds blog or baked with aubergine and avocado from Robin Harfords Eatweeds.
I’ve heard that the seeds can be ground to make flour or added to baked goods and some say that both parts of the plant have a mushroom flavour!
I don’t know about you, but I am definitely intrigued to explore some of the ways to enjoy this nutritious plant!
To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.
Almost Magic
So, there you have it. Thank you for reading and I apologise if the title seemed misleading. Although I cannot offer a magical vanishing trick for the weeds in your garden, I hope I can help you to transform them into something nicer by viewing them through a different lens.
After all, harvesting a delicious and healthful meal is far less of a toil than pulling out weeds for the compost and much more rewarding!
I hope you will go outside and acquaint yourself with these and other plants that grow voluntarily.
A note about traditional medicine:
I have only mentioned some of the attributes known to these plants and have tried to include scientific data where possible.
I feel it’s important to acknowledge though, that many wild plants were recognised for their medicinal value by our ancestors way before the birth of modern science. There is a certain lack of incentive to fully investigate the facts of the wisdom passed down through generations.
Where studies are undertaken, compounds are often isolated, rather than tested as a complete formula.
"In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous."
I would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know what you thought in the comments below and share any tips or recipes and uses for these or other misunderstood plants.
As every cloud has a silver lining, so every weed has a virtue
Disclaimer:
Please remember, you should always be absolutely certain of correct identification before consuming wild plants. Some are toxic to humans and can cause unpleasant side effects, including death.
It’s also wise to sample small amounts when trying a wild food for the first time as different people can react differently.
Phytochemical composition and biological activities of Geranium robertianum L.: a review
Phytochemical Analysis and Determination of Vitamin Contents of Geranium Robertianum
B.E.S. Journal of Ecology: Geranium robertianum L.
Robin Harford’s Plantain notebook*
Plantago major in Traditional Persian Medicine and modern phytotherapy: a narrative review
Nutritional composition of Plantago species (P. Major L., P. Lanceolata L., and P. Media L.)
Oregon BioDynamics Group/Dynamic Accumulators of Nutrients for Composting
This Post Has 7 Comments
This is an absolutely fantastic article, packed with amazing useful and beneficial information. I have used plantain on my little girls cuts when she was small and it was almost instant relief, also made a dandelion syrup which i totally agree is a wonderful taste, as well as being medicinal in its own right, well done Liza, a thoroughly great read!
Thank you Kathryn. So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, Plantain really is amazingly effective isn’t it?
Very informative Liza, thanks! You have inspired me to get creative and try a few of these, especially herb Robert. We made stingy nettle pasta recently, which was lots of fun and tasty. I’m looking forward to your next blog post 💕
Hi Louise, That’s wonderful to hear that I have inspired you! Yum, nettle pasta sounds delicious! I’m definitely going to try that soon!
Brilliant read Liza, definitely inspiring. I’m going to try the foot soak you mentioned, could do with a detox. I almost made the dandelion syrup. I left it in the fridge (for weeks) after steeping overnight and didn’t get round to doing anymore to it. What a waste 😢. I will get round to it one day 🙄. I used to have a tortoise, my brother has her now. Dandelion and plantain are two of the safe plants a horsefield tortoise can eat. Another one she loves is clover especially the flower’s, both the white and red. Is clover safe for us also?
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for your message. I want to try the foot soak too. I’ve also wasted my Dandelion syrup by leaving it too long, sadly. If you want to keep it for a longer time, you have to be a bit more specific with the method and ingredients but I’m lazy and prefer to just make a quick batch when I want it.
Yes, all clover is completely edible! There are lot’s of recipes for using the flowers.
Amazing! It’s almost unbelievable that we seem to have lost connection with these plants and their benefits even though we are so close to them at all times. I grew up in the countryside and still knew not of the goodness that lurks on every patch of lawn and most flowerbeds! Thank you ever so much for bringing this to light and bringing me (and other readers!) a new thirst for knowledge of these beautiful and helpful plants!
😀