Wood Avens

Geum urbanum

NL: Geel nagelkruid /
F: Benoîte


Other popular names: herb Bennet, colewort and St. Benedict's herb.

Wood avens, as its name suggests, is found in woodlands and other shady places.

The young leaves can be eaten, cooked as potherb. Older leaves can be dried and powdered to be added to herbal salt. The roots can be harvested either in spring, when they can be more aromatic, or from september until late in the winter, as long as the soil is not so hard frosted. The root is the most popular part of this plant to be used in culinary creations. It adds an aromatic hint of cinnamon and cloves to dishes, soups or drinks, such as lemonades or chai.

Wood avens has a long list of medicinal properties. It is a good astringent herb that can help treat diarrhea, hemorrhoids, vaginal discharges, mouth ulcers, throat inflammation. It relieves irritable bowel syndrome and various other gastro-intestinal disorders. In old folk medicine it was believed to be a remedy against poison and dog and snake bites. It apparently helps the liver to do its “detox” work.

Particularly the roots have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. A decoction of the roots can be used as wash to disinfect and heal skin problems. It is even said to help remove spots, freckles and to smooth the skin. A nice ingredient to add to our beauty creams!

The roots are also popular in folk medicine to relieve fevers. It can be dried and stored to be used as first aid remedy, as a quinine substitute, in intermittent fevers.

The dried root can also be also used to make moth repellent sachets for linen cupboards.

In the link below you can have a photographic tour to help you to identify this plant:

Geum urbanum

More information on this plant:

Wood Avens Health Benefits

Geum urbanum - PFAF

Wood Avens, Edibility, Identification, Distribution, by Galloway Wild Foods

Garlic Mustard

Alliaria petiolata

NL: Look-zonder-look / F: Herbe à ail

Despite of its name, garlic mustard is not from the family of garlics, but from the mustards (Brassicaceae / Cruciferae). It is a popular edible, used widely in pestos, salad dressings and as a salad ingredient too. Leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible. The leaves are best eaten in early spring, as it may get bitter when the weather turns warmer. Roots can also be eaten, prepared as horseradish, having a similar taste. 

the younger the leaves, the tastier

It contains a lot of advantages from its more known family members, such as being rich in vitamins A, C, magnesium, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids, flavonoids and isothiocyanates - which are thought to help protect our body against various types of cancer. 

In traditional herbalism garlic mustard is used as antiseptic (for wounds, ulcers, cuts...), vulnerary, antiasthmatic, diaphoretic and antiscorbutic. The roots can be processed into a purée or cooked in oil (over low fire in bain-marie) and applied as poultice (or oil) into the chest to help relieve bronchitis. 

Garlic mustard is considered as highly invasive, especially due to its allelochemicals, that keep other plants in the surroundings from germinating. The solution is pretty simple: harvest it and consume it. It can be preserved as pesto, jarred in sterile pots or dried for further culinary or medicinal use. 

This plant is apparently food for more than 60 species of insects and 7 types of fungus, so it surely has an important role to play in nature.

Here is a nice video with several handy tips to use garlic mustard:

Edible Plants: Garlic Mustard 

Cowslip

Primula veris (or P. officinalis)

NL: Echte sleutelbloem / F: Primevère officinale

This precious herb was once an abundant perennial, widely harvested at springtime for food and for its highly praised medicinal properties. This was before current farming practices took over most lands. 

Young leaves and flowers are nutritious additions to salads and smoothies. The leaves can also be added to enrich soups and stews. 

Its leaves, before flower

Flowers, leaves and root have been used since ancient time as sedative, nervine, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antispasmodic. That means that it may help to treat spasms, cramps, asthma and other respiratory conditions, insomnia, fever, bruises and to ease painful conditions.

Simply another amazing plant!!

  Here is a nice super short video to help you to recognize Cowslip:

Cowslip / Primula veris

More on Cowslip:

Primula veris - Cowslip - PFAF

Speedwell

Veronica filiformis

NL: (Draad)ereprijs / F: Véronique filiforme

This plant can be easily recognized from its purplish little flowers that, together with the gorgeous daisies, make grass fields everywhere look like stunning nature creations. 

But speedweel is not only a cute little plant. It is employed in herbal preparations as anti inflammatory, tonic, expectorant and diaphoretic. Speedwell has also diuretic, depurative, liver protective and tonic properties. It is astringent (it contains tannins) and bitter. Many herbalists use it to relieve various types of allergies.

Externally it can be used in ointments to treat skin inflammations, wounds and eczema.

It used to be consumed as a tonic and relaxing tea in England.

There are still some other medicinal uses that have been attributed to speedwell, such as to ease gastrointestinal troubles, rheumatic complaints and even to increase memory, reduce vertigo and to treat depression.

There are various other similar species from the Veronica family, such as Veronica arvensis or V. chamaedrys that have shown similar medicinal properties and that also have similar purple flower.

It is a lovely and great addition to any ecological garden, as ground cover.

Veronica chamaedrys

Veronica officinalis

More information on Speedwell:

What is Speewell?

Speewell, by A Modern Herbal

Common Speedwell, short video

Purple Deadnettle

Lamium purpureum

Lamium purpureum

NL: Paarse Dovenetel / F: Lamier purpre

These pretty flowering plants are to be found at their best shape everywhere at this time of the year. Its aerial parts are edible - raw or cooked. 

It is rich in various antioxidants, particularly  flavonoids and vitamin C.
Its flowers can be used to decorate salads or desserts and the entire aerial portion is very easy and palatable to be blended into smoothies, for instance with banana, mango or strawberries. 

It has been used in traditional herbal medicine to reduce allergic reactions and as anti-inflammatory. Its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties have also been studied, in an attempt to explain its role in reducing allergies.  

Its most known medicinal uses in traditional herbalism are as astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic and purgative. Its leaves can be used fresh, squeezed and applied on the skin to help stop bleeding and heal cuts and wounds.

For anyone wanting to grow this plant in the garden, you'll find some quick tips in this video:

Flower gardening tips: how to grow dead nettle

More information on Lamium purpureum:

Purple Dead Nettle - Castanea Blog

Purple Dead Nettle and Allergies - Livestrong.com

Eating Green: Lamium purpureum -

Coltsfoot

Tussilago farfara

NL: Klein hoefblad / F: Tussilage

Coltsfoot has been known as a powerful expectorant, demulcent, diaphoretic and antitussive in traditional herbalism, being prescribed for a wide range of respiratory ailments, from common colds and coughs, sore throats to bronchial asthma and chronic emphysema. It is also known for its skin healing properties, being used externally to treat eczema, inflammations, burns, skin ulcers, wounds and bites.

There are suggestions of coltsfoot extracts being used to increase immunity.  

Leaves are found separately from the flowers

The entire plant is known by foragers as a wild edible. I personally would only eat it unless in a situation of serious need, as the plant contains liver-harzardous pyrrolizidine alkaloids and is potentially toxic in large doses - especially the flowering stems. Such alkaloids are mostly destroyed by decoction. The leaves contain less of these alkaloids and are the safest part of the plant to be used. 

Here is a nice video with more information on identifying coltsfoot:

Identifying Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara - My Nature Apps

More information and links to recipes with coltsfoot:

Coltsfoot - Tussilago farfara, by Celtnet