clair051

Aegopodium podagaria NL: Zevenblad / F:  L'égopode podagraire Also known as goutweed, ground elder is one of the first abundant edible greens that appear in spring time, together with cow parsley and nettles. It has a long history of being used as medicine-food. It was cultivated as food crop in the middle ages (probably before that too), and that seems to me a very smart thing since it is such a strong plant that does not need much care, growing strongly in harsh conditions, at a time when not many other plant foods are available.  The young tender leaves are preferred, before the plant is in flower. The flowering point can be postponed however by harvesting the top of the plants regularly. When the leaves are a bit more mature they can get a less appealing taste and they may act as laxative. Choosing only younger leaves before the flowers come out seems to be the way to go! They can be prepared as spinach, in stews, soups, sandwich, pies, you name it. In old folk medicine gr...

Veronica filiformis NL: (Draad)ereprijs / F: V éronique 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 Ve...

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...