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Crataegus spp The various species of Hawthorns are probably the best cardio tonic herbs known in the Northern hemisphere. It nourishes and restores the health, function and rhythm of the heart. It regulates heart beats, it relaxes the blood vessels helping to bring blood pressure to its normal. Its work is really in balancing the heart function by either stimulating or containing its activity when needed. It also increases the heart’s ability to cope with lack of oxygen in case an artery that supplies blood to the heart is (temporarily) clogged. Crataegus monogyna leaves Hawthorn extracts have been employed in herbal - but also in conventional - medicine around the world to treat a wide spectrum of heart conditions including congestive heart failure, mild angina pectoris, palpitations, cardiac arrhythmia, etc. Hawthorn helps to strengthen not only the heart muscles and tissues, but it supports the entire cardiovascular/circulatory system. It improves blood circulation, it strengthens ...

Conyza canadensis Horseweed / Canadian Fleabane NL: Canadese fijnstraal / F: Vergerette du Canada Native from North America, this plant made its way all over Europe and many other parts of the world. It may not be the prettiest plant one would choose to keep in the garden, neither is it among the most popular plants in modern herbalism. Nevertheless Horseweed, or Canadian Fleabane, as it is also called, was used by most Native North Americans tribes to treat various illnesses, including diarrhea, fever, running nose, rhinitis, but also used to arrest bleedings or to relieve stomach aches, earaches or headaches. Externally, it was made into poultices to treat burns and sore joints. Roots were used in decoction teas to treat menstrual complaints. Dried and burned as incense it was used to ward off insects. In today’s herbalism Horseweed is mostly employed where an astringent is required: diarrhea, internal hemorrhage, nosebleeds, hemorrhoids, etc. It has been recently researched for its ...

Althea officinalis NL: Echte heemst / F: Guimauve sauvage Marshmallow is a powerful medicinal herb that has been proven to soothe and heal inflammations an irritations in mucous membranes of the respiratory, urinary and digestive tract. That covers quite a lot of conditions: bronchitis, peptic ulcers, gastritis, cystitis, mouth and throat inflammations, etc. All parts of the plant are edible and can be used medicinally. Externally, as poultices or in creams, it promotes cellular healing. It is therefore employed in the treatment of skin inflammations, burns, insect bites, bruises, sprains... its fresh leaves can be lightly crushed between the fingers and rubbed into insect bites and stings to relieve itchiness and to reduce allergic reactions. It can be also infused in oil to be used after shower to keep skin’s health. Just a side note on this: our skin is our major “defense” organ, protecting our body against undesired organisms, so it is a good idea to treat our skin with a thin laye...

Sambucus nigra NL: Vlier / F: Sureau Noir Elder is a great pioneer shrub or small tree that can come to help when replanting woodlands or in a forest garden project. It grows very quick, it is resistant and helps to shelter and support larger, slow-growing trees, protecting them from harsh weather. It is a great garden-guardian, protecting the neighboring plants against undesirable insects.  Elder leaves can be prepared in a decoction to be used as  insect repellent  spray as well as to treat plants from fungal infection, leaf rot and powdery mildew. It improves fermentation of compost piles when growing near it. In fact, the plant can activate composting processes when added to compost heaps. The only edible parts of the plant are the flowers and the very ripe berries, like in when they are really dark purple-black. Even then, the berries are safer to be consumed when cooked, as the possible traces of cyanogenic substances are then destroyed by cooking. Red-brownish berr...

Trifolium repens NL: Witte klaver / F: Trèfle blanc White clover is found growing abundantly in various types of environments and soils. In urban areas it can be spotted all over grass fields as it is widely used to improve lawn quality. It is one of the most popular, easy-to-use green manure plants, helping to fix nitrogen into the soil, strengthening the health of the surrounding plants. It is particularly great to be sown together with crops from the grass family, such as rye, barley, rice... Permaculture master Masanobu Fukuoka used it widely in his highly productive rice fields.  White clover is also an amazing “living mulch”. It makes a great soil cover, keeping it moist, helping to restore soil fertility and preventing erosion. It is thus handy to have it grown for instance on the sides of raised garden beds or as cover for pathways. It also attracts bees and other pollinators. It is a highly nutritious edible, particularly the young leaves, which can be eaten raw or prepa...

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...

Valeriana officinalis NL: Valeriaan / F: Valériane Valerian is one of the most widely recognized medicinal herb of our times. Its sedating powers have been documented since around 460 B.C. As a powerful and versatile nervine, valerian has been used to relieve anxiety, stress, irritability, hysteria, panic attacks, delusions, attention deficit disorders, hyperactivity and the wide range of symptoms that are related to tension and nervousness. It has also great antispasmodic effects, being employed to relieve (nervousness-induced) migraines, muscle pain, uterine cramps, intestinal colic and even rheumatic pain, sciatica, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.  Due to its stress-reducing properties, it seems to have a positive effect on heart problems and it helps to stabilize blood pressure.  Valerian is also used to aid in digestive ailments, relieving gas, diarrhea, cramps and it may even help to treat irritable bowel syndrome. Native Americans used chewed valerian, applying it dire...

Anthriscus sylvestris NL: Fluitenkruid /F: Cerfeuil sauvage Wild chervil or cow parsley is found covering wide areas wherever humans have not worked out the land. Leaves and seeds are all edible, raw or cooked and its taste  is stronger than that from garden chervil, similar to carrot leaves. Young leaves taste much milder, somewhat between parsley and fennel. The root is also edible and it is said to be a general tonic, where soaked for several days in rice water (water from washing the rice), and then cooked with other vegetables. This plant has poisonous look-alikes, such as hemlock   ( Conium maculatum or Cicuta spp. ) and fool’s parsley (Aethusa cynapium). One of the distinguishing features between them being that wild chervil has stout, pale green furrowed and slightly hairy stems. In contrast fools' parsley has thin, hairless ribbed and hollow stems.  Hemlock has stout, smooth stems that are often (not always!) purple-spotted. Please, do not count only on these ide...

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 l...

a.k.a. Cleavers or Bedstraw Galium aparine NL: Kleefkruid / F: Gaillet gratteron Goosegrass is known in the herbalist’s world as a blood purifier, an essential ingredient of any good herbal detox mix, or spring cleanser formula. Due to its detoxifying as well as diuretic properties, it is employed to treat a series of ailments such as wounds, skin inflammations, ulcers, eczema and even psoriasis.  The detoxifying work of goosegrass seems to be partly linked to its ability to the cleanse lymphatic system. In popular medicine it is said to help to heal various glandular disorders, including tonsillitis, hepatitis and even some thyroid disorders. Its aerial parts are also astringent, tonic, depurative, vulnerary. It is also antiphlogistic and febrifuge, making it a helpful herb to include in conditions that involve fevers. Some herbalists claim that goosegrass is more effective when its fresh juice is used. In principle the plant is edible, preferably its young shoot tops, coll...