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LIVING MEDICINE
- using plants for health and wellbeing
Guide to some Spring medicinal/food plants in Holyrood Park
When foraging for wild medicinal or food plants, take at least one good book (and preferably 2!)
with clear illustrations or photographs – or (and) an expert – to ensure safe identification. Always
cross-check the botanical name, as common names vary widely! If in doubt, leave well alone, or if
the plant is abundant, take a small sample to identify later. iSpot is a fantastic online resource for
identifying wild plants and sharing images: http://www.ispot.org.uk/plants Respect plants and their
environment: only harvest plants that are plentiful, and always leave enough for the plant and
wildlife to thrive. As a general rule, if you stick to public land/rights of way, it is legal to take aboveground parts – leaves, flowers, seeds, fruit, nuts. Uprooting plants or harvesting roots requires
permission, as does collecting for commercial purposes. Seek landowner consent where
appropriate or courteous to do so, and check whether plant is a protected species or rare in a
particular area before collecting – some protected plants may not be collected under any
circumstances (details of these can be found online: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-5171). More
generally, when out and about in Scotland, it is important always to follow the Outdoor Access
Code (http://www.snh.gov.uk/enjoying-the-outdoors/your-access-rights/)
For recipes, images and other ideas, see www.floramedica.org and check out:
www.edible-plants.com
www.eatweeds.com
www.selfsufficientish.com
www.downsizer.net
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
www.plant-identification.co.uk
www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weedlf
www.celtnet.org.uk
www.plantlife.org.uk
Stickywilly, Cleavers, Goosegrass
Galium aparine
Common weed, widespread in damp
shady places, wasteland
Aerial parts or fresh juice
Before flowering; spring-early summer
Trad. spring tonic/detox plant, stimulates
kidney function; hangover herb (!). Try
chopped in potato salad, or juice it with
your favourite fruit or veg.
Nettle, stinging nettle
Urtica dioica
Woods, waste ground, near houses
Leaf; seeds also edible (trad winter chicken-feed)
March-June, topmost leaves, before flowering;
sometimes “second flush” in October
Sting destroyed by rubbing, and wilts after nettles
are picked. Nutritious – exceptionally high in
minerals and vitamins; take daily for allergies as
tea or eat in soups, stews, omelettes, pesto.
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Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Dandelion (“Pee-the-bed”)
Taraxacum officinale (Agg.)
Ubiquitous, waste ground, grassy spaces
Leaf and root
Leaf: April-May; Root: autumn
Many species – useful ones have
characteristic leaf shape. Leaf is high in
vitamin C and minerals (notably potassium);
diuretic action useful in mild high blood
pressure; root useful digestive tonic, aids fat
metabolism
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
White deadnettle
Lamium album
Waysides, woodland edges
Leaf and flower
Late Jan-May, often second flush in Autumn
Keynote: anti-inflammatory for urinary tract,
female reproductive tract; use as tea or add to
salads, frittata:
Deadnettle frittata
- handful white deadnettle leaves (+flowers)
- 1 finely chopped shallot (or small onion/leek)
- half dozen leftover roast or boiled potatoes
- 4 eggs
- handful grated cheese (cheddar, parmesan) or
crumbled feta
- salt/pepper; pinch nutmeg or caraway seeds (optional)
Lightly saute shallot, add chopped deadnettle, and when
wilted add potatoes. Tip into beaten eggs and pour
everything back into omelette pan. Season and sprinkle
with cheese. Allow to cook through gently & brown under
grill if needed. (Adapted from www.eatweeds.co.uk)
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
www.floramedica.org
Elder
Sambucus nigra
Roadsides, hedgerows, woodland edges
Flowers, fruits
When in flower (May-mid-Aug)/when berries ripe
(black) (Sep-Nov)
Elderflower as tea, tincture; cordial; in ice cream;
high in Vit C; relieves cold/flu symptoms, reduces
temperature by dilating blood vessels and
inducing sweating; reputed immune system
stimulant (home-grown Echinacea?); possibly
anti-viral action.
07790 885969
[email protected]
3|Page
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Gorse, Whin
Ulex europaeus
Open hillsides
Flowers
Flowers almost all year, best in spring – MarchMay
Distinctive “coconut” smell; very thorny! Make
sure to distinguish from Broom (Cystisus
scoparius) – non-thorny!
Gorse flower cordial
• 4 handfuls gorse flowers
• 600ml cold water
• 250g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 orange (no pith), juice of 1 lemon
Bring the water and sugar mix to a rapid boil, keep boiling
10 mins. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice, orange
zest and Gorse flowers to the sugar water (syrup). Stir well
and leave until cooled or overnight. Strain through muslin
or jelly bag into clean container / jug. You should have
about 500ml of liquid. Bottle (sterilize!), cap and store.
Refrigerate once opened. [From www.eatweeds.co.uk]
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Sheep’s
sorrel
www.floramedica.org
Hawthorn, Mayflower
Crataegus monogyna / laevigata
Hedges, scrub, woodland fringes
Leaves/flowers (spring) or berries (autumn)
Leaves & flowers: April/May-June; Berries SeptOct
H. monogyna (single-seeded fruit) commonest in
Scotland. Used as a relaxant and
antihypertensive in herbal medicine
Sorrel / Sheep’s sorrel
Rumex acetosa / Rumex acetosella
Open meadows, waysides
Leaf
Early-mid-spring, before flowering;
sometimes “second flush” in Autumn
Nutritious, but use in moderation – like
spinach, contains oxalic acid (kidney
irritant); adds tang to soups, sauces,
salads
Quick sorrel sauce: 50g fresh (washed) sorrel
leaves, 100 ml soured cream or crème fraiche,
1 tbsp good mustard, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 small
clove garlic (or handful wild garlic), a pinch of
salt & pepper. Blend all ingredients using hand
blender (or chop everything finely and blend
with mortar/pestle or hand whisk) and serve
with grilled/baked fish, chicken or tofu. Great for
improvised outdoor picnics!
07790 885969
[email protected]
4|Page
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Lesser celandine, Pilewort
Ranunculus ficaria
Waste land, parkland, dappled shade
Young leaf
Early spring – late Feb-March
Root used medicinally for haemorrhoids (piles)
– caution, irritant to skin. Add young leaves
(high in vitamin C) sparingly to salad (- older
leaves accumulate toxins, but cooking
destroys these). Do not eat when plant
flowers.
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Chickweed
Stellaria media
shady parkland, waste ground, around mature
trees
Aerial parts
All year
White flowers, close to topmost leaves; wash
well. Nutritious – Vit C, makes good addition
to salads, smoothies; juice can be used to
sooth nettle stings and dry, irritated skin.
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
www.floramedica.org
Ground elder (also Herb gerard, Goutweed)
Aegopodium podagraria
(dappled) shade, hedgerows, woodland edge,
gardens
young green shoots, leaves
Spring – Feb-May/June, before flowering
Contains Ca, Fe, Mg, Vit C, A. Use as veg,
steam or wilt (substitute for spinach in recipes);
can also be used instead of celery/parsley
Hairy bittercress / Wavy bittercress
Cardamine hirsuta / Cardamine flexuosa
Paths, verges, by walls (ruderal)
Leaves, or whole plant if young
Early spring onwards (almost all year
round)
Tastes like rocket – similar uses: in
salads, sandwiches, pesto. Try with
smoked foods. Also tastes great baked
through home-made bread.
07790 885969
[email protected]
5|Page
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Shepherd’s purse
Capsella bursa-pastoris
Common weed, on paths, waste ground
Aerial parts
March-July
Flowers nearly all year round. Nutritious: K, Ca,
P, Fe; vitamin A, B1,2,3 & C; use leaves like
rocket; seeds as mild pepper. Used in herbal
medicine as astringent to control excessive
menstruation (menorrhagia).
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Daisy
Bellis perennis
Ubiquitous, grassy spaces
Leaf rosette & flowers
Spring – early March onwards
Trad syrup (flowers) to treat colds and coughs;
compress for bruises, wounds; food uses: leaves/
flowers in salads, pickled flower heads, sauces
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Silver birch
Betula pendula
Native to Scotland/UK and northern
temperate zones
Sap, new leaves
March-April (rising sap); April (leaves)
Infusion of leaves is diuretic, externally
skin tonic; sap is rich in vitamins (esp
C) and minerals; trad spring tonic
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
www.floramedica.org
Coltsfoot (“Tushy-lucky”)
Tussilago farfara
By water, disturbed/waste ground, verges
Leaves
Not used now – risk of liver toxicity
Leaves hoof-shaped (<30 cm), white underside,
emerge after flower. Trad: dried leaves smoked
for asthma, fresh leaves as tea or syrup for dry
coughs. Coltsfoot candy.
07790 885969
[email protected]
6|Page
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Plaintain, great plantain
Plantago major
Grassy waste ground, roadsides
Leaves
April-June, when flowering
Leaves can be used directly as
compress/poultice – wound healing. Europe:
alternative to Docken for nettle stings
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Ribwort, Ribwort plantain
Plantago lanceolata
Grassy waste ground, roadsides
Leaves
April-June, when flowering
Leaves used as tea or made into syrups for
respiratory problems, but not very palatable as
food
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Red clover
Trifolium pratense
Open fields, waysides
Leaf and flower
April-August
Blood cleansing tea, useful for skin conditions;
add leaves and flowers to salads (NB only
minimal use if pregnant!)
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Butterbur
Petasites hybridus
By water, damp woodland or meadows
Root
Not now used – risk of liver toxicity
(pyrrolizidine alkaloids - PAs).
Leaves can reach 90 cm. Trad uses for
urinary tract inflammations and allergies esp
hay fever. Also helpful for migraine – recent
research (preparations available with PAs
removed.)
Notes
www.floramedica.org
07790 885969
[email protected]
7|Page
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Common dock, Docken
Rumex obtusifolius
Waste ground, rich soils, usually
close to stinging nettle
Leaf or leaf bud (mucilage)
Before flowering
Trad use (UK only – folk medicine)
to soothe nettle stings. Root used for
dye. Leaves sometimes eaten in
past (cooked). See also
http://www.kew.org/ethnomedica/
And just for fun...
Common name
Botanical name
Where to find it
Part used
Harvesting
Notes
Himalayan balsam
Impatiens glandulifera
Woodland edges, riverbanks (esp. where
water nutrient load is high)
Flowers, seeds
June-Oct
The young leaves and shoots can be cooked
and eaten, while the plentiful seeds can be
used like lentils to make a curry (there’s a
recipe on www.eatweeds.co.uk). The plant
has glands that secrete sticky, sweet nectar –
an ideal base for making a cordial or syrup.
Try this:
You need: juice of a lemon (or lime), 100ml water, 250g
sugar, 50g Himalayan balsam petals.
Heat the water and lemon juice gently. Dissolve the
sugar in the lemon-water mixture, then add the petals.
After about 5 minutes it should turn a bright pink colour.
Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes stirring
continuously until you have a runny syrup. The longer
you cook the thicker it gets. Strain the mixture through
a fine sieve. Serve on pancakes, ice cream or desserts.
[Source: http://www.channel4.com/4food/on-tv/threehungry-boys/extras/himalayan-balsam-recipe]
www.floramedica.org
07790 885969
[email protected]