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Elytrigia repens - (L.)Desv. ex Nevski.

Couch Grass

Author	(L.)Desv. ex Nevski.	Botanical references	17
Family	Gramineae	Genus	Elytrigia
Synonyms	Agropyron repens - (L.)Beauv. Elymus repens - (L.)Gould. Triticum repens - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Most of Europe, including Britain, N. Africa, Siberia and N. America.
Habitat	A common weed of gardens, fields, hedgerows and meadows[17].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 1m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry moist or wet soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Lawn; Meadow; Hedgerow; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root; Seed.

Edible Uses: Coffee.

Roots - cooked. They can be dried and ground into a powder, then used with wheat when making bread[12, 46, 105, 244]. Although thin and stringy, the roots contain starch and enzymes and are quite sweet[7]. When boiled for a long time to break down the leathery membrane, a syrup can be made from the roots and this is sometimes brewed into a beer[2, 7]. The roasted root is a coffee substitute[46]. Young leaves and shoots - eaten raw in spring salads[7]. A slightly sweet flavour, though quickly becoming very fibrous, they are rather less than wonderful[K]. The juice from these shoots is sometimes used as a spring tonic[244]. Seed[161]. A cereal mash can be made from them[7]. The seed is very small and there is a large husk surrounding it, so that effectively it is more like eating fibre than cereal[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antiphlogistic; Aperient; Demulcent; Diuretic; Emollient; Lithontripic; Tonic.

Couch grass is of considerable value as a herbal medicine, the roots being very useful in the treatment of a wide range of kidney, liver and urinary disorders[4]. They have a gentle remedial effect which is well-tolerated by the body and has no side-effects[238]. This plant is also a favourite medicine of domestic cats and dogs, who will often eat quite large quantities of the leaves[4]. The roots are antiphlogistic, aperient, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, lithontripic and tonic[4, 7]. They are harvested in the spring and can be dried for later use[4]. A tea made from the roots is used in cases of urinary incompetence and as a worm expellent[222]. It is also an effective treatment for urinary tract infections such as cystitis and urethritis[254]. It both protects the urinary tubules against infections and irritants, and increases the volume of urine thereby diluting it[254]. Externally it is applied as a wash to swollen limbs[222].

Other Uses

Dye; Liquid feed; Soil stabilization.

An infusion of the whole plant is a good liquid plant feed[54]. The plant has a long creeping root system and so it has been planted in sand dunes near the coast to bind the soil together[4]. A grey dye is obtained from the roots[106].

Cultivation details

Couch grass can succeed in any soil, though it grows best in light sandy soils[238]. It is a rapidly spreading, persistent and pernicious weed that should only be introduced with great caution. It tolerates a pH in the range 4.2 to 8.3. Some modern works have now separated this species off into a new genus as Elytrigia repens. A food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species. This species can become a pernicious weed, spreading rapidly by underground rhizomes[4] and quickly forming a dense mat of roots in the soil that strangles other plant growth[K]. Even the smallest fragment of root is capable of regenerating into a new plant, thus making it exceedingly difficult to get rid of. A good thick mulch through which nothing can grow, can be applied to the area, though it will need to be left in place for at least two growing seasons to be fully effective[K]. Despite its antisocial tendency in the garden, couch is a very useful herbal medicine and Culpepper is said to have stated that half an acre of couch was worth five acres of carrots twice over[4].

Propagation

This species is a pernicious weed and will not require assistance in spreading itself.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles 0 ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture. 0
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Elytrigia repens

Carina Sat Feb 23 2008

Hello ! I am a horse owner trying to learn more abouth herbs and treatments and food for my horses my dog and my cat and I find your information very helpful thank you. I would say that it would be super good if you could also add homeopathy that would be great and perhaps Bach remedies and essential oils. Anyway I can say that for instence Elytrigia repens is to be found in vet homeopathy medecine given to be me by my pet homeopatvet. And being very important indeed that and some more herbs from Husse and some more homepath medecines saved my dog from a very difficult and dangerous tic disease last year. The grass is used like you point out eaten by dogs and cats and also horses for the stomach and also for getting rid of worms most likely. and my pets its a strong 5.

Elytrigia repens

Carina Sat Feb 23 2008

Hello ! I am a horse owner trying to learn more abouth herbs and treatments and food for my horses my dog and my cat and I find your information very helpful thank you. I would say that it would be super good if you could also add homeopathy that would be great and perhaps Bach remedies and essential oils. Anyway I can say that for instence Elytrigia repens is to be found in vet homeopathy medecine given to be me by my pet homeopatvet. And being very important indeed that and some more herbs from Husse and some more homepath medecines saved my dog from a very difficult and dangerous tic disease last year. The grass is used like you point out eaten by dogs and cats and also horses for the stomach and also for getting rid of worms most likely. I rate it higher for me and my horses and my pets its a strong 5.

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