| Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
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| Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves; Root; Seed.
Young root - raw or cooked. The grated root is used to make the condiment 'Horseradish sauce'[2, 9, 13, 14, 27, 33, 34, 52], this has a hot mustard-like flavour[100]. The sauce is best used uncooked or gently warmed, heating it will destroy the volatile oils that are responsible for its pungency[238]. It is said that in Germany the roots are sliced and cooked like parsnips[183] - rather them than me![K]. The root is a rich source of sulphur[201]. Fresh roots contain the glycoside sinigrin - this is decomposed in the presence of water by the enzyme myrosin, producing mustard oil which gives the root its hot flavour[268]. The fleshy roots can be up to 60cm long and 5cm thick[268]. The plant is fully hardy and can be left in the ground all winter to be harvested as required[4]. Alternatively, the roots can be harvested in early winter and stored for later use, they will retain their juicy state for some time if stored in dry sand[4].
Young leaves - raw or cooked[2, 9, 14, 177]. A very strong flavour, though nice when added in small quantities to the salad bowl[183, K]. A pleasant mild flavour according to another report[238].
Seeds - sprouted and eaten in salads[183].
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| Medicinal Uses
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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.
Antibacterial; Antiseptic; Aperient; Digestive; Diuretic; Expectorant; Rubefacient; Stimulant.
Horseradish is a very pungent stimulant herb that controls bacterial infections and can be used both internally and externally[238]. The plant is a powerful stimulant, whether used internally as a spur for the digestive system or externally as a rubefacient[4]. It should not be used internally by people with stomach ulcers or thyroid problems[238].
The roots are antiseptic, aperient, digestive, diuretic, expectorant, rubefacient and stimulant[4, 13, 14, 165, 171, 222]. They should be used in their fresh state[4]. An infusion is used in the treatment of colds, fevers and flu and is of value in the treatment of respiratory and urinary tract infections[254]. A sandwich of the freshly grated root is a traditional remedy for hay fever[254].
A tea made from the root is weakly diuretic, antiseptic and expectorant[222].
The plant is antibiotic against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and also pathogenic fungi[222, 240]. It is experimentally antitumor[222].
Externally, a poultice made from the roots is used to treat pleurisy, arthritis and infected wounds[238]. It will also relieve the pain of chilblains[244]. Some caution should be employed, however, because it can cause blistering[254].
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| Other Uses
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Fungicide; Repellent.
Horseradish tea is effective against brown rot of apples and other fungicidal diseases[18, 201].
The growing plant deters potato eelworm[14].
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| Cultivation details
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A very easily grown plant, horseradish prefers a good deep moist well-drained soil and a sunny position[16, 27, 33, 200]. Plants require a good soil if they are to produce good roots[4], though once established they are very tolerant of neglect and will continue to produce a crop for many years[264, K]. Plants do not thrive if they are in the shade of trees[264]. Excess nitrogen causes heavy top growth and forking of the roots[200]. Prefers a wet clay soil according to one report[14], whilst another says that it will not grow in wet clay[16]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.8 to 8.3.
Horseradish has long been cultivated for its root which is used as a food flavouring and medicinally, there are some named varieties[4, 17, 61, 183]. If the roots are given some protection they will produce fresh young leaves for the salad bowl all through the winter. Digging up some roots and putting them into a greenhouse for the winter is the easiest method. If the young shoots are blanched they will produce white, tender, sweet leaves[183].
A very invasive plant[33], it is considered to be a pernicious weed in some areas[200]. Even quite small sections of root will regrow if they are left in the soil[4]. The plant has yet to prove invasive on our Cornwall trial grounds, though it has survived and even prospered in a very overgrown site[K].
The forms of this plant grown in gardens are almost sterile and seldom produce good seed[264].
This is a good companion plant for potatoes since it is said to deter potato eelworm[14, 18, 201] and the Colorado beetle[238]. One plant at each corner of the potato patch is quite sufficient[201]. When grown under apple trees it is said to prevent brown rot, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases[201].
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| Propagation
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Seed - this is seldom produced on plants in cultivation[200]. If seed is obtained then it is best sown in situ during the spring[238].
Division is very easy and can be carried out at almost any time of the year, though it is probably best in spring[33]. It s best to use sections of root about 20cm long, which can be planted out into their permanent positions in February or March, though even very small bits of root will grow away[4, 264]. Division should be carried out at least once every three years or the crop will deteriorate[4].
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| Author
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Gaertn.,C.A.Mey.&Scherb.
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| Links / References
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[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.
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| Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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| [4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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| Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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| [9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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| [13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
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| Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
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| [14]Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs.
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| A good herbal.
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| [16]Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook.
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| A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
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| [17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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| A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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| [18]Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants.
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| Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
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| [27]Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden.
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| A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
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| [33]Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
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| Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
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| [34]Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants.
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| Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.
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| [52]Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round.
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| A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
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| [61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
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| Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
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| [100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
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| An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
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| [165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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| An excellent small herbal.
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| [171]Hill. A. F. Economic Botany.
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| Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
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| [177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
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| An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
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| [183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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| Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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| [200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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| Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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| [201]Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting.
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| A well produced and very readable book.
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| [222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
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| 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.
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| [238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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| 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.
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| [240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
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| Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
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| [244]Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs
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| Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
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| [254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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| An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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| [264]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables
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| Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.
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| [268]Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
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| Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
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