| Habitats
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Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Hedgerow;
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| Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves.
The tender young shoot tips - raw or cooked as a pot-herb[5, 7, 53, 55, 62, 172, 183]. A rather bitter flavour that some people find unpalatable[244], they are best used in the spring[178]. They make a useful addition to vegetable soups[7, 244]. It is said that using this plant as a vegetable has a slimming effect on the body[238].
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[2, 53, 62]. One of the best substitutes, it merely needs to be dried and lightly roasted and has much the flavour of coffee[4, 115, 183].
A decoction of the whole dried plant gives a drink equal to tea[2, 4].
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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.
Alterative; Antiphlogistic; Aperient; Astringent; Cancer; Depurative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Febrifuge; Homeopathy; Skin;
Tonic; Vulnerary.
Goosegrass has a long history of domestic medicinal use and is also used widely by modern herbalists. A valuable diuretic, it is often taken to treat skin problems such as seborrhoea, eczema and psoriasis, and as a general detoxifying agent in serious illnesses such as cancer[254].
The whole plant, excluding the root, is alterative, antiphlogistic, aperient, astringent, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, tonic and vulnerary[4, 7, 9, 21, 165, 218, 222]. It is harvested in May and June as it comes into flower and can be used fresh or dried for later use[4, 238]. It is used both internally and externally in the treatment of a wide range of ailments, including as a poultice for wounds, ulcers and many other skin problems[4, 7, 244], and as a decoction for insomnia and cases where a strong diuretic is beneficial[4]. It has been shown of benefit in the treatment of glandular fever, ME, tonsillitis, hepatitis, cystitis etc[238]. The plant is often used as part of a spring tonic drink with other herbs[4].
A tea made from the plant has traditionally been used internally and externally in the treatment of cancer[4, 218, 222]. One report says that it is better to use a juice of the plant rather than a tea[254]. The effectiveness of this treatment has never been proved or disproved[7].
A number of species in this genus contain asperuloside, a substance that produces coumarin and gives the scent of new-mown hay as the plant dries[238]. Asperuloside can be converted into prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels), making the genus of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry[238].
A homeopathic remedy has been made from the plant[7].
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| Other Uses
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Cleanser; Dye; Filter; Tinder.
A red dye is obtained from a decoction of the root[4, 7, 168]. When ingested it can dye the bones red[4].
The dried plant is used as a tinder[99].
The plant can be rubbed on the hands to remove pitch (tar)[99].
The stems are placed in a layer 8cm or more thick and then used as a sieve for filtering liquids[4, 115, 172].
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| Cultivation details
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Prefers a loose moist leafy soil in some shade[200]. Plants tolerate dry soils, but they quickly become scorched when growing in full sun[200]. They do not thrive in a hot climate[200]. Another report says that plants succeed in most soils in full sun or heavy shade.
A scrambling plant, the stems and leaves are covered with little hooked bristles by which it can adhere to other plants and climb into them[4].
A good species to grow in the wild garden, it provides food for the larvae of many butterfly species[30].
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| Propagation
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Seed - best sown in situ as soon as the seed is ripe in late summer[200]. The seed can also be sown in spring though it may be very slow to germinate[200]. Once established, this plant does not really need any help to reproduce itself.
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| Links / References
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| [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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| [5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.
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| Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
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| [7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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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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| [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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| [21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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| Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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| [30]Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe.
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| An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
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| [53]De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
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| Interesting reading.
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| [55]Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds.
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| Interesting reading.
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| [62]Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants.
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| Very readable.
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| [99]Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology.
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| Excellent and readable guide.
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| [115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
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| Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
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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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| [168]Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants.
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| A very good and readable book on dyeing.
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| [172]Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
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| A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
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| [178]Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.
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| A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
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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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| [218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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| Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
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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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| [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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