It’s time you looked in your garden weeds with a ‘roving eye’ because it is hiding all sorts of nutritional and medicinal gems!
“Common weeds” can cure heartburn, cystitis and coughs, and they can also provide you with free protein, vitamins and minerals. Woefully, most gardeners and cultivars alike arduously dig them up, mow them down, or exterminate them in all possible ways.
So, let’s take a closer look at what’s really growing in your backyard:
1. Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale
The most popular of all weeds, the ‘humble’ dandelion is, in fact, bursting with vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals such aspotassium, iron, and zinc. There is probably ‘a ton’ of this nutritious weed right in your backyard!
The dandelion has been used throughout human history to treat everything from liver problems and kidney disease to heartburns and appendicitis. Today, it is mainly used as a diuretic, as an appetite stimulant, and for the liver and gallbladder.
The good news is that every single part of this common weed, from the roots to the blossoms, is edible. Use the leaves in sandwiches and stir fries – they boast more beta carotene than carrots, meaning they are great for your eyesight! Roots can be made into herbal tea, or roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. The sweet flower heads will add vivid color to salads too.
2. Purslane – Portulaca oleracea
Purslane is a ground hugging herb that is easily missed, unless you’re looking for it, but then you notice it growing almost everywhere, especially in exposed areas where nothing much grows. The tiny succulent leaves, yellow flowers and the pink, fleshy stems are all edible. They have a nice bite and a slight sour taste that will invite you to nibble on them as you gather them.
Purslane has a history of being used as a culinary herb. You can eat it raw or cooked. The mucilaginous stems help thicken gravies and soups. Purslane contains Vitamin A, C and E and a number of minerals. It is an excellent vegetable source of Omega–3 fatty acids.
3. Lemon balm – Melissa officinalis
Among the many mint-family herbs you will come across in the wild, lemon balm is easily recognizable by its lemony fragrance when you crush the leaves. You can eat them raw or cooked. A tea made of lemon balm leaves is soothing and relaxing. It is a traditional herbal remedy for digestive problems, even in small children and the elderly.
You can make lemon flavored vinegar and herb butter with lemon balm or just chop up the leaves and add to salads and meat dishes. Dry the surplus leaves in the shade and store in airtight jars. Lemon balm is known to have a negative effect on thyroid function, so it should be used with caution.
4. Garden cress – Lepidium sativum
Garden cress is commonly found in gardens and backyard. Although it is considered a weed in most places, it is commercially cultivated in many European countries, including England. The spicy, peppery taste of garden cress makes it popular in salads and sandwiches.
Garden cress is rich in carotenoids and vitamin C. In laboratory studies, it is shown to have anticancer properties similar to those exhibited by other plants of the cabbage family. Garden cress contains high amounts of vitamin K too.
5. Watercress – Nasturtium officinale
This relative of garden cress has a wide distribution throughout the world. As the name indicates, it is an aquatic/semi aquatic plant that you will probably see growing near the ponds and lakes in your neighborhood. And wherever it grows, it grows in abundance, so there’s little danger of the wild stock running out. As a matter of fact, watercress is grown on commercial scale in many parts of the world.
Watercress contains appreciable amounts of vitamins A, C and a few of the B-complex group of vitamins, including folate. You can add raw watercress leaves to salads or sauté or stir fry them like other greens. Wash them thoroughly to remove dirt and other contaminants that find their way into water bodies.
6. Wild garlic – Allium ursinum
The wild garlic is a great find for all foragers. Just like the ‘tame’ garlic we’re used to buying in stores, the wild variety also features antibacterial, antibiotic, antiseptic and antifungal properties.
With delicate white flowers and thin shoots, this useful ‘weed’ is delicious when used in a homemade pesto. It can also be used in place of chives or green onion, and added to salads, sandwiches, or soups.
Keep in mind: The wild garlic has been found to have the greatest ability to lower high blood pressure of all the garlic varieties!
7. Daylilies – Hemerocallis fulva
The tawny daylily is often seen growing in moist soil along ditches, roads and railway lines, hence it has earned several names such as ditch lily and railroad lily. The large, showy flowers and their buds can be cooked and eaten like any vegetable. The dried flower buds used in Chinese cooking are called golden needles. The thick, fleshy roots can be boiled and eaten, but it has a very mild, watery taste.
8. Garlic mustard – Alliaria petiolata
It is part of the mustard family, and is considered an invasive species in North America. However, it brings with it a lot of great health benefits: aside from being a good source of vitamin A and C, the garlic mustard is good as a diuretic, helps with weight loss, improves heart health, lowers cholesterol, and strengthens the overall immune system. Historically, it was used to flavor salt fish, but it’s also really flavorsome when mixed with mashed potatoes, soups or salads.
9. Wild strawberry – Fragaria vesca
Wild strawberries are much smaller than the cultivated varieties, but they are so dainty and flavorful, it is a pleasure to gather them in summer. If you manage to pick enough from these ground hugging plants, you can make jams and jellies out of them, but they usually get eaten fresh. They help you get rid of the tartar on your teeth.
The leaves have medicinal properties. They are said to flush out uric acid from the body, making them useful to people with gout.
10. Yellow rocket – Barbarea vulgaris
This mustard family member is an American native with a wide distribution across the country. Easily identified by the bright yellow bunch of flowers that shoots up from a rosette of basal leaves in early spring, yellow rocket makes an excellent salad green. They can be cooked like a vegetable, but are best when tender.
Yellow rocket can be distinguished from other mustard family plants like black mustard and wild mustard by its smooth, non-hairy leaves. It is also called winter cress because it is one of the first salad green to emerge. The plant is rich in vitamin C and minerals. A poultice of the leaves is an herbal remedy for wounds.
11. Plantain – Plantago major
Another common weed that can be used topically to treat burns, stings and other wounds. It should not be mistaken for the banana-like Caribbean fruit! While the young leaves are tasty either raw or cooked, the older leaves are a bit tough and unpleasant tasting. A hundred grams of plantain contains the same amount of vitamin A as a large carrot, and is very rich in riboflavin and vitamin B1.
Research has shown the plantain to be beneficial for treating bronchitis, sore throats and cold symptoms.
12. Lamb’s Quarters – Chenopodium alba
This fast growing summer weed produces black seeds which are related to the protein-rich quinoa. Much like their cousin, the seeds of lamb’s quarters are a great source of protein, along with providing calcium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin A. However, the harvesting of these seeds does take a little dedication.
If it seems like too much work for you, don’t get upset – you can also enjoy the young shoots and leaves of the plant. Whether raw or sautéed, they make a great stand-in for spinach since they’re just as nutritious. Medicinally, a tea made from the leaves is said to help with digestion disorders and stomach aches.