Wednesday 18 July 2012

Edible or medicinal plants I pass on my walk to work

On my route to and from work I walk along pavements, down footpaths and across fields. I'm always interested in (and distracted by) the plants I pass as I go, especially the ones I can recognize as either edible or medicinal (or both). My journey home from work today took much longer than usual because I decided to photograph as many plants as I could for this post (the photos are intended as illustration only and not as an aid to identification, best consult a good field guide).

Wild oregano (Origanum vulgare
Lovely to see this in flower.

Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
So common it is easy to overlook, but an important medicinal plant.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Young leaves are good in salads, dried leaves and flowers make a great digestive tea.

Common mallow (Malva sylvestris)
Soothing, mucilaginous herb. Good to eat too.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Traditionally used to flavour beer. Often found at crossroads.

Vervain (Verbena officinalis)
Such a beautiful herb. Sorry the picture isn't very clear!

Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Another plant that is good for food and medicine.

Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
Flowering amongst the grass and clover.

Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)
Spires of golden yellow emerge from the base of a bramble hedge.

Nettles (Urtica dioica)
Another common one, good as a vegetable and as a medicinal tea.

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
Used as a herb, as a medicine and to clarify beer.


There are many other useful plants that I walk past, such as dandelions, poppies, elder, brambles, beech, horse chestnut, hazel and greater plantain, and probably many more that I have forgotten or don't know. I really enjoy the sense of connection I get from being able to identify wild plants, but at the same time I'm aware that identifying a herb is only the start of the process of getting to know the herb and how to use it, especially as a medicine.



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