Fat hen has been used in food and medicine since ancient times. It was among the commonest wild ‘spinach’, and was eventually replaced in cooking after the introduction of spinach from south-west Asia. Scientific Name Chenopodium album. Family Amaranthaceae. Botanical Description This wild edible species is said to sometimes resemble dock (Rumex obtusifolius) because of … Read more
Medieval monks cultivated ground elder as a medicinal plant, but it later earned a reputation of a nuisance weed thanks to its rapid growth. Is there any redemption for this once useful wild edible? Scientific Name Aegopodium podagraria. Family Apiaceae. Botanical Description The plant forms a creeping, pale green carpet across the ground. The oval-shaped … Read more
Oak is arguably Britain’s most beloved tree and can live up to 800 years. The fruit it bears – the acorn – has been popular as a source of food and medicine since ancient times. All parts of the oak were once considered edible making this tree quite the forager’s feast! Scientific Name Quercus robur. … Read more
Guelder rose is traditionally used to treat cramp, hence the plant’s common names ‘crampbark’ or ‘crampbush’.1 Scientific Name Viburnum opulus. Family Viburnaceae. Botanical Description Guelder rose bears fertile flowers that are pinkish-white in the bud and produce red, glossy drupes, while the sterile outer flowers are white, large and plate-like. The stem is slender and … Read more
Selfheal is a forgotten healer that has made a recent comeback as a modern-day heal-all with promising potential for use in food and medicine. Scientific Name Prunella vulgaris. Family Lamiaceae. Botanical Description The flowers appear on purple, sometimes pinkish, cylindrical spikes and distinguish the plant from others in the mint family by their tight, sausage-shaped … Read more
Yarrow is the herb of a million flowers thanks to its prolific foliage. This wild edible has been used since ancient times in food and medicine, and it still a commonly used herb today. Scientific Name Achillea millefolium. Family Asteraceae. Botanical Description It has a rough, angular stem with long, dark-green, feathery leaves. The flowers … Read more
Rowan or Mountain Ash is an ancient tree used since ancient times. The berries provide a variety of wild edible delights and offer a range of uses in medicine. Scientific Name Sorbus aucuparia. Family Rosaceae. Botanical Description The bark of this small shrubby tree is smooth, shiny and greyish coloured. The stem and branches are … Read more
Docks have grown in Britain since three ice ages ago, and remains of dock have been found in places where people once farmed, such as the ancient Celts. Broad-leaved dock and curly dock has been used in food and medicine for centuries. Scientific Name Broad-Leaved Dock – Rumex obtusifolius. Curly Dock – Rumex crispus. Family … Read more
Daisy, a humble little flower that is widespread in many parts of the world. A children’s favourite for making ‘daisy chains’ or ‘fairy chains’, the daisy has also been used in food and medicine. Common Name Daisy. Scientific Name Bellis perennis. Family Asteraceae. Botanical Description Flower-heads solitary on a leafless stalk springing from the root … Read more
Sweetly scented meadowsweet was famous as a strewing herb and as a flavouring for mead. It later gained recognition as one of the plants that contain salicylic acid, from which is derived aspirin and has been used for many of the same complaints for which aspirin is used today.1 Common Name Meadowsweet. Scientific Name Filipendula ulmaria, … Read more
Common Name Common Sorrel. Scientific Name Rumex acetosa. Family Polygonaceae. Botanical Description Common sorrel grows up to 10–120 cm. Its stalks bear clusters of small reddish-green to brown flowers and the bright-green leaves are long, oblong and spear-shaped. Status Perennial. Native or naturalised in Britain, Ireland, Europe, Africa and Asia; introduced to North America and … Read more