- 1 Scientific name
- 2 Family
- 3 Botanical description
- 4 Photo identification of broad-leaved dock
- 5 Photo identification of curled dock
- 6 Status
- 7 Habitat and distribution
- 8 Parts used for food
- 9 Harvest time
- 10 Food uses of dock
- 11 Nutritional profile of dock
- 12 Dock recipes
- 13 Herbal medicine uses of dock
- 14 Other uses of dock
- 15 Safety note
Introduction
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 curled dock has been used in food and medicine for centuries.
Scientific name
- Broad-leaved dock – Rumex obtusifolius
- Curled dock – Rumex crispus
Family
Polygonaceae
Botanical description
R. crispus as the name suggests has wavy, curled leaf edges with wedge-shaped leaves. Small, greenish white flowers appear on tall spikes.
R. obtusifolius has long, broad, oval- to lance-shaped leaves with small greenish flowers that turn red as they mature.
Photo identification of broad-leaved dock
Photo identification of curled dock
Status
Both plants are native to Britain and Ireland and naturalised in North America.
Habitat and distribution
They can be found on lawns, fields, disturbed or waste grounds.
Parts used for food
Young leaves, stems, seed.
Harvest time
Spring and Summer.
Food uses of dock
They have tart, lemon-tasting leaves and are used similarly in cooking. It is often agreed that the youngest plants are best and make a tasty ‘spinach’, while others find the taste ‘sour’ but ‘hearty’.
Serve the greens with butter, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and seasoning. The leaves can also be stuffed like vine leaves with a rice, herb and cheese filling. Dried they can be used as a seasoning for rice, potatoes, seafood or sandwich spread.
They produce large quantities of fruits and seeds, which can be boiled into a mush or ground and added to flour or meal for making bread, muffins and gravies. The stems of young plants can be chopped, simmered and sweetened with honey as a substitute for rhubarb pie.
Nutritional profile of dock
Both plants are very nutritious. Curled dock, for example, contains more vitamin C than oranges and more vitamin A than carrots. It also contains vitamins B1 and B2, and iron.
Dock recipes
Herbal medicine uses of dock
The leaves are famously used to soothe nettle stings and often grow nearby the offending plant. The cooling properties were also used to soothe insect bites and stings, as well as scalds, blisters and sprains.
They were a popular remedy for staunching bleeding or for purifying the blood. The juice from the leaves can be applied as a compress to heal bruises.
The seeds have been used to treat coughs, colds and bronchitis, and the roots used as a remedy for jaundice, liver problems, skin ailments, boils, rheumatism, constipation and diarrhoea.
Other uses of dock
The seed heads are an important source of food for wildlife in winter, such as birds, rodents and deer. The seed heads are also decorative and can be collected for ornamental flower arrangements.
Safety note
Both plants contain oxalic acid, which can be toxic if used excessively. Some text suggests they should be avoided during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. They can also trigger hay fever or aggravate asthma in some people.
References
Eaton, J. S. (1989) Discovering wild plants: Alaska, western Canada, the Northwest. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Books.
Elias, T. S. & Dykeman, P. A. (2009) Edible wild plants: a North American field guide to over 200 natural foods. New York: Sterling.
Grieve, M. M. (1998) A modern herbal. London: Tiger Books International.
Haines, A. (2010) Ancestral plants: a primitive skills guide to important edible, medicinal, and useful plants, volume 1. Southwest Harbor: Anaskimin.
Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s herbal: the secret history of British plants. London: Penguin.
Kershaw, L. (2000) Edible & medicinal plants of the Rockies. Edmonton: Lone Pine.
Mac Coitir, N. & Langrishe, G. (2015) Ireland’s wild plants: myths, legends and folklore.
Sturtevant, E. L. (1919) Sturtevant’s notes on edible plants. Albany: J. B. Lyon.
Wyse Jackson, P. (2013) Ireland’s generous nature: the past and present uses of wild plants in Ireland. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.