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 has been used in food and medicine for centuries.
Scientific name
- Rumex obtusifolius
Family
Polygonaceae
Botanical description
Has long, broad, oval- to lance-shaped leaves with small greenish flowers that turn red as they mature.
Photo identification
Status
Native to Britain and Ireland and naturalised in North America.
Habitat and distribution
They can be found on lawns, fields, disturbed or waste grounds.
Entomology
Parts used for food
Young leaves, stems, seed.
Harvest time
Spring and Summer.
Food uses
Has tart, lemon-tasting leaves. 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
Rumex obtusifolius offers considerable nutritional value, with high protein content during early growth and increased fibre as it matures.
It contains essential minerals and valuable bioactive compounds, including phenolic compounds and flavonoids that boost antioxidant activity.
Recipes
Herbal medicine uses
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
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
Contains oxalic acid, which can be toxic if used excessively. Some text suggests it should be avoided during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. It can also trigger hay fever or aggravate asthma in some people.
Links
- Edible and medicinal wild plants of Britain and Ireland
- Forage in spring
- Forage in summer
- Forage in autumn
- Travels with plants
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.