Every herb garden should grow rosebay willowherb (or fireweed as it is known) for a splash of colour and a buzz of bees.
Where woodlands are cleared, buildings fall, and fire scorches the earth, so rosebay willowherb will rise like a phoenix from the ashes. This exciting plant also makes a bold, wild edible.
Scientific name
Epilobium angustifolium
Family
Onagraceae
Botanical description
Tall spikes of purple-red flowers amongst elongated, spear-shaped green leaves characterise this striking plant. The dramatic foliage takes over open ground turning entire landscapes ablaze.
The creeping root structure aids the plant to spread over large patches of ground and the small seed pods hold an abundance of seeds attached to white, fluffy puffs dispersed by the wind.
Status
Perennial. Native.
Habitat
Deciduous woodland, coniferous woodland, cultivated land, dunes & dune slacks, heath, moor, mountain rocks, mountains, riverbanks, roadsides, scrub and walls.
Parts used for food
Leaves, shoots, stem, flowers.
Harvest time
Spring: Leaves, shoots, roots.
Summer: Stem, flowers.
Food uses
For centuries in Russia, rosebay willowherb was fermented to make herbal tea, nicknamed ‘Ivan Chai’ in Britain and Europe. It was eventually replaced by the black and green teas from India and China but is still drunk in some parts of Russia.
The flavour of this fiery-looking plant has been described as mildly sweet like a cucumber or asparagus. The shoots can be cooked like asparagus. The leaves and stems can be lightly boiled or steamed like spinach.
Nutritional profile
Rosebay willowherb has ninety times more vitamin A and four times more vitamin C than oranges.
Herbal medicine uses
Few records exist of the herb’s use in folk medicine in Britain, but it was used in Europe and America, especially for skin complaints, whooping cough in children, asthma and stomach disorders.
In modern herbals, its properties are often listed as astringent, antidiarrhoeic, demulcent (soothing and anti-inflammatory), haemostatic (stops bleeding) and mildly antimicrobial.
Other uses
Fireweed is such as a good source of nectar that US beekeepers sometimes follow loggers with their hives. Fireweed honey is said to be light-coloured and finely flavoured.
Safety note
The plant’s tannins might aggravate constipation, gastric ulcers, inflammatory conditions and anaemia. Consult your health advisor before use.
There is little information about the plant’s safety during pregnancy and when breastfeeding.
References
Bartram T. Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. Marlowe; 1998.
Facciola S. Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications; 1998.
Watts D. Dictionary of Plant Lore. Elsevier; 2007.
Rogers R. Fireweed – a treasured medicine of the boreal forest. Disc Phytomed. 2014;1(1):10. doi:10.15562/phytomedicine.2014.16
Adamczak A, Dreger M, Seidler, Wielgus K. Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium L.): botany, phytochemistry and traditional uses. A review. Herba Polonica. 2019;65(3):51-63. doi:10.2478/hepo-2019-0018
Kauppinen S, Galambosi B. Fireweed, Roseroot, Bergenia and Chokeberry – Joint Research for Supporting the Herb Production. Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke; 2016. Accessed June 26, 2020. https://jukuri.luke.fi/handle/10024/537721
Kalle R, Belichenko O, Kuznetsova N, et al. Gaining momentum: Popularization of Epilobium angustifolium as food and recreational tea on the Eastern edge of Europe. Appetite. 2020;150:104638. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2020.104638
Hatfield G. Hatfield’s Herbal: The Secret History of British Plants. Penguin; 2008.
Wyse Jackson P. Ireland’s Generous Nature: The Past and Present Uses of Wild Plants in Ireland. Missouri Botanical Garden Press; 2013.
Jariene E, Lasinskas M, Danilcenko H, et al. Polyphenols, Antioxidant Activity and Volatile Compounds in Fermented Leaves of Medicinal Plant Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub). Plants. 2020;9(12):1683. doi:10.3390/plants9121683
Mills SY, Bone K, eds. The Essential Guide to Herbal Safety. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005.
Runyon L. The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide. Wild Food Company; 2007.
Schepetkin IA, Ramstead AG, Kirpotina LN, Voyich JM, Jutila MA, Quinn MT. Therapeutic Potential of Polyphenols from Epilobium angustifolium (Fireweed). Phytother Res. 2016;30(8):1287-1297. doi:10.1002/ptr.5648
Olennikov DN, Kirillina CS, Chirikova NK. Water-Soluble Melanoidin Pigment as a New Antioxidant Component of Fermented Willowherb Leaves (Epilobium angustifolium). Antioxidants. 2021;10(8):1300. doi:10.3390/antiox10081300