Cleavers and chickweed next to the frog pond
3 Weeds
There are loads of uninvited plants in my garden. I think
they are all great but try to keep them from going to seed as some can be a bit
invasive. Some plants I have such as St
John’s wort, spearmint, red clover, evening primrose and honeysuckle, all have
medicinal properties that our ancestors would have been very familiar with. I
have an ever growing selection of ‘weeds’ now and I have chosen the three most vigorous uninvited
plants to demonstrate just how useful they really are. Knowing more about these
plants really makes me feel as though I should be inviting more plants to come
and stay.
Cleavers
Cleavers, also known as: goosegrass, catchweed, stickyweed,
robin-run-the-hedge, sticky willy and more recently Velcro weed, has a long
history of use as an alternative medicine and is still used widely by modern
herbalists. It is used both internally and externally in the treatment of a
wide range of ailments. It does get everywhere though and our dogs are covered
with the seeds in summer, but we could eat it!
Cleavers Edible Uses
It is edible raw though quite unpalatable, it’s used as a
pot-herb in some countries and can be added to soups. Using the plant as a
vegetable has, some people claim, a slimming effect on the body. Cleavers seed can
be used as a coffee substitutes like chicory, it needs to be dried and lightly
roasted to release the coffee like flavour.
Cleavers History and
Folklore
Cleavers was used as a love medicine in the past. The infusion of leaves was used as a bath by
women to be successful in love. It’s also been used as a hair tonic, apparently
making it grow long. Several Native American Tribes used an infusion of the
plant for infectious diseases. A red dye is obtained from a decoction of the
root, it is said to dye bones red. Cleavers was also believed to remove
freckles. They have been used as a remedy for snake bites, spiders and all
venomous creatures. A thick matt of the stems, when used as a sieve for
filtering milk, was said to give healing properties to the milk and is still
used in Sweden for that purpose.
Dandelions
The whole plant is used as a medicinal herb internally and
externally.
The fresh juice of Dandelion is applied externally to fight
bacteria and help heal wounds. The plant has an antibacterial action,
The latex contained in the plant sap can be used to remove
corns and warts.
When placed in a paper bag with unripe fruit, the flowers
and leaves of Dandelion release ethylene gas ripening the fruit quickly. A
liquid plant food is made from the root and leaves. A dark red dye is obtained
from Dandelion root. A cosmetic skin lotion made from the appendages at the
base of the leaf blades distilled in water, is used to clear the skin and is
effective in fading freckles.
Dandelion is a perennial herb thought to be introduced from
Europe and Asia. It is now naturalized throughout the Northern Hemisphere. No
one is sure exactly how the dandelion has spread so widely, and there is some
debate on the origin of the plant, but one thing we know for sure is that it
grows really well in Inishowen.
Chickweed
Chickweeds are medicinal and edible plants. They are very
nutritious, high in vitamins and minerals, can be added to salads or cooked as
a pot herb, tasting somewhat like spinach.
The sleeping plant
Chickweeds are an annual herb, widespread in some form.
Chickweeds have established themselves all over the world, possibly carried on
the clothes and shoes of explorers. They are as numerous in species as they are
in region. Most are succulent and have white flowers, and all with practically
the same edible and medicinal values. They all exhibit a very interesting trait;
(they sleep) termed the ’Sleep of Plants,’ every night the leaves fold over the
tender buds and the new shoots.
The whole plant is
used in alternative medicine
A decoction of the whole plant of Chickweed is taken
internally as a circulatory tonic for hundreds of ailments. The usual
disclaimers apply here though. Don’t ingest anything unless you are totally
sure you know what you are doing. It’s used to relieve constipation; an
infusion of the dried herb is used in coughs and hoarseness, and is beneficial
in the treatment of kidney complaints.
New research indicates Chickweed's use as an effective
antihistamine. The decoction is also used externally to treat rheumatic pains,
wounds and ulcers. Chickweed can be applied as a medicinal poultice and will
relieve any kind of roseola in young children and is effective wherever there
are fragile superficial veins or itching skin conditions. Again, disclaimers
apply!
