Fresh herbs contain many vitamins and minerals. Some edible herbs can boost immunity and cleanse the body. To do this, many gardeners grow dill, sorrel, parsley in household plots. Fiber-rich chives and salads. Perhaps this is the whole list of greenery, which is planted in the garden for consumption. Edible wild herbs can help diversify your diet. Many of them are medicinal plants. In the people, useful wild edible herbs are called edible weeds.
Where edible plants and herbs grow
Edible wild herbs are easily mistaken for a common weed. Some species grow directly in the garden. Experts do not recommend getting rid of them. Many weeds have beneficial properties and good taste.
Edible wild herbs are widespread in the middle lane. Edible plants can be found in a meadow or in a forest glade. Collect edible herbs better away from the roads. The urban environment also adversely affects the properties of plants. The most useful properties of plants gain, growing in meadows and forests with good environmental conditions.
Edible herbs “come to life” (photo attached below) with the beginning of spring, straighten, gain strength. They reach their greatest development at the height of summer - they bloom luxuriantly and set the seeds. In the fall, fruiting occurs, they coarsen and gradually die off. Let us consider in more detail which herbs are edible.
Mokritsa
Otherwise, wood lice are called asterisk. The plant multiplies rapidly, and in wet summers can spread to most beds. Vegetation lasts a long time: from May to October. The leaves contain more amount of vitamins of groups A, C and E. In woodlice a high concentration of trace elements, iodine and potassium.
Woodlice is a medicinal plant. Doctors recommend using it raw for diseases of the thyroid gland, cystitis, hypertension, bronchitis and arthritis. By adding several leaves of the plant to the salad, the development of gallstone and urolithiasis can be prevented.
Mistresses sprinkle salad, soup or a second finely chopped herbs. Due to its neutral taste, wood lice are suitable for most prepared dishes.
Quinoa
Quinoa, as well as wood lice, are usually referred to as weeds and are actively struggling with its spread. The main property of this plant is vitality. In addition, green shoots contain many useful substances.
Herbalists use quinoa for arthritis, gout, constipation and menstrual irregularities. The leaves contain substances that suppress appetite. There are a number of contraindications: it is not recommended for gastritis, colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases.
Quinoa used to save people from hunger and vitamin deficiency, so it was cultivated. But over time, the plants ceased to sow the fields with seeds. Now this sowing crop is undeservedly forgotten. The leaves have a delicate taste, they can be added to salads, okroshka and fortified cocktails.
Dandelion
At almost every step, we meet wild, but tasty medicinal edible herbs. One of these plants is dandelion. This is a low plant with bright yellow flowers. Seeds are spread by the wind over long distances, so in the garden it may appear unexpectedly. Refers to medicinal herbs of choleretic and diuretic action. Its leaves help normalize metabolism, relieve symptoms of constipation and hemorrhoids.
The top of the plant is added to salads and soups. Sometimes young leaves are stewed with onions and spices, and then used as a seasoning for fish and meat dishes. Before cooking, dandelion shoots are dipped in salt water for 30 minutes. This little trick will help get rid of the bitter taste.
Nettle
Nettle is a whimsical edible grass in the garden. She prefers to settle in places with good environmental conditions. Vitamins A, B, C and carotene are contained in leaves in large quantities. Nettle is rich in volatile and tannins, there is a small amount of minerals, as well as salts of iron, magnesium and potassium.
Some gardeners consider nettle a valuable plant because its decoctions can lower blood sugar and relieve inflammation. Fresh recommended for eating with liver diseases, arthritis, anemia and anemia.
Before cooking, nettle leaves are poured with boiling water for a couple of minutes. Add finely chopped greens to salads, side dishes and omelettes. Due to its high protein content, nettle soup will be thick and hearty.
Burdock
Burdock is a plant with large fleshy leaves and inflorescences that are strewn with hooks on the outside. Thanks to these hooks, heads with seeds easily stick to clothes and wool. Distributed almost everywhere.
In Asian countries, burdock is considered a garden crop and is used in cooking. Got wide application as salad dressing and soup. Young shoots and plant roots are popular. Large leaves can also be eaten, but they are not so tasty.
The shoots of the plant have a high content of essential oils, tannins and vitamins A and C. Thanks to this, burdock has found application in medicine. Its decoctions stimulate tissue regeneration, improve digestion and reduce fatigue. Doctors use plant leaves as a medicine for diabetes and urolithiasis.
Horse sorrel (wild sorrel)
Sorrel is a plant with bright green leaves that have a pleasant sour taste. It is recommended to keep it not only on the table, but also in the medicine cabinet. Sorrel is able to stop blood, relieve inflammation and improve appetite. The plant relieves pain and removes toxins from the body. For medicinal purposes, it is also used to treat vitamin deficiency, scurvy and anemia.
The leaves of the plant are rich in organic acids and trace elements, the concentration of vitamins A, B, C and K is high in them. The chemical composition of wild sorrel is similar to rhubarb. Tannins give sorrel antibacterial properties.
Mistresses like to make cabbage soup and salads from sorrel, and use it as a filling for pies. In the Caucasus and Central Asia, the plant found wide application in the preparation of dough, soups and hot dishes.
Dream
Dusk is a low grass with delicate green stems and lush leaves. One of the relatives of this species is celery. It will grow mainly in the forest in sunny meadows and along the edges of paths. The first shoots appear immediately after the snow melts. Only young leaves are suitable for collection, so it is better to go in search of dreams in early spring.
Dust contains several groups of vitamins, rich in manganese, boron and iron. Apply infusions from the upper part of the plant in the treatment of diseases of the kidneys and liver, with anemia and vitamin deficiency.
In cooking, they are used raw or boiled. It is not recommended to boil for a long time to rot, as it quickly loses its beneficial properties. The plant is a good substitute for cabbage, so it is fermented with carrots. Mistresses add leaves to okroshka and salads, prepare cabbage soup and cold dishes. And the petioles are usually salted and pickled.
Yarrow
Yarrow is a perennial fragrant grass with serrated leaves and corymbose inflorescences. The medicinal plant is harvested at the time of flowering. Fresh heads are of great value. Harvested for the winter, drying in a well-ventilated, dry room.
The concentration of essential oils, tannins and organic acids can reach 80% in the yarrow. Researchers also note a high content of vitamin C and carotene.
In yarrow, young shoots, leaves and flowers are considered edible. However, it must be used with extreme caution. In large quantities, it is harmful to the body and can cause skin rashes and dizziness. This herb is not suitable for people with increased blood clotting and a tendency to form blood clots. Pregnancy will also be a contraindication for the use of yarrow.
Plantain
Plantain is a small plant that can be found on the side of the road. They grow everywhere in the steppes and meadows, can be found in wastelands and on sandy soils. It is very simple to recognize plantain: the leaves are collected in a socket near the ground, and several flower stems on top have a dense spikelet.
Everyone knows that plantain stops blood well and heals wounds. The juice of the plant has disinfecting and anti-inflammatory properties.
In cooking, plantain leaves were used. They can be added to salad or soup. Traditionally, in the middle lane it is customary to prepare teas and infusions from plantain. In Siberia, plant seeds are stored, and then they are ripened with milk. It turns out a very useful seasoning. In Europe, plantain is known as a vegetable plant, it can be found on the beds.
Lungwort (pulmonary)
Lungwort is a low perennial grass with pink or blue corollas. Flowering begins very early, and inflorescences contain a lot of nectar, so the plant is considered a good honey plant. It grows mainly in forests and ravines, and can be found in bushes. For the development of young shoots need shady corners, with plenty of sunlight quickly dies.
Lungwort has a lot of manganese, copper and iron, so it helps cleanse the blood. Leaves contain rutin, carotene, ascorbic and salicylic acids. The plant retains its beneficial properties even after drying. For a long time, the honeyfish has been used to treat lung diseases.
Young shoots and leaves are used to prepare decoctions, with it, salt and pickle vegetables for the winter. In European countries, Lungwort is added to mashed potatoes and dough.
In order to enrich your menu with vitamins and minerals, it is not necessary to plant all beds with garden greens. Useful edible herbs and plants can be found among weeds and wild plants. They can and should be used in order to stock up on nutrients during the warm period. Edible herbs and plants can support health and give energy for a long time. In the wild there are so many useful herbs that can be eaten that it is impossible to list them. We examined the most common edible herbs (names and descriptions of plants).