OX-EYE DAISY, SMALL HERB WITH MANY USES: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE OX-EYE DAISY

OX-EYE DAISY, LEUCANTHEMUM VULGARE

The ox-eye daisy is native to Europe including the British Isles and the Russian parts of Asia, including Siberia. It is also known by a variety of other names including Maudlinwort, Dun Daisy, because of its association with the thunder god Odin, and goldenseal as well as marguerite and Moon daisy. It is a relative of the more common daisy, and was introduced into North America where it has now become naturalized and an invasive weed. It is a member of the Asteraceae or Compositae family of plants and has been used for centuries in folk medicine. Its other Latin name is Chrysanthemum leucantheum which comes from the Greek chrisos meaning golden and anthos meaning flower, while leuka means white. It is normally between one and two feet high but can grow up to three feet.                                                                                                              

  In Wales in the Middle Ages it was used to cure insanity, treat smallpox and for jaundice and skin diseases. The daisy and the ox-eye had a very special place in Celtic folklore as it was thought that the daisies were the reincarnation of children who died during childbirth, put on Earth to give comfort to grieving mothers.

  The ancient Greeks dedicated the ox-eye daisy to Artemis the goddess of women and used it for ‘female complaints’ such as menstrual disorders. A tisane of the flowers of the ox-eye daisy is said to relieve stomach cramps as does chamomile, another relative.

  Later Christianity chose to adopt the flower as the one which symbolized St. Mary Magdalene and this became corrupted to maudlin, so the plant was known as maudlinwort in the 5^th century and earlier.

  The English herbalist, John Gerard writing in the 16^th century had this to say of the ox-eye: -

  “Dioscorides saith that the floures of Oxeie made up in a seare cloth doe asswage and washe away cold hard swellings, and it is reported that if they be drunke by and by after bathing, they make them in a short time well-coloured that have been troubled with the yellow jaundice.”

  It was used for jaundice by country people for centuries, as a decoction drunk with ale.

Culpepper, writing in the 17^th century in his “Complete Herball” writes that it is

“a wound herb of good respect, often used in those drinks and salves that are for wounds, either inward or outward' . . . and that it is 'very fitting to be kept both in oils, ointments, plasters and syrups.' He also mentions that the leaves, bruised and applied reduce swellings, and that

“a decoction thereof, with wall-wort (wall flowers) and agrimony, and places fomented or bathed therewith warm, giveth great ease in palsy, sciatica or gout. An ointment made thereof heals all wounds that have inflammation about them.”

  The Iroquois tribe of Native Americans used the herb for fevers, and for these made a tisane out of the flowers and leaves. In Britain the leaves were used in an infusion to relieve chronic coughs such as whooping cough and catarrh, but honey should be added to give it a better flavour if you are thinking of using this remedy. However if you are allergic to daisies or nasturtiums and other members of the Asteraceae family, don’t use it! The leaves are edible and taste a bit like Kos lettuce. The leaves are best eaten in spring before the flowers bloom and they are recognized because the ones that grow in a rosette at the base of the plant have long leaf stems (petioles) which are spoon-shaped with rounded teeth edges. The flowers are also edible.

 The distilled water of the flowers has been used as an eye wash for conjunctivitis (pink eye) and a poultice of the whole plant can be applied to the skin for a variety of skin problems, as mentioned by Culpeper. In North America the root has been employed for night sweats and consumption.

  However the whole plant contains an acrid juice which makes the herb bitter and makes it smell a little like valerian. The seed casings of the ox-eye daisy contain pyrethrins which are natural organic compounds that can be utilized as a natural insecticide, so the common ox-eye has many useful properties.

WILD RICE - GLUTEN-FREE GRASS SEED: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WILD RICE

WILD RICE ZIZANIA PALUSTRIS/AQUATICA

Wild rice isn’t technically rice, although it can be used like rice in pilafs and so on, but a grass seeds, with rice being a close cousin in the Poaceae or Gramineae family. This means it is also related to sorghum, oats, barley, rye, wheat, maize, sugar cane and millet. Zizania palustris grows in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the US and in Canada in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Zizania aquatica is native to the Saint Lawrence River, and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the US. There is Zizania texana which grows in the Saint Marcos River, but this is close to extinction because of loss of habitat and pollution. The fourth type of wild rice (there are only four known) is Zizania latifolia or Manchurian wild rice, which is native to China.

  Wild rice gets its name from the way it grows; early settlers and explorers in North America were reminded of the way rice grows in paddy field when they saw the stems rising out of the water of the Great Lakes and French explorers in Canada called it “folles avoine” or ‘crazy oats’ allegedly because of the strength and hardiness of the Native Americans who lived in the woods. It was a staple of many Native American tribes and was gathered during the period of the “rice moon” in August to September then fermented for a week or two in the sun, so that it got its distinctive black colour. Unfermented rice varies in colour from tan and green through to mid-brown and black.

  Native Americans used it like brown rice in poultices for burns and scalds as well as for stomach problems and heart, lung and liver diseases.

  Wild rice has the edge on brown rice as far as its nutritional benefits go, with traces of vitamin A, and small amounts of vitamins E and K with the B-complex vitamins, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), folate, pantothenic acid, choline and B6. It also has all 18 amino acids but is low in lysine, but a good source of Omega-3 fatty acid and Omega-6. As for minerals it is high in phosphorous and potassium, with a good amount of magnesium and also calcium, iron, sodium, zinc, copper and selenium. It is a good source of fibre and antioxidants, and helps to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

  Wild rice became fashionable in the late 1960s and early 1970s when people began to think about food and health benefits. It was later used in Nouvelle Cuisine distinguished by small pretty portions. It has a nutty, slightly peaty flavour and a chewy texture. People usually cook it in pilafs along with brown rice both for its different flavour and texture as well as to make the dish look more attractive. When it is fully fermented you have the aroma of black tea, while if it is unfermented it smells more like green tea.

  To cook wild rice, you use 1 part wild rice to 3 of boiling water. Add the wild rice and bring the water back to the boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover the pan. You will need to cook it for about 45 minutes or until it starts to burst open. Because it takes longer to cook than rice, you should cook them separately for the best results and combine them later, fluffing up the pilaf with a fork. You can fry onions, garlic and celery to mix with it and wilt some spinach or other leafy green vegetable in olive oil and mix into the rice. Sage and thyme are good herbs to use when you cook wild rice and adding some paprika is also good, but experiment and see for yourself what goes well with it. You can combine it in our biryani recipes too, so bon appetit!

PRIVET - NOT ONLY FOR HEDGES: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF PRIVET

PRIVET, LIGUSTRUM VULGARE

We once had a privet hedge instead of a garden wall, but it didn’t recover after a very heavy snowfall and bad winter sometime in the 1960s in Britain. Privet is a semi-evergreen, and grows wild in Britain, the rest of Europe and North Africa. It is a medium to fast-growing shrub so was popular at one time as a hedge, although it has now been overtaken in the hedge stakes by Ligustrum ovalifolium which is apparently a more reliable evergreen species.

     In Britain its main claim to fame is that along with the Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior), it is a member of the olive family of plants, the Oleaceae, of which only these two species are native. Wild privet is an invasive weed in North America, New Zealand and Australia and it has been banned from sale and cultivation in New Zealand because its pollen exacerbates asthma and eczema in sufferers of those ailments. The berries contain toxic substances although these usually only provoke vomiting and more often no symptoms at all are reported. The leaves can also provoke allergic reactions if taken internally, although at one time they were used as a stomachic, as was the bark of bigger plants.

  The leaves have astringent properties and can help cleanse wounds as they have detergent actions too. As well as this they can assist in wound healing, if they are bruised.

 The black or purple berries which form clusters are poisonous to horses and as they contain lignan glycosides, saponins, and seco-iridoid bitter substances these are deemed to be responsible. Unfortunately they are attractive to children too, as are the berries of the deadly nightshade.

  Despite the toxins the plant contains the Physicians of Myddfai employed privet in some remedies as this one shows:-

   “The mugwort, madder, meadow sweet, milfoil, hemp, redcabbage, and the tutsan, all these seven herbs enter into the composition of the medicine required.  Whosoever obtains them all, will not languish long from a wounded lung, or need fear for his life. Any of the following herbs may be added thereto, butcher's broom, agrimony, tutsan, dwarf elder, amphibious persicaria, centaury, round birth wort, field scabious, pepper mint, daisy, knap weed, roots of the red nettle, crake berry, St. John's wort, privet, wood betony, the roots of the yellow goat's beard, heath, water avens, woodruff, leaves of the earthnut, agrimony, wormwood, the bastard balm, small burdock, and the orpine.”

  Nicholas Culpeper writing in the 17^th century also believed that privet could be beneficial and wrote this about the shrub:-

 “Government and virtues. The Moon is lady of this. It is little used in physic with us in these times, more than in lotions, to wash sores and sore mouths, and to cool inflammations, and dry up fluxes. Yet Matthiolus saith, it serves all the uses for which Cypress, or the East Privet, is appointed by Dioscorides and Galen. He further saith, that the oil that is made of the flowers of Privet infused therein, and set in the Sun, is singularly good for the inflammations of wounds, and for the headache, coming of a hot cause. There is a sweet water also distilled from the flowers, that is good for all those diseases that need cooling and drying, and therefore helps all fluxes of the belly or stomach, bloody-fluxes, and women's courses, being either drank or applied; as all those that void blood at the mouth, or any other place, and for distillations of rheum in the eyes, especially if it be used with tutia.”

  While Culpeper refers to the ancient uses of this shrub, he also points out that it was used in his day too. Times change though and the privet is no longer even used as much as it once was for a hedge.

OLEANDER - POISONOUS BUT A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF CANCER TREATMENT: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF OLEANDER

OLEANDER, NERIUM OLEANDER, KANER IN URDU 

You may not recognize the name but you will probably recognize this poisonous plant with its pink, white or red flowers which bloom from May to October, depending on where you live. It graces the roadsides in Greece, Sicily, Italy, Portugal, Pakistan (where it is still in bloom now although it is the end of November), the state of California in the US and other countries. It is useful because it seems not to mind the pollution; it is tolerant of salt and drought and prevents soil erosion as it has long, thick tap roots. It has naturalized in so many countries that no one is sure where it originated, although it might have come from South West Asia.

  Whenever I see these bushes growing in the middle of the motorways here in Pakistan I am reminded of Greece, both the mainland and the islands where these flowers abound. They also remind me of Steely Dan’s “Countdown to Ecstasy” album and the lyrics of “My Old School”. In other words I feel nostalgic when I see them.

  The oleander is toxic although not many deaths have been attributed to it, although I’m told that the seeds are particularly useful as a poison as it is not always noticed. Because all parts of this plant are toxic it is not recommended to use it as firewood or skewers for barbecues. It is poisonous for people and animals if ingested, but has been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries.

  Oleanders have leaves which look a little like those of the olive tree, but they are not related as the oleander is a member of the dogbane family or Apocynaceae family. It is believed to be the onotheras of Theophrastus who believed that the root when given to someone in wine improves their temper and makes them “gentle and cheerful.” Pliny concurred with Dioscorides that it could be an antidote to the bites of serpents, and this is what Dioscorides says of oleander in his De Materia Medica Book IV page 82 which was written in the first century AD.

  “Nerion, which some call Rododaphne, some Rhododendron . . . grows in enclosed greens and sea-bordering places; in places near rivers. But ye flower and the leaves have a power destructive of dogs; of Asses; of Mules; and of most four-footed living creatures, but a preserving one of men, being drank with wine against the bitings of venemous beasts; ye more if you mixed it with Rue, but ye more weak sort of living creature, as goats; sheep, die, if they drink ye maceration of them.”

  John Gerard the 16^th century English herbalist tells us what Galen another ancient physician said about oleander, but omits to give credit to Dioscorides, if we compare the two pieces of text they are much the same. Gerard could be considered guilty of plagiarism. Here is what he wrote about oleander:-

"This tree being outwardly applied, as Galen saith, hath a digesting faculty; but if it be inwardly taken it is deadly and poisonsome, not only to men, but also to most kinds of beasts.

The flowers and leaves kill dogs, asses, mules, and very many of other four footed beasts: but if men drink them in wine they are a remedy against the bitings of Serpents, and the rather if Rue be added.

The weaker sort of cattle, as sheep and goats, if they drink the water wherein the leaves have been steeped, are sure to die."

  Oleanders were depicted in Roman murals quite frequently along with bay trees and myrtles. One famous mural is that in a subterranean chamber of Livia’s Villa in Porta Prima, Italy.

  In different traditional medicinal systems oleanders have been used in poultices to relieve backache; the fruit has been applied to the body to promote sweat in poultices according to the Hortus Sanitatis a 15^th century herbal. It also says that the flowers provoke sneezing so could be used as snuff was. It was once believed that the plant was fatal to head lice and fleas.

  The macerated leaves were applied topically to promote hair growth and for syphilis symptoms and other skin diseases. Oleander has been used by herbalists for centuries to treat all kinds of illnesses from skin problems, to epilepsy, to induce miscarriages, as emetics and heart tonics. A decoction of the leaves has been used for gingivitis and oral problems. The plant contains the cardiac glycosides oleandrin and oleandrigenin which can be toxic when ingested, but they seem to boost the immune system of cancer patients when given in small controlled doses. It is believed that oleandrin might have antineoplastic activity and so can help in our fight against cancer.

  It has, in recent years been hailed as an alternative cancer treatment as the first phase of clinical trials have been a success reportedly. The US FDA has said that extracts of the leaves are safe enough to be administered orally and has approved clinical testing, which is now in its second phase as of 2011. Oleander contains cardiac glycosides which are the substances being investigated.

  As with aak (Calotropis procera) this plant can be fatal, but it can also be beneficial to our health.

  

RICE (ORYZA SATIVA) - A STAPLE FOOD FOR MANY: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF RICE

RICE, ORYZA SATIVA 

Rice is a descendant of wild grasses and belongs to the Poaceae or Graminaceae family of plants along with wheat, maize (sweet corn), sorghum, millet, rye, oats and barley, among others. It is widely cultivated in the Asia and Pacific region where it is a staple food in 17 countries. It is also a staple in 8 countries in Africa and 9 in North and South America. There are more that 8,000 varieties of rice grown around the world and these are grown in various ways, including, of course in paddy fields in countries which have the monsoon season. Rice is the main food source of energy for more than half the world’s population. However for a balanced diet, pulses such as lentils, leafy green vegetables such as brussel sprouts and kale, and meat need to be added to it.

  Rice provides the world’s human population with 20% of its dietary energy supply, while wheat provides 19%, and maize 5%.

  Polished white rice has few nutrients left in it and for the sake of health and nutrition one should eat brown rice which is simply rice which has been hulled, in other words the bran and germ layers which contain the essential vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 and

-6 fatty acids, as well as the phytonutrients and amino acids are left intact.

  Writing her “A Modern Herbal” in the 1930s Mrs. Maud Grieve said: -

“The chief consumption of rice is as a food substance, but it should never be forgotten that the large and continued consumption of the white, polished rices of commerce is likely to be injurious to the health. The nations of which rice is the staple diet eat it unhusked as a rule, when it is brownish and less attractive to the eye, but much more nutritious as well as cheaper.”

  She clearly could see how things were going and warned then that white rice was not very nutritious. However it has since been the rice of choice in the West. Black rice, or Forbidden rice is also nutritious as is Bhutanese red rice, grown in the Himalayas, but brown rice is readily available, although now, it is not as cheap as white rice as it was in Mrs. Grieve’s day as it has become labeled “macrobiotic “ and “organic” which makes it more expensive than the highly polished white rice.

  Rice is believed to have originated in China and primitive agricultural tools and remains of rice dating back to circa 8,500 BC have been found in the Yangtze River basin in China, showing how long it has been a cultivated crop there. Archaeological remains discovered in the Indian subcontinent only date back to c. 2,000 BC. It arrived in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean basin from Syria via Arab traders. It was also introduced early into East Africa, and much later to the US. The Spaniards introduced it to South America in the 17^th century, as it had been taken to Spain by the Moors in the 8^th century. The Crusaders had later taken back to France with them; and so it travelled around the globe.

  Today there are several main types of rice which can be found on supermarket shelves:-

·        Arborio or Italian rice which is used to make risottos.

·        Basmati rice which is long-grained and used in biryanis and other rice dishes on the Indian subcontinent because of its delicate nutty flavour and the fact that the grains stay separate.

·        Sweet rice which is sticky and glutinous

·        Jasmine rice which may be brown or white, and which is aromatic due to the jasmine flowers in it.

·        Bhutanese red rice grown in the Himalayas which has a nutty earthy taste.

·        Black rice (as mentioned above) which is purple when cooked

There are other short-, medium- and long-grained rices too and here in Pakistan we can buy ‘broken rice’ which is cheap Basmati and which can be used in dessert dishes, flavoured with rose water and with coconut, sultanas and pistachio nuts or almonds added to it (much more interesting than a British rice pudding).

  Rice is used in traditional systems of medicine for upset stomachs and diarrhoea. In Greece lemon juice may be added to it, or it is served plain and boiled. Rice can be boiled, drained, allowed to cool then mashed to form a paste which is applied to boils, sores, swellings and pimples in the Indian subcontinent. The sticky, gelatinous variety of rice is used here for stomach upset, heart-burn and indigestion.

  Clinical trials have shown that extracts of brown rice may be effective in treating breast and stomach cancers and trials are still underway. It is thought that brown rice can help lower cholesterol levels in the blood, so can help prevent heart disease and arteriosclerosis among other diseases. It is also thought that brown rice can help to lower the risk of Type-2 diabetes and heart disease.

  Brown rice contains significant amounts of selenium which assists in DNA repair in cells and which has potent antioxidant actions. It helps to decrease the symptoms of asthma and the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. There are also large amounts of manganese present in brown rice, and this assists hormone production, and also has powerful antioxidant actions.

  Brown rice also contains some of the B-complex vitamins including B1 and 3, pantothenic acid, folate, choline and betaine. As for minerals it has apart from those mentioned above, it has calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, sodium, potassium, phosphorous as well as 18 amino acids including lysine and tryptophan. It also contains a little vitamin E in the form of Alpha Tocopherol and vitamin K.

  Annapura is the goddess of rice in Indian mythology, and gets her name from anna which is Sanskrit for rice. For Hindus rice is also associated with the goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is also a fertility symbol. Annas were also the currency of the Indian subcontinent before rupees, so the word for money was ‘rice.’ There are also associations of rice with the Buddha as he was given rice and milk by a poor woman, so the story goes, and it is given now as an offering to him. Turmeric coloured rice is thrown over newly married couples in Indian wedding ceremonies, and rice flavoured with saffron and topped with gold leaf is also served at weddings, as yellow is the colour of happiness.

  In some parts of India symbols and patterns are traced on thresholds and floors in rice powder or made with paste so that the household has good luck. This tradition is centuries old, and is still practised today. Rice paste is also used in the dyeing process on cloth in India. There are festivals held all over Asia when rice seeds are sown, when the seedlings are planted and when the harvest is gathered in.

  Rice extracts can be found in medicines and cosmetics, as it is believed that they can add to the volume and thickness of hair, so they are used in shampoos and other hair-care products, as well as in moisturizing creams as it moisturizes and is said to have anti-ageing properties. A mixture of rice starch and honey is used by some women to reduce the shine on their faces.

  To cook brown  rice, you need one part rice to two of water and it should be washed thoroughly and cleaned then allowed to soak for 20 minutes to half an hour before draining the water and cooking with salt.

  You will find many recipes on this site which use rice including one for rice pudding and a chicken ball soup if you would like to try some.

PIGNUTS (EARTH NUTS) -ALLEGEDLY APHRODISIAC: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF PIGNUTS

EARTH NUTS, PIGNUTS, CONOPODIUM MAJUS 

Pignuts are so named because pigs love to find these, as do European Brown bears. They grow in woodland in Europe and in Britain seem to love to grow in bluebell woods. You can find them all year round, but they are easier to spot in spring and summer when you can see their feathery leaves and white flower heads (umbels). They are members of the Apiaceae or carrot family, so are related to anise, caraway, celery, dill and parsley. If you go foraging for them you will have to dig about 20 centimetres down to get at the small “nuts” which are tubers with long thin roots growing around them. You have to rub the outer skin from them to eat them but they can be eaten raw or cooked (you can add them to dishes as you would water chestnuts or sangaray). They taste rather like sweet chestnuts, although some say that they are like Brazil or hazel nuts or perhaps sweet potatoes. The “nut” can grow to 3 cms in diameter although most I’ve seen have been smaller than that. If you find them they indicate that you are in ancient grass or woodland.

  In the UK they have been found at archaeological site, at the Bronze Age Barrow Hills and Mile Oak, which shows that they were known as a food source by our early ancestors. The discovery of them at Barrow Hills might also indicate that they were used in rituals.

  They were clearly known in Shakespeare’s day as he has his ‘monster’ Caliban tells Trinculo (a drunken servant) that he will show him the delights of the island which include these ‘nuts’.

  “Caliban: I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow,

                 And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts.”

   (Act II scene ii The Tempest)

John Gerard, writing in the 16^th century tells us that there was a “Plaister made of the seeds” of the plant, but he rather coyly declines to continue as regards the use it was put to. This mystery was later (probably) solved when Nicholas Culpeper writing in his Complete herbal in the 17^th century points out that the nuts were aphrodisiacs and stimulated “venery” or lust. He calls these “Earth chesnuts” and says this: -

“They are called earth-nuts, earth-chesnuts, ground-nuts, ciper-nuts, and in Sussex pig-nuts. A description of them were needless, for every child knows them.

Government and virtues. They are something hot and dry in quality, under the dominion of Venus; they provoke lust exceedingly, and stir up to those sports she is mistress of; the seed is excellent good to provoke urine; and so also is the root, but it doth not perform it so forcibly as the seed both. The root being dried and beaten into powder, and the powder made into an electuary is as singular a remedy for spitting and pissing of blood, as the former chesnut was for coughs.”

  The Physicians of Myddfai do not mention this but used them in this way: -

“Peritonitis is treated by means of an emetic, the blue confection and a medicine. These are the herbs required (for the medicine ;) the sweet gale, bay leaves, pimpernel, male speedwell, river startip, borage, moss, liverwort, the young leaves of the earth nut, and the mallow.”

They also used it in treatments for intermittent fevers as this remedy shows:-

”The following is a good medicine for this class of diseases : take moss, ground ivy, or elder, if obtainable, (if not obtainable, caraway,) and boil these two vegetable substances well together. Then take the mallow, fennel, pimpernel, butcher's broom, borage, and the young leaves of the earth nut, and bruise them as well as possible, putting them on the fire with the two herbs before mentioned, and boiling them well. This being done, let elder bark be taken from that portion of the tree which is in the ground,-let it be scraped and washed thoroughly, and bruised well in a mortar. Then take the liquor prepared from the fore-mentioned herbs, and mix the said bark therein assiduously between both hands, and set it to drain into a vessel to acidify, fermenting it with goat's whey, or cow's whey. Let a good cupful thereof be drank every morning as long as it lasts, a portion of raw honey, apple or wood sorrel, being taken subsequently in order to remove the taste from the mouth, after the draught. This liquor is beneficial to every man who requires to purge his body.”

  They don’t mention the aphrodisiac qualities but it makes sense that Shakespeare’s Caliban would have enjoyed them if they had such a reputation as he was a portrayal of the baser side of human nature.

  

   

GROUNDSEL- NOT JUST FOR BIRDS! HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF GROUNDSEL

GROUNDSEL, SENECIO VULGARIS 

Groundsel gets its Latin name, Senecio vulgaris, from ‘senex’ meaning ‘old man’ and vulgaris, which means ‘common’. It is believed to have got this name from the appearance of the grey hairs on the seeds. The name groundsel comes from the Anglo-Saxon, “groundeswelge” which means “ground swallower” doubtless because of its ability to spread. One plant will produce around 1,200 seeds, with hairs which are dispersed by the wind and birds which love to eat them. It has been estimated that 85% of these seeds will germinate in the first year with 100 % germinating in a five-year period, so it is a very prolific stubborn weed to remove once it has occupied an area. It is in flower between May and October. It is a member of the Asteraceae or daisy family of plants.

  It has numerous other names, including Old-Man-in-the-Spring, birdseed, chickenweed, grinsel and grundsel to mention just a few. It is an invasive alien species in North America and probably arrived on its shores in sacks of grain seed, but it is native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. It has mainly been used for chickenfeed and for birdseed - the Victorians fed their canaries on it in Britain. Rabbits like it too but cows, and horses seem to instinctively know that it isn’t good for them and tend to avoid it. Groundsel contains some pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are also found in Common Ragwort, and these cause progressive, irreversible damage and ultimately death to cows and other animals. The lethal dose is between 5 and 8% of the animal’s body weight. However sheep and goats, have rumen bacteria which breaks down these toxins and so they can be used to keep down groundsel in fields.

  It is said that the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked by humans, but perhaps this is not advisable. The Anglo-Saxons used groundsel medicinally in poultices with salt added to them.

  The 16^th century English herbalist, John Gerard, recommended “the down of the flower mixed with vinegar” as a good dressing for fresh wounds. He also said that the juice of the plant, when boiled in ale could be used as a purgative with a little honey and vinegar added. It was believed that you had to dig up the roots without using any iron in the digging tool as it would then act as a remedy for wounds caused by iron. The roots were thought, if harvested in this way, to relieve headaches. It was also used as an emollient for chapped hands, with the whole plant chopped and boiling water poured over it and then allowed to infuse for half an hour. A strong infusion was used to produce vomiting and as a purgative.

  Nicholas Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century in his “Complete Herbal” had this to say of groundsel: -

  “ This herb is Venus's mistress-piece, and is as gallant and universal a medicine for all diseases coming of heat, in what part of the body soever they be, as the sun shines upon; it is very safe and friendly to the body of man: yet causes vomiting if the stomach be afflicted; if not, purging: and it doth it with more gentleness than can be expected; it is moist, and something cold withal, thereby causing expulsion, and repressing the heat caused by the motion of the internal parts in purges and vomits…

The decoction of this herb (saith Dioscorides) made with wine, and drank, helps the pains of the stomach, proceeding of choler, (which it may well do by a vomit) as daily experience shews. The juice thereof taken in drink, or the decoction of it in ale, gently performs the same. It is good against the jaundice and falling sickness, being taken in wine; as also against difficulty of making water. It provokes urine, expels gravel in the reins or kidneys; a dram thereof given in oxymel, after some walking or stirring of the body. It helps also the sciatica, griping of the belly, the cholic, defects of the liver, and provokes women's courses. The fresh herb boiled, and made into a poultice, applied to the breasts of women that are swollen with pain and heat, as also the privy parts of man or woman, the seat or fundament, or the arteries, joints, and sinews, when they are inflamed and swollen, doth much ease them; and used with some salt, helps to dissolve knots or kernels in any part of the body. The juice of the herb, or as (Dioscorides saith) the leaves and flowers, with some fine Frankincensein powder, used in wounds of the body, nerves or sinews, doth singularly help to heal them. The distilled water of the herb performs well all the aforesaid cures, but especially for inflammations or watering of the eyes, by reason of the defluxion of rheum unto them.”

  The whole herb should be picked in May or when it begins to come into flower, and dried for later use, or used fresh. However other herbs are less toxic than this one and so treat groundsel with care.

COUCH GRASS - ANNOYING WEED WITH SAVING GRACES: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF COUCH GRASS

COUCH GRASS, ELTRIGIA REPENS / ELYMUS REPENS/ AGROPYUM REPENS 

Couch grass (pronounced coo-ch) is a much reviled weed that loves growing on lawns in Britain and infuriates gardeners because it is difficult to get rid of. It is classed as an invasive weed in the US, although some believe it is a native species in both North and South America. It is certainly a native of Europe, North Asia and North Africa, as well as Australia. It is a member of the Poacea or Gramineae family which includes rye, millet (bajra), oats, barley, sorghum and wheat as well as sugar cane and the grasses.

  It is known as Quitch or Quitch grass (perhaps this is how J. K. Rowling invented Quidditch, the name of Harry Potter’s favourite game) and Quackgrass so has as many English names as Latin ones for its genus.  Another of its names is Dog’s Grass, because dogs will search for the rough leaves if they feel ill and will eat them to make themselves vomit.

 Although it is viewed as a pest today, the root was valued in the past for its medicinal properties. It is a sweet-tasting root that is said to taste a little like liquorice. It is the root which is usually used in traditional medicine systems, and it has been used since Roman times as a diuretic and to expel gravel in the bladder. The root has also been used as a coffee substitute like that of the dandelion and chicory when roasted. The young leaves and shoots can be eaten raw in spring and the root has also been ground to make meal and then mixed with wheat flour in times of scarcity.

  Couch grass has been approved by the German Commission E for urinary tract infections, and is useful if you have cystitis as it soothes the urinary tract and promotes the flow of urine. It is also said to be good for Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH), for gout and rheumatism. The infusion, one ounce or the root to one pint of boiling water, steeped for 20 minutes can also be used externally as a wash for swollen limbs. It can also be drunk as a diuretic and to remove gravel. The wash will also act as a moisturizer for dry skin and is said to be useful for making rough skin smoother. The decoction can be made with 2-4 ounces of the chopped root boiled in 2 pints of water until the water has been reduced by half. Juice expressed from the roots can be added to water and drunk too. For this you need half a teaspoon to 2 teaspoons of juice and water. It has also been used as a mild laxative, although eating bananas might be easier and more productive.

  Culpeper writing in his Herbal in the 17^th century has this to say about it: -

“the most medicinal of all the quick grasses. The roots of it act powerfully by urine; they should be dried and powdered, for the decoction by water is too strong for tender stomachs, therefore should be sparingly used when given that way to children to destroy the worms. The way of use is to bruise the roots, and having well boiled them in white wine, drink the decoction; it is opening, not purging, very safe: it is a remedy against all diseases coming of stopping, and such are half those that are incident to the body of man; and although a gardener be of another opinion, yet a physician holds half an acre of them to be worth five acres of carrots twice told over.”

  Gerard, writing in the 16^th century wrote: -                                                 

“Although that Couch-grasse be an unwelcome guest to fields and gardens, yet his physicke virtues do recompense those hurts; for it openeth the stoppings of the liver and reins without any manifest heat.”

 In his time it was used for cirrhosis of the liver and for jaundice.

    It is thought that the glycolic acid in the root makes it a good diuretic, and that the agropyrene also present makes it an antibiotic. One study by Newell et al (1996) found that it had sedative properties when given to rats and mice. It contains the phenolic glycoside, vanillin, the minerals calcium, phosphorous and potassium, flavonoids which include tricin; fructose, pectin, glucose, inositol and mannitol and the aerial parts are high in protein which makes it good animal feed.

  If its presence is annoying you and you don’t want to use it medicinally, an infusion of the whole chopped plant will make very good liquid plant food. It is a useful grass and not just an invasive weed.