Heracleum sphondylium montanum
| Heracleum sphondylium | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 8' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Heracleum sphondylium montanum (common name: cow parsnip)
Propagation: Seed - sow mid to late spring or early autumn in situ.
Division in autumn.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil, doing best in moist soils or deep woodland[1][2][3].
Range: N. America to W. Asia.
Habitat: Rich damp soils of prairies and mountains, especially along streams and in open woods in Western N. America[4].
Edibility: Root - cooked[5][6][7][8]. Tastes like a swede[9][10]. Used like potatoes, though it is considered to be poisonous by some writers[11].
The peeled stem can be eaten raw but is best cooked[5][12][10]. The unpeeled stem can be used when young, or just the inner tissue of older stems can be used, before the plants flower[7][8]. For people not used to the flavour, they are best cooked in two changes of water when they make a tasty celery-like vegetable[11]. Another report says that, despite the strong odour of the leaves and outer skin, the peeled young stems are mild and sweet, resembling celery in flavour[13]. The stems cannot be eaten raw in large quantities because they give a burning sensation in the mouth[14]. The stems are highly nutritious, containing up to 18% protein[11].
Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked[2][7][8][15]. Cooked as greens or added to salads[10].
Young flowers[6][12][16]. No further details.
The dried seeds are used as a flavouring for soups, stews and potato salads[7][10].
The dried base of the plant and ashes from the burnt leaves are used as a salt substitute[10].
Medicinal: Cow parsnip was widely employed medicinally by a large number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide variety of complaints, but especially as a poultice on bruises, sores etc[14]. It is little used in modern herbalism, though perhaps it merits further investigation.
All parts of the plant are antirheumatic, antispasmodic, carminative, febrifuge, odontalgic and stimulant[17][8][9][18][14].
The leaves are tonic[14]. They have been used in the treatment of colds[14]. A soothing drink made from the leaves is used to treat sore throats[14]. A poultice of the heated leaves has been applied to minor cuts, sore muscles etc[14].
An infusion of the fresh young stems has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[14]. It has also been used as a wash to remove warts[14].
The plant has been used in the treatment of epilepsy[11].
A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of indigestion, colds, stomach cramps, rheumatism, sore throats, TB etc[19][14]. Externally, the root is used as a poultice on sores, bruises, swellings, boils, rheumatic joints, VD scabs etc, whilst a bit of root has been held on an aching tooth to reduce the pain[19][14]. The root can be crushed, mixed with water and used as an antidandruff hair wash[14].
The root contains psoralen, which is being investigated for its use in the treatment of psoriasis, leukaemia and AIDS[19].
The seed has been used to treat severe headaches[14].
Usage: Whistles, flutes, straws etc can be made from the hollow stems[20][14].
The leaves are used as a covering for baskets of fruit etc[20].
A yellow dye is obtained from the roots[14].
An infusion of the blossoms, rubbed on the body, repels flies and mosquitoes[14].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Many members of this genus, including this species[21], contain furanocoumarins. These have carcinogenic, mutagenic and phototoxic properties. The fresh foliage can cause dermatitis[17]. If the juice and hairs of the outer skin are left on the face and mo
Also Known As: H. cordatum. H. lanatum. Michx. H. maximum.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Arnberger, Leslie. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments, 1968.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.