Cow parsnip is non-toxic when young.
Effect:
stimulating, uplifting, potency-enhancing, aphrodisiac, blood pressure-lowering, digestive, calming
Areas of application:
Flatulence, indigestion, impotence, frigidity, boils, ulcers, insect bites, itchy and/or weeping rashes, headaches, laryngitis, bronchitis, general weakness, rheumatism, swelling, bruising, multiple sclerosis MS, psoriasis, colds, inflammations
Plant parts used:
Root, leaves
Collection time:
Autumn
To find:
In riparian forests, on stream banks, ditches and on well-fertilized meadows.
Ingredients:
Bitter substances, essential oil, furanocoumarins
Other:
☕ Tea: Add 1 teaspoon of root to 1/4 liter of cold water, heat briefly to boiling and drink up to 3 times a day.
The Hogweed is a biennial to perennial plant and can grow to a height of 30 cm to 150 cm. The basal axis is thick, branched, deep-rooted and gives off an unpleasant smell. The upright stem is angularly furrowed, stiff-haired and branched in the upper section. The leaves are simply pinnate and the pinnate sections are pinnately divided and bluntly serrated. They are usually hairy on the upper and lower sides. The leaves have a large leaf sheath (ochrea) that serves as bud protection. The lower leaves can grow very large and have long stalks. The leaf stalk is compressed laterally and deeply grooved on the upper side. The double umbel can be up to 20 centimeters in diameter; it has 15 to 20 rays. The umbel rays are unequal in length. There are none to 6 bracts and the bract leaves are lanceolate-subulate, densely hairy and ciliate. The flowers are white, often slightly greenish or light pink. The petals are inverted heart-shaped; they are notched at the front and have a folded lobe. The flowering period is from May to October. The fruits are winged double achenes.
🛑 Warning!!! Care must be taken when collecting them, as some people have an allergic reaction to the leaves of the hogweed, namely with meadow dermatitis. The sap of the plant can cause skin inflammation if exposed to strong sunlight. This is particularly true for the foreign species of hogweed, the "Hercules plant", which can cause burns if touched. Many representatives of this genus, including many subspecies of this species, contain furanocoumarins. These have carcinogenic, mutagenic and phototoxic properties.
In the kitchen, you can use the very young, raw leaves of the hogweed with old potatoes, which taste better and in egg dishes, sauces, as wild vegetables and in salads. The larger leaves are also used for hogweed soup, hogweed puree, in vegetables or in casseroles. Hogweed has a mild taste. The stem can be peeled and eaten raw or made into compote. Sensitive people should wear gloves when peeling the hairy, prickly stems to avoid skin irritation. Unripe and ripe seeds can be used in small quantities as a spice. They are very aromatic and are good for sweet dishes or soup. Unripe seeds can also be soaked in neutral alcohol as a liqueur base. They give the alcohol an intense green color reminiscent of absinthe. The green and unripe fruits have a spicy taste. The slightly spicy root can be prepared as a vegetable. In Kamchatka, a tasty drink is said to be made from the root with wine and sugar.
Many people know it here as Hogweed and in some communities it is mandatory to report it for removal.
Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), which comes from the Caucasus, is also displacing many herbs here.
As an incense plant, it has a disinfectant effect and is suitable for energetically cleansing rooms.
Meadow hogweed provides a wash- and lightfast yellow dye.