Optimal health can be achieved only by living in harmony with nature.

Cultivating your own food is a great way to make contact with nature.

But have you ever thought about the wild plants growing in your yard?

Plants that are considered as "weeds" can be delicious if you prepare them properly.

These plants are not only free food, but they can also serve as a free natural remedy.

So, grab a basket, go outside and see what is hiding in your own backyard!

Common Purslane

First let's look at the star among wild plants – Common Purslane, Portulaca oleracea.

Common Purslane is a treasure trove of omega-3 fatty acids which are so important for our health.

There is a high probability that this plant is now growing in your yard, because according to statistics, it is the most widespread "weed" in the world.

Common Purslane is a miniature plant, with succulent fleshy leaves and reddish stems.

It grows as a wild plant in yards, along rivers, streams, channels and the edges of woods. It is resistant to high and low temperatures and drought and it thrives on poor soil.

Other names for Common Purslane are Verdolaga, Pigweed, Little Hogweed, or Pursley, and Moss rose.

Common Purslane is an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamin C, A, B and E and omega-3 fatty acids.

From this table you can see that Common Purslane contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids when compared to other plants.

 

Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids
lettuce, 1 cup - 53 mg	Common Purslane, 1 cup - 300 - 400 mg
linseed oil, 1 tablespoon - 7196 mg	raw broccoli, 1 cup - 147 mg
chia seeds, 30 g - 4915 mg	cauliflower, 1 cup - 208 mg
walnut, 30 g- 2542 mg	spinach, 1 cup - 41 mg

 

 

Besides plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, Common Purslane contains:

• six times more vitamin E than spinach
• seven times more beta-carotene than carrots
• 25 mg of vitamin C per cup (20% of the recommended daily allowances)
• magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin B2, potassium, phosphorus and manganese

Common Purslane is very useful if you have urinary or digestive problems. It has anti-fungal and anti-microbial effects.

It is also useful for skin diseases - a positive effect on acne, psoriasis, and sunburn.

Its young leaves and stems are ideal in salads and sandwiches. Common Purslane is rich in pectin, so it can be used for thickening soups and stews.

Common Purslane salad

1. harvest a lot of young Common Purslane saplings
2. wash them in the lurch, briefly boil in salty water and place them in a bowl
3. add chopped garlic and pour some olive oil and red wine vinegar, add salt and pepper.
4. stir well and serve it as a salad or side dish.

Dandelion

You are probably already familiar with dandelions. There is no garden without a dandelion or two, but we mostly see it as only flowers.

However, each part of the dandelion is edible and full of nutrients:

 

Dandelion is one of the richest sources of beta-carotene in the world (338% of the recommended daily allowances)	It contains flavonoids, four times more beta carotene than broccoli, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin	One of the best plant sources of vitamin K 1 (650% of the recommended daily allowances)
It contains vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, Pyroxidine, niacin and vitamins E and C	It is an excellent source of minerals, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese and iron	Its leaves are rich in dietary fibers

 

 

Dandelion leaves can be used in salads, soups and juices. You can prepare it the same way as spinach.

You can dandelion leaves and flower and use them for making tea.  You can dry and bake its root, or use it as a substitute for coffee, and use flowers for making wine.

Dandelion has antioxidant properties and contains compounds taraxacin and taracerin, along with inulin and levulinom, due to which it has extraordinary healing properties:

• acts as a natural laxative and diuretic
• helps with bloating and edema
• normalizes blood sugar and cholesterol levels
• improves the appetite and stimulates the stomach
• cleans and regenerates the liver
• helps with burns and stings

Dandelion also has anti-viral properties and may be useful in the fight against herpes and AIDS.

Sorrel

There are several types of sorrel, some of them are edible, and others are not.

White sorrel (lat. Chenopodium album) is a European relative of spinach and beets.

You can find it along the edges of roads, in fields, on construction sites, and probably growing in your own backyard.

White sorrel can grow up to 6 meters in height.  

This plant has leaves shaped like diamond, which are covered with white powder, which is why she got her name.

This herb contains:

• incredible 11.600 IU of beta carotene per half cup (a lot more than chard and spinach)
• 300 mg of sodium per half a cup (chard contains 88 mg, and spinach 93 mg)
• folic acid, magnesium, potassium, vitamins C, E, B6, B2 and B1

Sorrel can be prepared in the same way as spinach. Its taste is very similar to spinach, but the nutrient content is much higher.

Plantain

Plantain or Plantago lanceolata is a plant of the family of Plantago, which grows in meadows, in field boundaries, along the edges of roads, in ditches and in moist fertile soils.

Young leaves of plantain can be eaten raw or cooked. They are particularly valuable because of provitamin A, vitamin C and K, citric acid, potassium, enzymes and glycosides aucubin.

Plantain leaves create pleasing aroma and flavor of mushrooms when cooked. It has medicinal properties that stop bleeding from minor wounds and also has antibiotic effects.

This plant has been used since the ancient times as a medicine. Its application is very wide, because plantain can rightly be called "the remedy for all diseases." It is no wonder that the American Indians called it "the elixir of life."

Plantain contains glycoside aucubin, a well-known anti-toxin.

This "weed" has many other medicinal substances, including ascorbic acid, apigenin (phytonutrient with strong antioxidant properties), benzoic acid, Oleanolic acid and salicylic acid.

Thanks to its rich composition, plantain has anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties; it acts as an antidote and a diuretic.

It was confirmed that plantain can help with many diseases, including:

• asthma, cough, sinusitis, bronchitis, tuberculosis, emphysema bladder problems, cystitis fever hypertension
• rheumatism diabetes diarrhea, dysentery, gastritis, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids and constipation allergy and hay fever
• addiction bleeding skin inflammation, wounds, ulcers snake bite

Nettle

Last, but no less important, on our list is nettle - Urtica dioica.

Underneath its beautiful leaves, stinging hairs are hidden - hairs that contain a mixture of compounds, including histamine, serotonin and acetylcholine. If you touch the hairs, they will pour the juice on your skin and cause stinging.

That is why most of us cook nettles before eating them. However nettles can be used raw - remove chemical substances that can cause burning by soaking nettle in cold water.

Nettle has a high proportion of iron, potassium, manganese, calcium, and vitamins A, C, D and K. One cup of nettle supplies you with an unbelievable 1790 IU of vitamin A, which is up to 300% of the recommended daily intake.

Parts of nettles that are commonly consumed are leaves and its root.

Beneficial effects of nettle:

• Due to the high content of iron and chlorophyll it helps with anemia and chronic fatigue
• Relieves arthritis, joint pain and gout
• Nettle root is a proven natural remedy for enlarged prostate
• Stops bleeding (local application)
• Helps with urinary tract infections
• It helps dissolving kidney stones
• Provide relief from hay fever and seasonal allergies
• Heals rashes, hives and other allergic skin reactions because it contains natural antihistamine
• Strengthens hair and accelerate its growth
• It is believed that nettle is a natural aphrodisiac

 

These are only five wild plants which can be used as food and medicine. Actually, there are many more.

The literature describes several thousands wild plants, and the most famous ones are asparagus, burdock, customers put, borage and chives.

We recommend you to gradually introduce these plants on your menu. Learn to recognize wild plants well before you start using them. And when you get to know them well - there will be no end to the imaginative and healthy food on your table.

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