Winter Health Giving Weeds

Cleavers

There are a number of weeds that provide lots of nutrition in winter. Well over my cold covered in the last Blog, in this edition I feature 5 health boosting weeds I’m enjoying in smoothies at the moment.  

To the left is Cleavers or Galium aparine that incredible lymph, kidney and blood purifier which is growing well in the cooler weather. The leaves start out small and get bigger as the plant grows and scrambles up through other plants for support by clinging with hook-like hairs.  Cleavers has lots of Vitamin C, silica, antioxidants, chorophyll and fibre. Cleavers is easy to identify because it has square stems with whorls of 5 to 8 narrow, lance-shaped leaves pointed at the tips at each node. If you stroke the plant it feels rough to the touch. This is a great plant to include in your green smoothies.

Bitter Cress

Bitter Cress or Cardamine hirsuta is another plentiful winter green.  It is a small plant that grows in a rosette with lobed leaves and a tall flower stalk with tiny white flowers. The long seed pods have two valves that split open explosively and curl upwards which scatters the seeds.  Right now in early August bitter cress feels that spring is in the air as the plants are all going up to flower and producing seed for their next generation.  It takes a lot of energy and nutrition for a plant to go up to flower and produce seed so this makes them extra nutritious and with their hot spicy flavor it is warming and a good tonic for us in winter.

 Violet Viola odorata

Violet leaves and flowers

Violet’s nourishing qualities have been known for centuries right back to ancient Greece.    Packed with nutrition – just two heart shaped leaves of the violet plant contain as much Vitamin C as an orange!   All this nourishment daily supports the liver, gall bladder, digestive and urinary systems.  It also assists in the healing of cancer tumors. At this time of year violet plants are flowering and offer us their beautiful scent.  You can definitely add the leaves to your smoothie and scent your room with the flowers or use them as decoration on winter salads.  This is a must have plant in the garden. 

Red Dead Nettle Lamium purpureum

Red Dead Nettle

Don’t worry this plant’s name refers to it not having a sting.  It belongs to the Lamiaceae or mint family and like every member of this family has square stems and two-lipped flowers. The leaves are in opposite pairs, on long leaf stalks. This highly nutritious plant is flowering at the moment and is full of fibre, chlorophyll, vitamins, iron and other minerals. 

You can use the whole plant – flowers and leaves in your smoothie. 

 Chickweed Stellaria media

Chickweed

Chickweed is the final plant in this combination of winter weeds I’ve been having in my smoothies lately. See the recipe for using them here

It has tender pale green leaves with weak stems. The whole plant is a rich source of Vitamin C, calcium, chlorophyll, carotenes needed by the liver to produce Vitamin A, folic acid, essential fatty acids and protein.  Chickweed is a nourishing, calming and strengthening food and is used to relieve fevers, infections e.g. bronchitis, sore throats and inflammations, and can help ease the pain of arthritic swollen joints.  It’s a great plant to have lots of in the winter to ward off colds and flu and if you do happen to catch the flu or get a cold use handfuls of it in smoothies or make a tea of it.