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Herbs & Plants

Oxyria reniformis

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Botanical Name : Oxyria reniformis
Family:    Polygonaceae (Knotweed family)
Genus:    Oxyria
Species:O. digyna
Kingdom:Plantae
Order:   Caryophyllales

Synonyms: Oxyria digyna, Rumex digynus, Rheum digynum, Oxyria reniformis

Common name: Mountain Sorrel, Wood sorrel, Alpine sorrel, Alpine mountainsorrel • Ladakhi, Lamanchu,Chu-lchum.

Habitat : Oxyria reniformis is native to Arctic regions and mountainous parts of the northern hemisphere.It grows in high mountains in many parts of the world.

Description;
Oxyria reniformis is a perennial plant with a tough taproot that grows to a height of 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in). It grows in dense tufts, with stems that are usually unbranched and hairless. Both flowering stems and leaf stalks are somewhat reddish. The leaves are kidney-shaped, somewhat fleshy, on stalks from the basal part of the stem. Flowers are small, green and later reddish, and are grouped in an open upright cluster. The fruit is a small nut, encircled by a broad wing which finally turns red. Forming dense, red tufts, the plant is easily recognized. Oxyria digyna grows in wet places protected by snow in winter. Oxyria (from Greek) means “sour”. CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES
Mountain Sorrel is commonly found on open slopes and grazing grounds of the Himalayas, from Pakistan to SW China, at altitudes of 2400-5000 m. Flowering: May-July.

Edible Uses: The above parts of the plant  are cooked & eaten. , It can be used in salads.It is called qunguliq in Inuktitut.

Medicinal Uses:
The leaves of Oxyria reniformis have a fresh acidic taste and are rich in vitamin C, containing about 36 mg/100g. They were used by the Inuit to prevent and cure scurvy.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Mountain%20Sorrel.html
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyria_reniformis
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sormou66.html

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Oxalis stricta

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Botanical Name : Oxalis stricta
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Oxalis
Species: O. stricta
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Oxalidales

Common Names:Common yellow woodsorrel (or simply yellow woodsorrel), Common yellow oxalis, upright yellow-sorrel, lemon clover, or more ambiguously and informally “sourgrass” or “pickle plant”

Habitat : Oxalis stricta is native to North America, parts of Eurasia, and has a rare introduction in Britain. It tends to grow in woodlands, meadows, and in disturbed areas.

Description:
Oxalis stricta is a herbaceous plant grows as both a perennial and annual. Erect when young, this plant later becomes decumbent as it lays down, and branches regularly. It is not to be confused with similar plants which are also often referred to as “yellow woodsorrel”.
CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Leaves:  Arranged alternately along the stem, long-petiolated, and divided into 3 heart-shaped leaflets.   Leaf margins are smooth but fringed with hairs.

Stems:  Green to pink, weak, branched at base, more prostrate than erect to 20 inches tall, varying from smooth to pubescent.

Roots:  Long, slender rhizomes occur with a fibrous root system.

Flowers:  Occur in clusters that arise from long stalks at the leaf axils.  Individual flowers consist of 5 yellow petals that are 4 to 9 mm long.

Fruit:  A capsule that is cylindrical and pointed with flat sides, sparsely hairy. Each capsule is approximately 3/4 inch long.  Seed disperse from capsules by explosively ejecting up to 13 feet from the parent plant.

Commonly considered a weed of gardens, fields, and lawns, it grows in full sun or shade. The alternate leaves of this plant are divided into three heart-shaped leaflets (a typical trait of other species of Oxalis) that can grow up to 2 cm wide. These leaves curl up at night (exhibiting nyctinasty), and open in the day to perform photosynthesis. The mature seed capsules open explosively when disturbed (a very similar trait to that of the mature seed capsules or fruits of plants found in the genus Impatiens) and can disperse seeds up to 4 meters (about 13 feet) away. The flowers of the plant are hermaphroditic, blooming from July to October.

Identifying Characteristics:  A weed of greenhouses and ornamentals with leaves that are divided into 3 heart-shaped leaflets with small yellow flowers.  Yellow woodsorrel may be distinguished from Creeping Red Woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata) by the presence of underground rhizomes versus the aboveground stolons of creeping red woodsorrel.  Also, creeping woodsorrel has a more prostrate growth habit and often has more reddish-purple leaves than yellow woodsorrel.

O. stricta generally requires dry or moist, alkaline soils, preferring sandy and loamy dirt to grow in. It requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor grounds. It does not do well in shade

Edible Uses:
The leaves and flowers of the plant are sometimes added to salads for decoration and flavoring. These can also be chewed raw (along with other parts of the plant, but not the root) as a thirst quencher. The green pods are pleasant raw, having a juicy crisp texture and a tartness similar to rhubarb in flavour.

The leaves can be used to make a flavored drink that is similar in taste to lemonade, and the whole plant can be brewed as a tisane that has an aroma somewhat like that of cooked green beans.

The juices of the plant have been extracted from its greens as a substitute to common vinegar.

Oxalis stricta contains large amounts of vitamin c.

Medicinal Uses:
Medicinally, in moderate dosages, wood sorrel is cooling (refrigerant, febrifuge), diuretic, stomachic (soothing to the stomach, relieves indigestion), astringent, and catalytic. It’s also attributed with blood cleansing properties and is sometimes taken by cancer patients. A poultice of the plant has been used to treat swellings.An infusion of the plant hason of the plant has been used in the treatment of fevers, stomach cramps and nause been used in the treatment of fevers, stomach cramps and nausea.

Other uses: An orange dye can be obtained by boiling the whole plant.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_stricta
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/oxast.htm

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Wildflowers_Kimonis_Kramer/PAGES/YELLOWWOODSORREL_PAGE_FINAL.html

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Oxalis violacea

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Botanical Name :Oxalis violacea
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Oxalis
Species: O. violacea
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Oxalidales

Common Names: violet wood sorrel

Habitat:Oxalis violacea  is native to  Eastern N. America – New York to Wisconsin, south to Florida. It  grows in Woods, shaded slopes, gravelly banks and prairies. Dry sandy or clay soils.

Description:
Oxalis violacea, the violet woodsorrel, is a perennial plant. It  is a low-lying (4″), shy native with small, bell-shaped violet flowers that become white with greenish lines near the blossom’s throat. Leaves and blossoms both open up to the sun, the latter exposing bright yellow anthers, and then fold with shade. Three oval-heart leaflets comprise each leaf. Bees love this plant, which prefers well-drained soils.from BULB.( in appearance to small clovers such as the shamrock, the plant bears violet colored flowers among three-parted leaves having heart-shaped leaflets. Wood sorrel emerges in early spring from an underground bulb.)

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. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.

Spread: 0.5 to 0.75 feet,Bloom Time: May, Bloom Color: Pink, Lavender , Bloom Description: Pink, lavender, Sun: Full sun to part shade.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.It requires dry or moist soil.

Cultivation:
Easily grown in a moisture-retentive humus-rich soil in shade or dappled sunlight.  Succeeds in dry soils. Grows well in a wild or woodland garden.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Edible Uses
All parts of the plant are edible; flowers, leaves, stems and bulb.

Leaves – raw or cooked. The acid salty leaves are eaten raw in salads and sandwiches or cooked as a potherb.Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet. Flowers – raw. An attractive and tasty garnish for salads[183]. Root – raw or cooked. A lemon-flavoured drink is made from the leaves.

Medicinal Uses:
Anthelmintic;  Antiemetic;  Blood purifier;  Cancer;  Salve.

The plant is anthelmintic, antiemetic, blood purifier, cancer and salve. A cold infusion is used to stop a person vomiting. An infusion can be used as a blood purifier, it is said to be a treatment in the early stages of cancer. An infusion of the plant is drunk and also used as a wash in treating children with hookworm. An infusion of the leaves, mixed with oil, can be used as a salve on sores.

In New Mexico, a teaspoonful of fresh or dried powdered leaves is boiled in a cup of water and taken in the morning to help expel intestinal worms.  The raw greens have been eaten in the early spring as a blood tonic, after a winter without greens.  The plant has been used to create a feeling of coolness in a person with fever, and to increase urine flow.  A cold infusion is used to stop a person vomiting. An infusion can be used as a blood purifier, it is said to be a treatment in the early stages of cancer. An infusion of the plant is drunk and also used as a wash in treating children with hookworm. An infusion of the leaves, mixed with oil, can be used as a salve on sores.

Known Hazards:
The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body’s supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. The quantity of oxalic acid will be reduced if the leaves are cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Oxalis+violacea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_violacea
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

https://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/wildflowers-forbs/oxalis-violacea-violet-wood-sorrel.html

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Categories
Herbs & Plants

Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella)

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Botanical Name: Oxalis acetosella
Family:
Oxalidaceae
Genus:
Oxalis
Species:
O. acetosella
Kingdom
Plantae
Order:
Oxalidales

Common Names:   Wood sorrel, Common wood sorrel or sometimes Miriam

Other Names: Wood Sour. Sour Trefoil. Stickwort. Fairy Bells. Hallelujah

Habitat :Wood Sorrel  is native to  Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, N. and C. Asia to Japan.  It grows in moist woods, moorland and on shady rocks.

Description:
A perennial, Wood Sorrel is a small plant with leaves in three parts, which often fold up. The flowers are bell-shaped and white with a dash of blue. Despite its name, the plant is not related to Sorrel, but is closely related to the Geranium family.
It is a little plant of a far more delicate, even dainty character, growing abundantly in woods and shady places. From its slender, irregular creeping rootstock covered with red scales, it sends up thin delicate leaves, each composed of three heartshaped leaflets, a beautiful bright green above, but of a purplish hue on their under surface. The long slender leaf-stalks are often reddish towards the base. The leaflets are usually folded somewhat along their middle, and are of a peculiarly sensitive nature. Only in shade are they fully extended: if the direct rays of the sun fall on them they sink at once upon the stem, forming a kind of three-sided pyramid, their under surfaces thus shielding one another and preventing too much evaporation from their pores. At night and in bad weather, the leaflets fold in half along the midrib, and the three are placed nearly side by side to ‘sleep,’ a security against storm and excessive dews.

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It flowers between Easter and Whitsuntide.
By many, the ternate leaf has been considered to be that with which St. Patrick demonstrated the Trinity to the ancient Irish, though a tiny kind of clover is now generally accepted as the ‘true Shamrock.’

The flowers, each set on long stalks, are fragile, in form somewhat like the Crane’sbills, to which they are closely allied, being bell-shaped, the corolla composed of five delicate white petals, veined with purple, enclosed in a five-scalloped cup of sepals and containing ten stamens, and in the centre, five green, thread-like columns, arising from a single five-celled ovary. At the base of the petals, a little honey is stored, but the flower seems to find favour with few insects.

As the flower fades, its stalk bends towards the ground and conceals the seed capsule under the leaves, till ripe, when it straightens again. The case of the capsule is elastic and curls back when the fruit is quite ripe, jerking the seeds out several yards, right over the leaves.

A second kind of flower is also produced. These are hidden among the leaves and are inconspicuous, their undeveloped petals never opening out. The ripening and seed scattering processes of these self-fertilized cleistogamous (or hidden) flowers are the same as with the familiar white-petalled ones. Wood Sorrel droops its blossoms in stormy weather, and also folds its leaves.

Neither the flowers nor any part of the plant has any odour, but the leaves have a pleasantly acid taste, due to the presence of considerable quantities of binoxalate of potash. This, combined with their delicacy, has caused them to be eaten as a spring salad from time immemorial, their sharpness taking the place of vinegar. They were also the basis of a green sauce, that was formerly taken largely with fish. ‘Greene Sauce,’ says Gerard, ‘is good for them that have sicke and feeble stomaches . . . and of all Sauces, Sorrel is the best, not only in virtue, but also in pleasantness of his taste.’

Both botanical names Oxalis and acetosella refer to this acidity, Oxalis being derived from the Greek oxys, meaning sour or acid, and acetosella, meaning vinegar salts. Salts of Lemon, as well as Oxalic acid, can be obtained from the plant: 20 lb. of fresh herb yield about 6 lb. of juice, from which, by crystallization, between 2 and 3 OZ. of Salts of Lemon can be obtained.

Edible Uses :
Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.
Edible Uses: Curdling agent.

Leaves – raw or cooked. A delicious lemony flavour, the leaves make a refreshing, thirst-quenching munch and are also added to salads, soups, sauces etc. This leaf should be used in moderation, see the notes above on toxicity. Flowers – raw. A decorative addition to salads. The dried plant can be used as a curdling agent for plant milks.

Cultivation:
Prefers moist shady conditions and a humus rich soil in shade or dappled sunlight. Dislikes very heavy and wet soils. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. A dainty woodland carpeter growing well in a woodland or wild garden. When well sited the plants can run aggressively and also self-sow. The plant flowers in early spring, but does not produce much fertile seed at this time. Most of the fertile seed is produced from cleistogamous flowers during the summer.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Part Used Medicinally:–-The leaves, fresh or dried.

Medicinal virtues: Similar to Sorrels, but is more effectual in hindering the putrefaction of the blood. It quenches the thirst, strengthens a weak stomach, stays vomiting and is excellent in fevers.
Modern uses: The plant is particularly rich in oxalic acid and potassium oxalate, which are not suitable for those with gouty or rheumatic tendencies. It can he injurious if prescribed injudiciously. The leaves are used for their cooling action in fevers. The infusion – i oz (28 g) to i pt (568 rnl) of boiling water – is also given for catarrh and urinary tract inflammation in doses of 2 fl Oz (56 rni). Excessive or prolonged administration is not recommended. The infusion is used as lotion for skin infections. The juice is used as a gargle for mouth ulcers.

General Medicinal Usage:

Excellent in any contagious sickness or pestilential fever.

It has diuretic, antiscorbutic and refrigerant action, and a decoction made from its pleasant acid leaves is given in high fever, both to quench thirst and to allay the fever. The Russians make a cooling drink from an infusion of the leaves, which may be infused with water or boiled in milk. Though it may be administered freely, not only in fevers and catarrhs, but also in haemorrhages and urinary disorders, excess should be guarded against, as the oxalic salts are not suitable to all constitutions, especially those of a gouty and rheumatic tendency.

The old herbalists tell us that Wood Sorrel is more effectual than the true Sorrels as a blood cleanser, and will strengthen a weak stomach, produce an appetite, check vomiting, and remove obstructions of the viscera.

The juice of the leaves turns red when clarified and makes a fine, clear syrup, which was considered as effectual as the infusion. The juice used as a gargle is a remedy for ulcers in the mouth, and is good to heal wounds and to stanch bleeding. Sponges and linen cloths saturated with the juice and applied, were held to be effective in the reduction of swellings and inflammation.

An excellent conserve, Conserva Ligulae, used to be made by beating the fresh leaves up with three times their weight of sugar and orange peel, and this was the basis of the cooling and acid drink that was long a favourite remedy in malignant fevers and scurvy.

In Henry VIII’s time this plant was held in great repute as a pot-herb, but after the introduction of French Sorrel, with its large succulent leaves, it gradually lost its position as a salad and pot-herb.

The herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, writing in England in the 1500’s, reported wood sorrel’s medicinal virtues.  He recommended the plant ?to quench thirst, to strengthen a weak stomach, to stay vomiting, and he noted that it was  excellent in any contagious sickness or pestilential fever.  By the 1800’s this species of sorrel had been introduced into North America.  One herbalist noted that a decoction, or extract, of wood sorrel was being used to treat inflammatory disorders, fevers, and diseases of the kidneys and bladder.  A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers, both to quench the thirst and allay the fever. Externally, the leaves are crushed and applied locally to dispel boils and abscesses, they also have an astringent affect on wounds.  The juice of the leaves turns red when clarified and makes a fine, clear syrup, which was considered as effectual as the infusion. The juice used as a gargle is a remedy for ulcers in the mouth, and is good to heal wounds and to stanch bleeding. Sponges and linen cloths saturated with the juice and applied, were held to be effective in the reduction of swellings and inflammation. A conserve, Conserva Ligulae, used to be made by beating the fresh leaves up with three times their weight of sugar and orange peel, and this was the basis of the cooling and acid drink that was a remedy in malignant fevers and scurvy.

Other Uses :
Cleanser……..The juice of the leaves removes iron mould stains from linen. Plants can be grown as a ground cover in woodland or under the shade of shrubs. They should be spaced about 45cm apart each way

Known Hazards:   The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body’s supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. The quantity of oxalic acid will be reduced if the leaves are cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_acetosella
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Oxalis+acetosella
www.botanical.com
www.health-topic.com

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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