Weeds Worth Keeping

Most of the time when we weed our gardens, the presence of these invasive plants is a source of great frustration.  They do not grow to our prescribed ideas of how a garden should be and can spread out very quickly and thoroughly.

Here are a few reasons to give some of them a stay of execution.  They can be kept contained in smaller amounts or keeping them in pots might keep a few of them under control.

Correct identification of these plants is essential.  There are many similar plants that are often called by the wrong names.  Several of them are toxic.  If you’re not certain, don’t use it.

Photo credit - Jan Macario

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Not only is chickweed a favourite snack for chickens and other birds, it is tasty and nutritious for us as well.  Chickweed can be used in a salad or used with or in place of basil in a pesto.

Fresh Chickweed as a tea will cleanse the system, relieve tiredness and cystitis.

Added to a bath, chickweed soothes irritating skin rashes and chickenpox.

Chickweed is also great in creams to relieve itching, draw insect stings and splinters and for healing burns and scalds.

© Copyright Bob Embleton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Cleavers (Galium aparine)

Cleavers, also known as bidibids drive everyone crazy with it’s sticky seed pods that get everywhere and can be difficult to remove from pet’s fur and clothing.

Cleavers makes a wonderful tonic and can be boiled up to make a simple deodorant spray.

Liquidize or pulp the fresh plant and drink the juice as a diuretic and lymphatic cleanser for glandular fever, tonsillitis and prostate disorders.

A tea can be used as a cooling drink in a fever and to relieve urinary problems.  A compress soaked in the cooled tea can be used for burns, grazes, ulcers and other skin inflammations.

In a cream, cleavers relieves psoriasis.

Photo Credit - Jan Macario

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

 Dandelion leaves are rich in potassium, iron, high in vitamins A, B, C, D and other minerals. Young fresh dandelion leaves make very healthy greens with or in place of spinach and the roots can be dried, ground and used in place of coffee or as a mild laxative.

Liquidize the leaves and drink the juice (up to 20ml 3x daily) as a diuretic.

The milk from the flower stems can be painted on children’s fingernails to stop thumb-sucking and nail-biting.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Photo Credit - soil.net

Nettles are a rich source of many essential vitamins and minerals, and like Dandelion, can be cooked with or in place of spinach.  Nettle soup, made with potato and garlic is delicious although from experience, I recommend finely chopping the stems otherwise they leave long unpleasant stringy bits in your soup.

When picking nettles, I find that below the surface of the soil there is no sting, so I pull them up by the roots.  Otherwise, if you can cut them and drop them into a basket or onto a cloth, then leave them to sit for about half an hour, the sting fades with wilting.  Cooking them removes the sting altogether.

Somewhere I also have a recipe for Nettle beer - also supposed to be good for your hair although I've never tried making or using it.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Photo Credit - Jan Macario

Yarrow is a natural astringent.  A tea can be used to reduce fevers and for digestive problems.  As an external wash, the tea will help improve eczema.  Be careful though, in rare cases, there may be an allergic skin reaction and yarrow should be avoided in pregnancy.

It’s presence in compost helps break down the original material quickly.  Any livestock you may have also love yarrow and it’s beneficial for them.