You don’t grow wild when you eat wild plants. It’s better to eat highly nutritious wild plants than to wait for your kitchen garden plants to bear fruit. Why wait so long? Just add wild plants to your diet and enjoy the taste of nature.
1.Wild Onion
The scientific name for wild onion is Allium bisceptrum. Wild Onion is also called twincrest onion. It requires cold temperatures to grow. Leaves have a strong odor and are used as flavoring agents. Bulbs are egg-shaped. It contains sulfur, which maintains the body’s cholesterol level.
2.Greater Burdock
The scientific name for greater Burdock is Arctium lappa. The fruits of the plants are achenes. 100g of Burdock roots provides 72kcal of energy. The roots of the plant are eaten as vegetables. Roots are sweet in taste and have a pungent flavor. Root contains dietary fiber, calcium, potassium, and amino acids. The tender leaf stalks of the plant can also be eaten raw or cooked. Leaves, roots, and seeds are used in medicine.
3.Common Milkweed
The botanical name for common milkweed is Asclepias syriaca. The plant grows through seeds and rhizomes. Young leaves, young shoots, flower buds, and immature fruits are the edible parts of the plant.
4.Common Dandelion
The scientific name for common dandelion is Taraxacum officinale. It is a herbaceous flowering plant. The leaves, flowers, and roots of the plants are taken as food and medicine. The fruit of the common dandelion is called cypselae. Fruit is olive green to straw in color. 100g of dandelion green gives 45kcal of energy. The flowers of the plants are used for making wine; the leaves are used as salad; and the roots are used as a substitute for coffee.
5.Lamb’s Quarters
The scientific name for Lamb’s quarter is Chenopodium album. It is also called white goosefoot. In Hindi, it is called bathua. It grows in the winter season. Leaves and shoots are eaten as vegetables. 100g of white goosefoot gives 43kcal of energy. Leaves and shoots are also used in soups and curries. It is an excellent source of iron, protein, and vitamins B2 and C.
6.Chickweed
The scientific name for chickweed is Stellaria media. It is grown for salad use and poultry consumption. The leaves, stems, flowers, and seed pods of chickweed plants are edible. It is highly nutritious and is used as a leafy vegetable. It has high fiber and iron content.
7.Sheep Sorrel
The botanical name for Sheep Sorrel is Rumex acetosella. It belongs to the buckwheat family. It grows in dry and sandy soil. Leaves are the edible portion of a plant. The leaves have a sour, tangy, and lemony flavor. It is used in the preparation of salad greens, tart flavoring, and garnish.
8.Red Clover
The botanical name for red clover is Trifolium pretense. It is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant. Leaves and flowers are the edible portions of plants. The flowers have a sweet taste with a bean flavor. Flowers are used in the preparation of jelly and tisanes. Flowers are used as salads. It also has anti-inflammatory, anti-dermatosis, and antispasmodic properties.
9.Garlic Mustard
The scientific name for garlic mustard is Alliaria petiolata. It is an herbaceous, binnenial flowering plant. All the plant parts have a garlic-like odor. Chopped leaves are used as flavoring agents in salads and sauces. Young leaves have a garlic and mustard taste. It is used as a medicinal, antiseptic herb.
10.Miner’s Lettuce
The scientific name for miner’s lettuce is Claytonia perfoliata. It is an herbaceous, annual flowering plant. It requires a cool climate to grow. Except the roots, the entire plant is edible. Leaves are eaten as green vegetables. It is sweet, juicy, and succulent, and it provides vitamin C.
11.Common Plantain
The botanical name for common plantain is Plantago major. It is also called broadleaf plantain. It is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant. The leaves are the edible portion of the plant. Young leaves are eaten as salad greens, while old leaves are cooked. It has high beta-carotene content, as large as a carrot. Leaves are also used in tea making, which helps cure coughs and bronchitis.
12.Stinging Nettle
The botanical name for stinging nettle is Urtica dioica. It is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant. It is also called burn nettle or burn-weed. The plant spreads through seeds and rhizomes. The plant is used as food, tea, and medicine. Young leaves are used as green vegetables. The dried leaves of stinging nettles are used as an herbal beverage.
13.Common Cattail
The scientific name for common cattail is Typha latifolia. It is also called the bulrush plant. It is a perennial plant that emerges through rhizomes. Rhizomes are eaten cooked, while stems can be eaten raw or cooked.
14.Wild Ginger
The botanical name for wild ginger is Asarum canadense. The taste and flavor of wild ginger is similar to cultivated ginger. It is used as spice. Roots of the plants are dried and ground into powder.
15.Wood Lily
The botanical for wood lily is Lilium philadelphicum. It is also called the western red lily or prairie lily. Bulbs are the edible portion of the plants. Tea made from bulbs is used to treat coughs, fevers, and stomach complaints.
16.Coneflower
The scientific name for coneflower is Echinmacea purpurea. It is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant that belongs to the daisy family. The plant grows through the caudex. It is used as a dietary supplement. Flowers are used as herbal medicine. The roots of the plant are used to cure throat and tooth infections.
17.Curly Dock
The scientific name for curly dock is Rumex crispus. It contains high levels of oxalic acid, so leaves are eaten as cooked green vegetables. It is consumed only when the plant is young, as it becomes bitter when mature. It is an excellent source of iron, potassium, and vitamins B and C. Roots are high in iron content, which helps treat anemia.
18.Sweet Gale
The botanical name for sweet gale is Myrica gale. It is also known as sweet willow or big myrtle. The fruit of sweet gale is called a drupe. It is used as a condiment and perfume. Dried leaves of the plant are used as herbal beverages.
19.Fireweed
The scientific name for fireweed is Chamaenerian angustifolium. It is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant. The young shoots and leaves of fireweed are cooked and eaten. Dried leaves are used as fermented tea. Fireweed tea is rich in potassium, calcium, iron, and copper. Flowers are also edible. Flowers are used in the preparation of jelly. Fireweeds are an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Roasted roots are also consumed, but they are bitter in taste.
20.Fiddleheads
Fiddleheads are also called fiddlehead greens. They are fronds of young fern. They are used as vegetables. In Uttarakhand, it is called languda. It is an excellent source of potassium. It is rich in vitamins, nutrients, fat, and calories.
