Rumex acetosella
L.
Sheep Sorrel, Red Sorrel
(c) Antti Henttonen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Antti Henttonen
(c) Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
(c) Matthieu Gauvain, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matthieu Gauvain
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable, Roots
The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and have a delicious lemon-like flavour, though most people find them too strong to use in large quantities — they work best as a flavouring in mixed salads. Because of their oxalic acid content, leaves should only be used in small amounts. They also work as a thickener in soups and can be dried for later use. The root can be cooked, or dried, ground into a powder, and made into noodles. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked; they are relatively easy to harvest but small and fiddly to use. Boiling the leaves produces a drink similar to lemonade, though without the fizz.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It often grows self sown in poor soils and where there is little competition. Plants on frost prone sites are small. It grows best in open sunny locations. It is frost resistant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level. Tasmania Herbarium.
Africa, Alaska, Albania, Arctic, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Estonia, Europe, Falklands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indochina, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Slovenia, South America, Spain, St Helena, Sweden, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Indies, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A herb. It grows 10-25 cm tall. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a slender but wide-spreading rootstock. It has narrow leaves. They are sword shaped and smooth. The veins run length wise right along the leaf. It has curved, winged ears at the base of the leaf. The leaves are on long stalks. The seeding spikes are slender and yellow-green at first but become reddish-brown. The seeds are small and do not have spines or bristles.
Nutrition Score: 17/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves | 88 | 180 | 44 | 1.1 | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
Succeeds in most soils, preferring a moist moderately fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position. Although a plant of acid soils, it can tolerate some alkalinity. A good food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterflies, it grows well in the summer meadow. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. A clumping mat former. Forming a dense prostrate carpet spreading indefinitely.
Propagation: Sow seed in autumn or spring directly in situ. Can also be propagated by division in spring.
Medicinal Uses
Sheep's sorrel is a detoxifying herb, and the fresh juice of the leaves has a pronounced diuretic effect. Like other members of the genus, it is mildly laxative and shows potential as a long-term treatment for chronic conditions, particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract. The plant is also one of four ingredients in the North American formula essiac, used as a popular treatment for cancer alongside Arctium lappa, Ulmus rubra, and Rheum palmatum — though its effectiveness has never been reliably proven or disproven due to a lack of controlled studies. The whole plant in its fresh state is diaphoretic, diuretic, and refrigerant. A tea made from the leaves treats fevers, inflammation, and scurvy, while leaf juice is useful for urinary and kidney diseases. A leaf poultice is applied to tumours and cysts as a folk cancer treatment. A tea made from the roots is astringent and is used for diarrhoea and excessive menstrual bleeding.
Other Uses
Dark green to brown and dark grey dyes can be obtained from the roots without the need for a mordant. The plant is also a dynamic accumulator, gathering minerals and nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form for use as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Rumex acetosella, commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia including the British Isles, the plant and its subspecies are common perennial weeds. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive and spreading rhizome. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon in color.
Other Information
It is sold in local markets.
Notes
The leaves are rich in Vitamin C. There are about 200 Rumex species.
Names & Synonyms
Acedera de lagartija, Acederilla, Acetosella, Aci kulak, Chuk, Chukapalam, Cimentursusu, Eksi kulak, Eksiotu, Epelek, Hapuoblikas, Hommaidat, Ifekroun, Kozya brada, Kuzukulagi, Lhamda, Macris, Mala kislica, Mzhauna, Puka kiwa, Romacilla, Romaza, Smasyre, Taonthao, Tirso, Tirsok, Trtnjuk, Vinagrillo
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