Skip to main content

8 Common Backyard Weeds with Nutritional and Medicinal Value

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." I love this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. Many of the plants that are considered common backyard weeds actually have wonderful nutritional and medicinal benefits. In this post I share 8 of my favorite backyard "weeds" and how I use them. 



Foraging Basics
Before I get any further I want to mention a couple of safety tips:

Only pick wild herbs from places you know haven't been treated with toxic pesticides.

Always rinse your herbs before consuming them or using them in any product you plan to use on your body.

Do not consume or use any wild growing plant unless you are certain of what it is and that it is safe. 

Nothing in this post is meant to be taken as medical advice. Always be sure to do your own thorough research before using any remedy.

Plantain- One of my very favorite backyard herbs, that is often called a weed, is plantain. There are several different varieties, and they grow just about everywhere. I rarely have trouble finding some when I need it. 

Plantain leaves are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium. They can be used as greens in just about any salad. 

In addition to having high nutritional value, plantain also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties. It's a great remedy for itchy bug bites and rashes, it soothes bee stings, and can be used to aid the healing of bumps, bruises, and minor scratches. It's a key ingredient in my homemade all purpose herbal salve.

For more information about this awesome little herb and tips for identifying it, checkout this post from Gwen's Nest.



Dandelion- Dandelions are another favorite of mine. Not only do they have pretty yellow flowers that serve as an early spring food source for pollinators, but they actually have nutritional value and medicinal qualities.

Every part of the dandelion plant is edible, and they're high in vitamins A, B, C, and D, and minerals like zinc, potassium, and iron. The leaves and blossoms can be used in salads, and roots can be used in teas and tinctures. Dandelions can be used medically as a diuretic and an appetite stimulant. 

My family's favorite way to eat dandelion blossoms are battered and fried. Mix a cup of milk, an egg, a cup of flower, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Dip your blossoms and then fry them in a deep fryer or on the stove. 



YarrowYarrow is an awesome little herb you can find growing in wooded areas. It's fever reducing and styptic qualities make it a fantastic addition to your first aid kit. Yarrow is an effective wound healer, as it promotes coagulation and has antimicrobial properties that can help fight infection. To use as a fever reducer, just brew it into a tea and drink it, or add it to a tepid bath or cool compress.

It also promotes healthy circulation and proper bile secretion from the gall bladder.



MulleinMullein grows in fields and open spaces all over North America, Europe, and Asia. It's useful for all sorts of respiratory issues as it helps remove mucus from the lungs. It's most commonly used dried and brewed as tea. Mullein can also be used to soothe and reduce the pain of ear infections if infused into oil and either rubbed around the ears or dropped into the ear canal.

Due to a potentially toxic chemical constiuent found in raw mullein, it should always be thoroughly heated before ingestion.

For more information about mullein and how to identify it, check out this post from Oak Hill Homestead .

Stinging Nettle- If you've ever accidentally come into contact with stinging nettle, you might be thinking "how could it possibly be consumed or used medicinally?" The fresh leaves are extremely irritating to the skin, but stinging nettle has been both consumed for it's nutritional benefits and used as an herbal medicine since ancient times. Once the leaves are dried or cooked, it is not only safe to consume, but also extremely nutritious. 

Stinging nettle is high in vitamins A, C, and K, and is a good source of fiber. It also contains a small amount of protein and calcium.

Stinging nettle has anti inflammatory properties and can be used to treat arthritis and other joint issues. It is also sometimes used to treat hay fever, high blood pressure, and can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. 



PurslanePurslane is an annual succulent that can be found growing just about anywhere, as it thrives in poor soil. We often find it growing in cracks in sidewalks, alongside parking lots, and in empty lots.

Purslane is extremely nutritional and is often considered a "superfood". It can be eaten raw or cooked and is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

The sticky juicy leaves can be used to soothe burns, stings, and other skin irritations. 

For pictures and tips for identifying purslane and avoiding spurge, it's toxic look alike, check out this post from Foraged Foodie.

Lemon balm- Lemon balm is one of my personal favorites, not only does it smell and taste amazing, but it also has amazing health benefits. Lemon balm is a lemon scented herb in the mint family. We often use fresh or dry leaves to season chicken and fish, and in tea to give it a fresh lemony flavor.

Medicinally it is used to reduce stress and to improve mood and cognitive function. I often add it to my bedtime tea to help me relax.

Lemon balm's antiviral properties make it an effective treatment for cold sores. Just crush up a leaf between your finger tips to release the juices and apply it to the sore several times a day. 

Lemon balm is also great for treating indigestion and nausea. Just the scent alone tends to settle my stomach, but it can also be brewed into tea and consumed.

Chicory- I love chicory for it's beautiful blue flowers, but it's roots are where it's nutritional and medical values lie. The roots can be minced, roasted, and brewed as a coffee replacement. Additionally, the inulin in chicory root fiber feeds our gut bacteria, aiding in digestion and promoting good gut health.

Chicory root also contains small amounts of manganese, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, phosphorus, and folate. 

For more information about identifying chicory and how to brew chicory coffee, check out this post from The Little Black Coffee Cup.



If you enjoyed this post, check out:

Follow me on:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Water Relay Races For Kids

I don't know about your kids, but mine absolutely love games involving water and getting wet in the summer time. In  this post I share 5 of our favorite water relay races to play with friends. These are perfect for birthday parties, homeschool get togethers, and other group events. Sponge Relay: For this relay you will need: - 2 teams of several kids each -2 large sponges -4 small buckets or containers of some sort Divide your participants into 2 teams and have each team line up single file at a predetermined starting place.  Hand out a sponge to the first participant in each line. Set a bucket of water by each team. Set an empty bucket about 20 ft away from each team.  The two empty buckets should be the same size and should have a "fill line" marked half way up. On a count of 3 (or ready set go) the first participant in each line should dip their sponge in the bucket of water, run to the empty bucket, squeeze the water from their spo

Make Your Own Mineral Identification Kit

One of my family's favorite hobbies is rock hounding. We love collecting and trying to identify neat rock and mineral specimens that we come across. You can put together your own simple kit for identifying rocks and minerals with materials you likely already have around your home. In this post I will explain how to put together your own mineral identification kit and how to use it to identify rocks and minerals you find on your adventures. Making a Rock and Mineral ID Kit Grab yourself a printable Rock and Mineral Journal for recording your observations here:  Printable Rock and Mineral Journal ,  and then gather the following supplies: -A pencil -A coin -An iron nail -A piece of glass (an old pocket mirror works well) -A ceramic tile -A small watertight bottle or container -Some vinegar -A magnet  -A magnifying glass -A dropper (optional)  -Rock and mineral guide (optional)  -A small container or bag to keep it all in Fill the small watertight

STEM Art: 21 STEAM Project Ideas

My kids love STEM projects and we're always looking for ways to add more art to our homeschool days, so I decided I am going to try to dedicate one morning a week this year to STEM art activities. In this post I share some of the ideas we're planning to try, plus a few favorites we've done in the past. What is STEM Education? STEM education is a blended and often hands on approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which are some of today's fastest growing industries. STEM education offers students the opportunity to problem solve and work on real world problems and questions. Sometimes the acronym STEAM is used, to include the arts. Adding art to STEM education encourages creative thinking and problem solving skills. It can also help make the other included subjects more appealing to some students. STEM Art Projects  Penny Spinners-   Learn about centrifugal force and make your own spinning tops with this fun post from Teach Beside Me. Explo

40 Things To Look At Under A Microscope

Microscopes are a scientific instrument that all kids should get a chance to learn how to use. There are so many everyday things that look really amazing up-close. Under a microscope you can see that objects and even plants and animals are made of tiny intricate parts. The microscopic world is amazing! In this post I share 40 things to try looking at up-close under a microscope. 40 Things To Look At Under A Microscope: 1. A feather  2. Soil 3. An insect wing 4. A human hair 5. An animal hair 6. Pond water 7. Diatomacious earth-  diatomacious earth looks SO cool magnified! 8. Cheek swab 9. An insect leg 10. A drop of blood 11. Mold 12. Sand 13. A shaving from a chicken bone- try both a piece of hard bone from the outside and some spongy bone from inside a bone. 14. Kombucha 15. Snake or lizard skin after they shed  16. A flower petal 17. A sliver of wood 18. Sugar 19. Salt- try different types 20. Thread 21. Saliva 22. A s

Learning About The Human Body Part 1: The Skeletal And Muscular Systems

At the end of each school year, I sit down with my daughter to discuss what topics she wants to learn about the next year. One of her science topics she picked to study this year was the human body. Instead of ordering a boxed curriculum set, I decided to put together my own human body unit. In this post I share some of the resources we used for learning about the human skeletal and muscular systems, plus instructions for a couple hands on learning activities. You can find my post about the human respiratory and circulatory systems  here , and my post about the human digestive and nervous systems  here . The Human Skeletal System Our skeletons are the frame of our body. They give us structure, without them our bodies would be limp like noodles. They also provide places for muscles to attach so our bodies can move. Why Does Your Body Need Calcium? Experiment: This is a simple experiment you can do to explore why calcium is important for our bones. You will need: -several clean