Sisymbrium officinale
| Hedge-mustard | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Sisymbrium |
| Species: | S. officinale |
| Binomial name | |
| Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop. |
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Hedge mustard (Sisymbrium officinale) is a plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is found on roadsides and wasteland, and as a weed of arable land. A native of Europe and North Africa, it is now well-established throughout the world.
It is distinct from the Mustard plants which belong to the genus Brassica.
The Hedge-mustard is food for the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera, such as the Small White (Pieris rapae).
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[edit] Uses
[edit] In food
This plant is widely cultivated across Europe for its edible leaves and seeds. It is widely used as a condiment in Northern Europe (particularly Denmark, Norway and Germany).
The leaves have a bitter cabbage-like flavour and they are used either in salads or cooked as a pot herb (in cultivar versions). The seeds have been used to make mustard pastes in Europe.[1]
[edit] Traditional medicine
The Greeks believed it was an antidote to all poisons.[citation needed] In folk medicine, it was used to soothe sore throats - indeed one name for it is singer's plant. Herbalists use the juice and flowers for bronchitis and stomach ailments, among other uses, and as a revitalizer.[clarification needed][2] In Tibetan medicine it is used to repress the symptoms of food poisoning.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Plants for A Future Database - Sisymbrium officinale". Plants for a Future database. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Sisymbrium+officinale. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ Howard, Michael. Traditional Folk Remedies (Century, 1987), p.153
- ^ Medical Thangka
[edit] External links
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