- Identify and collect crawling buggers
- Using the Creeping Bugle in the kitchen
- The creeping bugle as a medicinal plant
The Creeping Günsel - so called because of its numerous runners - is a pretty, mostly blue-flowering perennial that can be found in many places on meadows, in sparse deciduous forests, on forest and field edges as well as in hedges and bushes. The perennial, which grows up to 30 centimeters high, can sometimes also be found in gardens, where it is particularly popular as a ground cover. The creeping bugle is also used as a weed and as a medicinal plant.
Creeping bugle can be used both for cooking and as a medicine
Identify and collect crawling buggers
You will find the plant flowering profusely between April and June / July, especially in central and northern Europe on nutrient-rich, humus-loamy, fresh to moderately moist soil. During the flowering period, the Günsel can be recognized above all by the inflorescence that grows like a candle, while the green to brown-red leaves are flat on the ground like a rosette. Traditionally, the creeping bugle is collected between May and June, whereby the leaves as well as the stems and flowers can be used. It is best to pick the plants whole and hang them up to dry in a dark, warm and airy place.
Using the Creeping Bugle in the kitchen
The creeping bugle tastes very tart and bitter, similar to chicory, and should therefore only be used very sparingly. Leaves and stems are very suitable for flavoring salads, stews and soups. Günsel also goes well with various potato and egg dishes (e.g. potato casseroles, omelettes with vegetable fillings, etc.) and in herb sauces. The milder flowers, on the other hand, are also pleasing to the eye on sweet dishes and desserts, and they also taste good with sweet fruits such as melons, mangoes or bananas.
The creeping bugle as a medicinal plant
Also very common is the use of creeping bugle in traditional folk medicine, in which an infusion of bugle flowers and leaves can be used both externally and internally. The anti-inflammatory herb was mainly used to treat wounds, bruises, bruises and scars, but also to treat stomach and intestinal problems, digestive problems and loss of appetite, heartburn and sore throat and throat infections and inflammation of the oral mucosa.
tips
There is only a risk of confusion with other wild herbs such as meadow sage, ground ivy or the small brownelle, all of which are also edible.