- The peculiarities of the goutweed at a glance
- A well-known herb
- Giersch is easy to recognize by this!
- An edible medicinal plant
Herbs like dill and parsley are close relatives of ground elder. And yet the goutweed has numerous peculiarities. Below you will find an overview of its characteristics, its occurrence and what makes it so special!
Giersch is native to us and grows both in meadows and as rampant weeds in gardens
The peculiarities of the goutweed at a glance
- Family and Genus: Umbelliferae, Aegopodium
- Origin: Europe, Asia
- Occurrence: Deciduous forests, bushes, gardens, parks, roadsides
- Location: sunny
- Soil: undemanding
- Growth: upright, herbaceous
- Growth height: 70 to 100 cm
- Leaves: tripartite, jagged, acuminate, green
- Flowering period: May to September
- Flower structure: umbelliferous flowers
- Flower color: white
- Fruits: inconspicuous
- Specialties: edible, medicinal herb
A well-known herb
Giersch is also known by other names depending on the region. Perhaps you know it better under the name goat's foot or gout weed? Trefoil, Wild Holler, Zipperleinskraut and Horny Goat Weed are also common names for Giersch. Botanically it is called Aegopodium podagraria.
Giersch is easy to recognize by this!
The upright, striving growth appears herbaceous and slightly bushy. It reaches a height of 1 m. Both basal leaves and stem leaves form. All leaves are tripartite, green to blue-green in color, sharply toothed on the edge and oblong-ovate.
In addition, you can easily distinguish the goutweed from other plants by its stems. The stems of this medicinal herb are triangular and hollow inside. The fruits are also distinctive. They look like cumin: small, elongated, thin, smooth and they have a pungent taste.
An edible medicinal plant
Most gardeners only know ground elder as an annoying weed. Admittedly, it grows incredibly strong and is therefore almost unpredictable. But this herb is also a medicinal plant that you can even eat!
The goutweed tastes aromatic, spicy, salty and its taste is reminiscent of a mixture of parsley and carrot. Among other things, it has antibacterial, deacidifying, diuretic, strengthening and anti-inflammatory effects. It is soothing for gout, rheumatism, cuts, burns, colds and gastrointestinal complaints.
tips
Just by looking at its flowers, it can easily be confused with poisonous members of the umbelliferae family! Therefore, always take a close look at the leaves and stems before collecting the plant!