There are around 1200 different knotweed species worldwide. In our home garden, some are grown as vegetable or ornamental plants, but none of them are poisonous.
Rhubarb is also a member of the knotweed family and is anything but poisonous
Many knotweed plants are edible
Rhubarb, buckwheat and sorrel are known to be edible and of high health value. But did you know that the meadow knotweed (also known as the snake knotweed), the Japanese knotweed or the widespread flea knotweed (peach-leaved knotweed) are also edible? The Japanese knotweed is laboriously fought as a neophyte, although it is even considered a delicacy in its East Asian homeland.
Edible knotweed plants
| Knotweed Art | Latin designation | Edible ingredients | ingredients | harvest time | use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rhubarb | Rheum rhabarbarum | petioles | Vitamin C, potassium, iron, phosphorus | April to June | savory and sweet dishes |
| buckwheat | fagopyrum | Shelled seeds | Lysine (protein), vitamins E, B1, B2, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium | August to September | Porridges, soups, flat cakes, as flour or as a side dish |
| Sorrel (monk's rhubarb) | Rumex | leaves | Vitamins A and C | depending on the species between April and July | Wild herb spinach, salad |
| meadow knotweed | Polygonum bistorta | Young leaves, shoots, seeds | vitamin C, starch | Leaves in spring, seeds in August and September | Wild herb spinach, lettuce, seeds such as buckwheat |
| Japanese knotweed | Fallopia japonica | Young shoots up to 20 cm | resveratrol | spring to autumn | like rhubarb |
Caution: High levels of oxalic acid
As healthy as many of the knotweed plants are, they all also contain high levels of oxalic acid. For this reason, sensitive people and people suffering from kidney disease, gout or arthrosis should avoid eating them or prepare the vegetables together with dairy products - the calcium they contain neutralizes the oxalic acid. Small children and pregnant women are fully advised to enjoy.
tips and tricks
When collecting or harvesting, it is also important to pay close attention to the location of the plants, because knotweed absorbs a lot of heavy metals and toxins from the soil.