Since the woodruff occurs as a flavor in many traditional foods, it is obviously basically edible. However, caution should be exercised when consuming it regularly, as health damage can otherwise occur.

The use of woodruff in food

The woodruff has become known as a flavor over the last hundred years, mainly through the following products:

  • May punch or woodruff punch
  • Berliner Weisse
  • woodruff shower
  • woodruff lemonade

Its characteristic taste, combined with a certain acidity in certain foods and drinks, has a refreshing and invigorating effect. In addition, woodruff was and is also used as a natural remedy for headaches, it is also considered to be digestive and antispasmodic. While in the past many drinks and confectionery for children were flavored with real woodruff, today these flavors can be traced back to an artificially produced aroma. This is because the use of real woodruff in these products has been banned in Germany since 1974 due to the coumarin it contains.

Dangers of consuming woodruff

In principle, woodruff is more health-promoting than harmful if handled correctly and used sparingly. However, the ban on using it in products for children goes back to the often very regular consumption and possible health risks. An overdose of coumarin from the woodruff can not only cause drowsiness and headaches, but also lead to permanent damage to the liver.

The correct procedure for harvesting woodruff

The plant known as woodruff, Galium odoratum, is mostly collected from natural stocks in the forest, but sometimes also grown in shady places in the garden. Depending on the region, woodruff blooms between mid-April and mid-May, just before it reaches its strongest aroma.

tips and tricks

Woodruff can also be eaten as a herb in salads and desserts, but the aroma is usually obtained by soaking the briefly withered stalks in a little liquid.

WK

Category:

Herbs