Pennywort, also known as pennywort, can settle in the garden as a wild plant, but is also often used as a flowering ground cover. It soon spreads tirelessly, taking up more and more space. Can we encounter the herb without worrying or is the plant possibly poisonous?
Coinwort contains toxic saponins, but only in very small concentrations
Pennywort ingredients
The plant parts of pennywort mainly contain the following substances:
- flavonoids
- tannins
- silica
- saponins
- mucilage
- various enzymes
Saponins are considered toxic to us. However, toxicity only occurs at high concentrations. That is why pennywort is classified as slightly poisonous in some sources. Humans can ingest small amounts without hesitation. Saponins are also found in tomatoes, legumes and spinach, among other things.
Edible parts of plants
Not only do we not have to be afraid of this herb, we can even eat it. With good care, it will also grow so profusely that something can be "harvested" regularly.
The leaves, which are tender from spring to the first frost, are considered edible in the sense of being tasty. They come in small quantities in salads, quark, herb butter or directly on sandwiches. Their taste is slightly sour and resembles asparagus.
Every year from May to July the flowering time of this plant has come, when the equally edible yellow flowers appear, which also have a decorative value on the dinner plate.
Use as a medicinal plant
Even in earlier times it was known that pennywort is not poisonous. At that time, however, there was also the knowledge that the plant had healing ingredients. In Eastern Europe pennywort is still used today as a medicinal plant, for example against diarrhoea.
tips
Pennywort tea is not only healthy, but also tastes delicious, comparable to green tea. Pour 1 tablespoon of fresh leaves and flowers with 250 ml of boiling water and let them steep for 5-10 minutes.