Rumex acetosella - Sheeps Sorrel - Plant

Description

• Polygonaceae Caryophyllales
• Western Europe
• H 0.3m x L 1 m
•  Z5 
• Perennial
• Dioecious
• 1 plant bare root, randomly male or female

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Details

Wild cousin of cultivated Sorrel, used culinarily with the same precautions (contains oxalic acid)

Excellent cooked, raw and chopped, or as a thickener in a soup, it gives a tangy savor, a slight bitterness, and a lemony flavor

People with rheumatic or arthritic conditions, or suffering from gout, kidney stones, or hyperacidity should, however, use it cautiously or infrequently

Rumex acetosella is an interesting dye plant for the diversity of colors it gives depending on pH and mordant - yellows, greens and browns

Medicinal properties: Astringent, Diuretic
Sheeps Sorrel is a detoxifying plant, slightly laxative, useful in the treatment of kidney and intestinal problems
It is an ingredient for the anti-cancer "Essaic" treatment

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Cultivation

Very easy plant, maintenance free, grows well in acidic and poor soils, must be weeded in more fertile soils

Plant Rumex acetosella at any season, in loosened soil, in a sunny position

Water regularly for recovery if planting takes place in late spring or summer

Regularly check its underground stoloniferous spread to prevent it from invading

Eat the fresh leaves in spring

Summer leaves are tougher but perfect for dyeing