© Lisa Carter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Allium ursinum
Caution🐾Bärlauch · (Allium ursinum)
Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Description
The fresh, broad leaves of this amaryllis-family plant emerge in early spring in shady deciduous woodland and release an intense, unmistakable garlic scent when crushed between the fingers. Harvested from March to May, the leaves contain sulphur compounds such as alliin and allicin, along with flavonoids, vitamin C and minerals including magnesium and iron. In spring cooking they are used raw in pesto, herb butter or salad, and folk medicine values them as a mild blood-pressure-lowering, digestion-stimulating cure; an alcoholic extract is traditionally taken over several weeks for hypertension. WARNING: wild garlic is regularly confused with the toxic leaves of lily of the valley, autumn crocus and lords-and-ladies — fatal poisonings have occurred. The smell test, a strong garlic aroma on crushing, must be repeated for every plant; if uncertain, do not eat it. In pregnancy only culinary amounts are considered safe.
🌿 Risk of confusion — read before wild-harvesting!
DEADLY LOOKALIKE RISK: Wild garlic is regularly confused with lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) and lords-and-ladies (Arum maculatum) - fatal poisonings have occurred in Germany! As little as 50 g of autumn crocus can be lethal. SAFE SMELL TEST: crush a fresh leaf between fingers - wild garlic smells strongly of garlic, the toxic lookalikes do not. Wild garlic ID: each leaf individually stalked from ground, matt underside with prominent midrib; lily of the valley: two leaves from common stem, glossy underside; autumn crocus: unstalked rosette, glossy; lords-and-ladies: arrow-shaped leaves with prominent veins.
Classic spring wild food: fresh leaves as salad, spread or side - mildly hypotensive and digestive.
Preparation & dosage
WARNING - DEADLY LOOKALIKES: Before harvesting crush a leaf between fingers - wild garlic smells STRONGLY of garlic. Lily of the valley, autumn crocus (as little as 50 g potentially lethal!) and lords-and-ladies look very similar but have NO garlic smell. Identification: each wild garlic leaf has its own stalk, matt underside. Harvest March-April before flowering, wash, slice thinly. Eat raw as wild salad, in quark, on bread, as fresh side. Daily portion 10-30 g fresh leaves.
Aromatic spring cure as pesto, herb butter, spreads - folk-medicine spring blood cleanser.
Preparation & dosage
BEWARE LOOKALIKES - only use plants with clear garlic smell. Classic pesto: 100 g wild garlic leaves, 50 g pine nuts or walnuts, 50 g parmesan, 100-150 ml olive oil, salt - blend. Keeps 4-6 weeks refrigerated with oil layer, 6-12 months frozen. Also in herb butter, quark, cream cheese, soups (add after cooking - heat destroys aroma).
Traditional alcoholic extract for hypertension and circulation support - mild action, used as multi-week cure.
Preparation & dosage
CAUTION: Only use leaves identified by garlic smell test. Chop fresh leaves, loosely fill jar, cover with 40-45 % alcohol (vodka), macerate 3-4 weeks in warm place, shake occasionally, strain through cloth, fill dark dropper bottle. Dose: 3x daily 10-20 drops in water, before meals, cure 3-4 weeks. Folk use for mild hypertension, arteriosclerosis prevention, digestive issues.
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
Mild infusion for digestion and spring cure - weaker than fresh-plant use.
Preparation & dosage
Note: Drying destroys most sulfur compounds - fresh leaves preferable. Pour 250 ml hot (not boiling) water over 1-2 tsp fresh chopped leaves (or 1 tsp dried), cover, steep 8-10 min, strain. 1-2 cups daily for sluggish digestion, spring cure. Heat above 60 C destroys allicin - use water only warm.
- Dry amount
- 2–4 g
- Doses per day
- 2×
- Max duration
- 3 weeks
Folk-medicine fresh-plant poultice for minor skin issues and insect bites.
Preparation & dosage
Rarely used in folk medicine: Crush fresh washed leaves, apply as poultice to slow-healing skin, insect bites or minor wounds, secure with cloth, leave 15-30 min. Not on large open wounds. Patch-test on forearm first - may irritate.
Modern application with pharmacological study evidence for blood pressure and vascular health.
Preparation & dosage
Evidence-based use for mild hypertension: prepare as traditional tincture (40 % alcohol, 4 weeks), 3x daily 20 drops for 4-6 weeks. In-vivo studies (Sobolewska et al. 2015) show stronger BP-lowering than garlic. CAUTION: With existing antihypertensive or anticoagulant therapy only under medical supervision - additive effect possible. Mind lookalike risk when sourcing raw plant.
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 6 weeks
DEADLY LOOKALIKE RISK: Wild garlic is regularly confused with lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) and lords-and-ladies (Arum maculatum) - fatal poisonings have occurred in Germany! As little as 50 g of autumn crocus can be lethal. SAFE SMELL TEST: crush a fresh leaf between fingers - wild garlic smells strongly of garlic, the toxic lookalikes do not. Repeat test on every plant, wash fingers between tests. Wild garlic ID: each leaf individually stalked from ground, matt underside with prominent midrib; lily of the valley: two leaves from common stem, glossy underside; autumn crocus: unstalked rosette, glossy; lords-and-ladies: arrow-shaped leaves with prominent veins. If uncertain - do not eat! Other cautions: culinary amounts safe in pregnancy, avoid therapeutic tincture doses. Caution with stomach/intestinal ulcers (irritant sulfur compounds). Discontinue 1-2 weeks before surgery due to mild anticoagulant effect. Toxic to dogs and cats: All four Allium species listed by the ASPCA (onion, garlic, chives, leek) are toxic to dogs and cats; CliniTox lists wild garlic as toxic and explicitly names 'other Allium species - toxic'. Mechanism: destruction of red blood cells.
Safe in culinary amounts (pesto, salad); avoid therapeutic tincture doses due to insufficient data and potentially uterotonic compounds.
Sulfur aromas pass into breast milk - some infants react with fussiness or colic. Moderate culinary use usually unproblematic.
Safe in salad, pesto, spreads; concentrated alcohol tincture only from age 12, at half dose.
Drug interactions
Antikoagulantien (Warfarin, ASS, Clopidogrel)
Garlic-like sulfur compounds inhibit platelet aggregation - additive bleeding risk possible at therapeutic doses.
Antihypertensiva (ACE-Hemmer, Sartane, Diuretika)
Wild garlic can further lower BP - possible hypotension combined with therapeutic tincture doses.
Contraindications
- Uncertain plant ID - if any doubt about garlic smell or ID features, do not eat (deadly lookalikes).
- Known allergy to Allium plants (garlic, onion, leek).
- Acute gastric/intestinal ulcers or severe reflux with mucosal irritation.
Harvested part: fresh leaves (spring)
- Time of day:
- Mid-morning after dew has dried, exclusively BEFORE flowering (from May leaves become fibrous and lose aroma). IMPORTANT: smell test before every harvest - wild garlic smells strongly of garlic. Lily of the valley, autumn crocus, lords-and-ladies often grow among the patches and are toxic to fatal. Pick each leaf individually (not in handfuls), leave bulb in ground - patch self-renews for years.
- Drying:
- Drying NOT recommended - volatile sulfur compounds largely lost, dried wild garlic tastes of hay. Better preservation: as pesto in oil (4-6 weeks fridge, 12 months frozen), as wild-garlic salt (crushed with salt, dried), pureed in ice cube form frozen, pickled in vinegar or oil.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Fresh leaves: 3-5 days fridge in damp cloth. Pesto in jar with oil layer: 4-6 weeks cool. Frozen (chopped or pesto): 6-12 months. Wild-garlic salt: 1 year dark. Oil or vinegar extract: 6-12 months cool dark.
- Schwefelverbindungen (Alliin, Allicin, Methiin, Vinyldisulfide, Ajoene)OtherLeaf
Main actives: antimicrobial, hypotensive, antiplatelet, lipid-lowering. Alliin is enzymatically converted to allicin on crushing - garlic smell.
- Flavonoide (Kämpferol- und Quercetin-Glykoside)FlavonoidLeaf
Antioxidant, vasoprotective, anti-inflammatory - contribute to cardioprotective effects.
- Vitamine (besonders Vitamin C, Provitamin A)VitaminLeaf
High vitamin C content (up to 150 mg/100 g fresh leaves) - spring vitamin after winter deficiency, immune support.
- Mineralstoffe (Magnesium, Eisen, Mangan, Selen)MineralLeaf
Notable iron and manganese content - blood-forming, enzyme cofactors.
- Ätherisches Öl (Spuren, Diallyldisulfid und -trisulfid)Essential oilLeaf
Antimicrobial, digestive, carrier of typical aroma - volatile, fresh use optimal.
- Steroidale Saponine und LektineSaponinWhole plant
More concentrated in bulb and root - mildly expectorant and immunomodulatory.
- [5]MonographSobolewska D, Podolak I, Makowska-Was J: Allium ursinum - botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological overview. Phytochemistry Reviews 2015(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [6]MonographCliniTox Giftpflanzen — Allium ursinum L.: giftig + (Institut für Veterinärpharmakologie und -toxikologie, Universität Zürich)(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [1]BookBärlauch - Heilkräuter-Lexikon(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [2]BookBärlauch - Volksmedizin und Anwendung (kostbarenatur.net)(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [3]BookBärlauch von Maiglöckchen, Herbstzeitlose und anderen Pflanzen unterscheiden(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [4]BookWolf-Dieter Storl: Bärlauch - Wildkräuter erkennen, sammeln, anwenden / Fleischhauer: Essbare Wildpflanzen(accessed: 2026-05-19)
Distribution in Europe
🤝 Permaculture Partners
In your garden, this plant acts as:
✨ Best symbiotic partners
- 🌿 Fragaria vesca Classic companion-planting partner.
- 🌿 Matricaria chamomilla Classic companion-planting partner.
Source: Helga und Margarete Langerhorst, Mein gesunder Naturgarten (eigene Kuration)