Fresh use
A great deal needs no preparation at all: young leaves in a salad, a crushed leaf on an insect bite, a piece of root chewed. Fresh material holds vitamins and volatile substances that are lost in drying. The condition, however, is absolute and not negotiable: you must be able to identify the plant with certainty. Serious poisonings with wild plants almost all come from mistaken identity, not from wrong preparation.
How it is done
- Only gather what you have identified beyond doubt. When in doubt, leave it — wild garlic and autumn crocus, wild carrot and hemlock grow side by side.
- Gather away from busy roads, dog-walking paths, conventionally farmed field margins and railway lines.
- Harvest in the late morning, once the dew has dried.
- Wash thoroughly in cold water, wild herbs preferably twice.
- Use it fresh. Wild herbs wilt within hours; wrapped in a damp cloth in the fridge they keep a day or two.
- For a poultice, rub the washed leaves between your fingers or bruise them with a rolling pin until the sap comes out.
What this form suits
Vitamin-rich wild herbs such as nettle, ground elder, chickweed and dandelion; ribwort plantain as immediate help with insect bites; fresh culinary herbs whose essential oil largely disappears in drying.
Where it ends
Certain identification comes before everything else. Raw plant parts are also not automatically digestible: elderberries and beans are toxic raw and must be heated, and rhubarb leaves do not belong on the plate at all. Anyone gathering wild plants washes them because of possible contamination with animal droppings; the risk of fox tapeworm is considered low on current evidence, but washing remains obligatory. In nature reserves and for protected species gathering is prohibited, and even elsewhere you never take more than a third of a stand.
Plants used this way
97 plants in this database have at least one documented use in this form. Not on this list: toxic and legally controlled species — and, for plants carrying a caution, any internal use resting on folklore alone. Everything remains reachable through the search and the plant index.
Pure, freshly peeled inner leaf gel (without the yellow aloin layer) added to smoothies or juices.
The carbohydrate-rich roots were used as a food source in various cultures (North America, Tibet) and resemble parsnip in taste.
Traditionally, the root has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries as a tonic.
Beetroot juice (approx.
Edible wild plant — flowers and young leaves as a mild salad ingredient.
Young leaves are a traditional vegetable in northern England ("Easter-ledge pudding") and can be used as salad or spinach substitute.
Fresh black radish (juice or grated root) is approved by the German Kommission E as a cholagogue for dyspeptic complaints of biliary origin.
Fresh blackcurrants contain approximately 180 mg vitamin C per 100 g – among the highest of any temperate berry.
Main use with EMA-recognised 'well-established use' evidence: the psyllium husks swell in the gut, increase stool volume and water content, and the…
Raw broccoli (fresh florets and stems) delivers very high vitamin C density (~90 mg/100 g, USDA) and preserves more glucosinolates than cooking, be…
Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var.
Raw white cabbage as food — rich in vitamin C (approx.
Fresh bell pepper (green, yellow, orange, red) contains exceptionally high vitamin C — red fruits up to 200 mg/100 g, about three times more than o…
Very small amounts of ripe C.
The nut-like seeds of the hornbeam (small nutlets in the winged fruit husks) are edible and were used as a food source in times of scarcity.
Raw carrots are one of the richest plant sources of provitamin A (beta-carotene).
Raw cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C (approx.
Chard leaves are among the most nutrient-dense vegetables in Central Europe.
Chives are an exceptionally rich source of vitamin K: approx.
Spider plant was identified in the 1989 NASA Clean Air Study as an effective absorber of formaldehyde and xylene from indoor air.
Plectranthus caninus is grown as a low, spreading ground cover and bedding plant in part shade or sun.
Chickweed is a nutritious wild vegetable with a taste reminiscent of young raw corn; about 50 g of salad roughly covers an adult's daily vitamin C…
Ripe cornelian cherry fruits are eaten fresh or prepared as compote, jam, juice, and dried fruit.
Prevention of recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections (cystitis).
Fresh cucumber as raw food — salads, snacking, tzatziki.
Cucurbita pepo flesh is low in calories (approx.
When kept as a houseplant, the snake plant filters formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene from indoor air.
Ripe aubergines are always eaten cooked — steamed, fried, grilled or baked.
Golden pothos is among the species tested in the NASA Clean Air Study (Wolverton et al.
Rocket leaves are among the most nutrient-dense leafy vegetables in Europe: 100 g supplies approx.
Placed as a living houseplant, Ficus elastica demonstrably absorbs formaldehyde from indoor air.
The fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is one of the most popular decorative houseplants of recent years.
The flamingo flower is cultivated worldwide as a popular houseplant and cut flower.
Herbal bulk laxative for habitual constipation — clinically well documented.
Ripe wild strawberries are rich in vitamin C, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid.
Prevention of atherosclerotic vascular changes; supportive use in slightly elevated blood lipids and mild hypertension.
Ginger powder/extract for prevention of motion sickness (kinetosis) — EMA well-established use.
The areca palm transpires up to one litre of water daily, making it the most effective natural humidifier according to Wolverton (NASA 1989).
The grape is a popular food, supplying sugars, fruit acids and polyphenols; the skin contains resveratrol.
Young greater plantain leaves are an edible wild green with a mild, slightly bitter taste and supply minerals and vitamins.
The young leaves are a classic spring wild vegetable with a high vitamin C content (about 200 mg/100 g) and a savoury parsley-and-carrot flavour.
Crushed fresh leaves were folk-rubbed onto the skin to keep mosquitoes away; the characteristic smell is responsible for this.
Classic spring ornamental for pot and garden: Hyacinthus orientalis has been the most important fragrant bulb ornamental in Europe since the late 1…
Walnut as food — EFSA-recognised effect on blood lipid levels (ALA/omega-3); clinical evidence for LDL reduction, endothelial function and antioxid…
Kohlrabi is exceptionally rich in vitamin C: the swollen stem contains approx.
Finely sliced or chopped raw leek as salad ingredient, topping or seasoning.
Lettuce is the world's most widely consumed raw vegetable.
Looseleaf or cutting lettuce is a cultivar group of Lactuca sativa that, unlike head lettuce, does not form a closed head but rather a loose rosett…
Dried fruiting-body powder (e.g.
Maize is the most widely cultivated grain worldwide after wheat and rice, and an important staple food.
Historic dye tradition (vivid blue plant pigment): for centuries Mercurialis annua was one of Europe's most important dye plants for blue-violet an…
The leaves are traditionally eaten as a nutritious vegetable and as dried powder, providing protein, vitamins and minerals.
As a hanging houseplant, Nephrolepis exaltata is one of the most effective natural air humidifiers.
Oat bran and rolled oats as functional food with EFSA-recognised beta-glucan evidence for normal blood cholesterol and blunting of post-prandial bl…
Fresh Tulsi leaves are consumed daily in India as a puja offering and as a functional food (chewed in the morning on an empty stomach).
Extra virgin olive oil as functional food — EFSA-authorised health claim: protects LDL particles from oxidation (20 g/day, at least 5 mg hydroxytyr…
Raw onion as spring tonic and digestive stimulant: promotes salivary and gastric secretion, mildly supports blood pressure regulation, traditionall…
Nutritive use as wild green — young leaves cooked in stews or as spinach substitute in West Africa, India and Sri Lanka.
Fresh fruiting bodies are fried, sautéed or grilled as a protein-rich vegetable or meat substitute; they should always be cooked thoroughly before…
The parsnip root is one of Europe's oldest root vegetables and was a central staple food before the introduction of the potato (16th century).
Freshly picked garden peas are eaten raw straight from the pod — sweet, crisp, and nutrient-dense.
Folk belief and marketing claim: the hybrid sold as 'citronella geranium', 'mosquito shocker' or 'mosquito plant' is marketed as an allegedly mosqu…
Folk-medicinal insect repellent: fresh leaves of the apple geranium are crushed in the garden and dabbed onto exposed skin to keep biting insects a…
Phalaenopsis orchids use CAM photosynthesis (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism): daytime stomata remain closed, while at night they open for CO₂ uptake…
Green beans (young pod vegetable) are a versatile culinary ingredient: blanched, steamed, in stews or as salad.
Fresh green beans (harvested immature pod) are a nutrient-rich vegetable providing vitamin K, vitamin C, folate and dietary fibre — to be consumed…
Euphorbia pulcherrima is kept worldwide as an Advent plant and winter ornamental indoors.
Young, firm fruiting bodies are sautéed, stewed or braised and make a protein-rich ingredient in risotto, pasta and soups.
The potato is one of the world's most important staple foods.
The radish is one of the fastest-growing vegetables (harvest after approx.
Raw red cabbage contains more anthocyanins (mainly cyanidin glycosides) and more vitamin C (approx.
WARNING — TOXIC: Rhubarb leaves contain very high amounts of oxalic acid (up to 1 % oxalate as soluble potassium oxalate + insoluble calcium oxalat…
Standardised rose-hip powder (from fruit skin, flesh and seeds) for osteoarthritic complaints of knee, hip and hand.
Fresh blackberries as food are rich in cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (> 90% of anthocyanins), ellagic acid, quercetin and vitamin C.
Young leaves and flower buds of great burnet in spring are edible raw in salads or as a wild herb.
Savoy cabbage as a cooked kitchen vegetable — briefly steamed, blanched or braised: the crinkled, wavy leaves break down less than white cabbage an…
Unlike the Tibetan caterpillar fungus, Cordyceps militaris can be cultivated — on cooked rice with added nutrients, in jars under light.
Fresh berries and pressed juice as an exceptionally vitamin-C-rich food source — traditional immune support in Northern/Central Europe and Central…
Fresh leaf juice or halved succulent leaves are applied directly to minor wounds, burns, insect stings, and sunburn.
Dried fruiting-body powder or extracts (also as capsules) are traditionally taken for general strengthening and immune support; the polysaccharide…
Young leaves (despiked), peeled stems and immature flower heads are edible — traditional vegetable in Mediterranean regions; nutritionally valuable…
Sugar snap peas are eaten with pod, raw or briefly blanched — one of the few legumes that can be consumed without cooking.
Young spinach leaves eaten raw in salad — rich in vitamin C, folate and lutein; iron and calcium bioavailability limited by oxalates.
The Guaraní peoples of Paraguay and Brazil chewed fresh stevia leaves for centuries as a sweet treat and to sweeten yerba mate.
Monstera deliciosa is one of the most popular tropical houseplants worldwide.
Common snowberry is one of the most widely planted ornamental shrubs in Central Europe and has shaped park borders, hedges, cemetery plantings and…
Classic companion-planting and green-manure use of French marigold: roots release phototoxic thiophene derivatives that suppress root-knot and lesi…
Traditional daily intake of fresh leaves for migraine prophylaxis — long-term use, rooted in English folk medicine; not for acute attack treatment.
Raw ripe tomato fruits supply lycopene (potent carotenoid antioxidant), vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and dietary fibre.
Standardised polysaccharide extract PSK (krestin) from the mycelium as powder or capsule; approved in Japan as adjuvant immunochemotherapy after cu…
Ulmus procera (English elm = cultivar of U.
Umbrella sedge is cultivated as an ornamental houseplant and pond-edge plant for its characteristic umbrella-shaped whorls of bracts.
Classic self-care for mild non-specific diarrhoea: condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) tighten intestinal mucosa, reduce fluid loss and are mildl…
Vanillin, the main aroma compound of the cured pod, shows pronounced antioxidant and wound-healing properties in in-vitro and animal studies: it pr…
Historically drunk in France as a tea substitute ('thé d'Europe'); slightly bitter and astringent taste.
The young shoots and leaves are edible and were formerly eaten as a wild vegetable, raw or cooked.
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp.