Field Guide for Medicinal Edible Plants

Water lily roots can be boiled to make a sore-throat reliever.

There are numerous edible plants in the wild that have medicinal properties. Foragers must be careful when foraging for these plants as many have look-alikes that are poisonous. It is useful to have a field guide with pictures when trying to decide if a plant is poisonous or edible.

Water Lily

The water used for boiling water lily roots can be drunk as medicine for diarrhea. That same water also can be gargled to relieve sore throats. Other parts of the lily that are edible include the flowers, seeds and rhizomes. These parts are edible raw or cooked.

Water lilies are found throughout temperate and subtropical regions. They have large, triangular leaves and large, fragrant flowers that are typically white or red. These plants float on the water's surface and the roots grow underwater.

Wild Onion and Garlic

The juice from commercially sold garlic also can be used as an antibiotic.

The bulbs and leaves of wild garlic and wild onion are edible and can be used to flavor soups and meats. The juice from garlic can be used as an antibiotic on wounds and eating a large quantity of wild onion will give the body an odor that helps repel insects. These plants can be found in open, sunny areas in temperate regions. Foragers must keep in mind that there are plants with onion-like bulbs that are poisonous. These bulbs have no onion smell. Only eat true onions and garlic. Foragers can tell if the plant is truly an onion or garlic because they will give off a distinct garlic or onion smell.

Walnuts

The meat of the walnut is a good source of protein.

The water used for boiling walnuts can be used as an antifungal agent. You can get to the meat of the walnut by cracking the shell. The meat is also edible raw or cooked and is a good source of protein and oil. Walnuts grow on trees and have a thick outer husk.

Plantain

Plantains come in broad and narrow leaf varieties. Both types of leaves can be used to relieve pain from wounds. Merely wash and soak the leaves for a short time and apply to the injury. The leaves can also be boiled (1oz leaves to 28g of water) to make a tea for treating diarrhea. The seeds and seed husks can be used as laxatives.

Plantains are a common weed throughout the world. The broad leaf variety has leaves that reach 2.5cm across and has flowers on a spike that rises from the middle cluster of leaves. They grow close the ground. Narrow leaf plantains have leaves that are 12cm long, 2.5cm wide and are covered with hairs. The leaves form a rosette and the plant also has small flowers.

Cranberry

Cranberries can help relieve urinary tract infections.

Cranberries can be eaten raw or drunk as a juice to help treat urinary tract infections. It grows in sunny, wet areas in colder regions of the Northern hemisphere. The fruits are firm red berries that grow on stems that creep along the ground. The plant has tiny leaves arranged alternately.

References

• Wilderness Survival: Edible and Medicinal Plants

Resources

• Wildcrafting.net: Edible & Medicinal Foraging Guide
• Powell's Books: A Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants
• The Forager Press, LLC: Top Rated Field Guides to Edible Wild Plants