HERB CORNER
Plants for Food and Medicine... ...continued from page 35
Oblong red berries with silver scales ripen on the shrub in late Au - gust to September. They are tart and sweet but can be quite astringent before fully ripening. Autumn olives, also known as Autumn berries, can be eaten raw (including the seed), made into jams and it’s a pop - ular fruit leather. Autumn berries are superfoods loaded with essential fatty acids, vi - tamins A, C, E, and are exceptionally high in the antioxidant lycopene. With seventeen times more lycopene than tomatoes, it helps to protect cells from damage, reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and lowers the risk of certain cancers. In traditional Chinese medicine it is valued for its astringent properties that aid in digestive and respiratory issues. The best part about foraging these “invasive” species is you can har- vest in abundance without hurting the ecosystem; in fact, you’re help- ing. So go out and eat the invasives! Candise Jordan, Owner of Farm Forage Feast is a Forest Garden Educator, Forager and Bioregional Herbalist on a mission to help heal our planet and our bodies through food. Candise offers mul - tiple foraging events every month. Visit www.FarmForageFeast. net to join an upcoming walk or workshop. All photos courtesy of Candise Jordan, except Japanese Barberry, Credit: Dan Nydick, CC BY-NC 2.0.
Japanese barberry isn’t the most flavorful barberry, but it is edible. The red berries are longer than they are wide, tart, seedy and slightly bitter. They can be eaten raw but are best made into jams, syrups and other sweet treats. What barberry lacks in flavor it makes up for in Vitamin C and a high content of berberine. Berberine is a yellow plant compound found in its stem and roots that offers potent antibacterial, antifungal, and an - ti-inflammatory properties. It is traditionally used to treat digestive is - sues, balance blood sugar, and fight bacterial and parasitic infections. Our native, goldenseal, is most commonly used in herbal medicine for its berberine. Unfortunately, that practice has led to the overhar- vesting of goldenseal, which is now on the United Plant Savers “at risk” list. The abundant Japanese Barberry is an excellent alternative.
4. Japanese Knotweed ( Reynoutria ja - ponica previously Fallopia japonica and Polygonum cuspidatum ) was brought to the US from Japan in the late 1800s for its ornamental value, erosion control and as a privacy barrier. Japanese Knotweed is as beautiful as it is tough! It can be found on riverbanks, roadsides, fields, and disturbed areas.
The young spring and early fall shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. They pack a sour punch and can be used as a rhubarb substitute. Japanese Knotweed is treasured for containing high levels of resver - atrol, most concentrated in its roots. In fact, it contains higher concen- trations than red grapes, peanuts, and wine. Herbal remedies using root extracts are said to protect heart health, support brain health, re- duce inflammation, fight infections and aid in Lyme disease protocols.
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5. Autumn Olive ( Elaeagnus umbellata ) was introduced to the US in 1830 as a beau - tiful ornamental. It was later promoted as a wildlife cover and windbreak. This rapidly reproducing shrub can be found in fields, forest edges, roadsides, and abandoned pastures.
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36—PATHWAYS—Fall 26
PATHWAYS—Fall 26—37
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