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NAME: Goutweed

SPECIES / FAMILY:  Aegopodium Podagraria / Apiaceae or Umbelliferae

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Ground Elder, Bishop's Goutweed

CONDITIONS: partial shade
 

PORTION:   herb/small                                         

COMMENT: I love this plant. It's easy to grow and I use it in many dishes as a parsley substitute. There is also a variegated variety, last photo at right.  It got its name because back in the day, people (and bishops) would get gout from eating high carb / sugary / rich foods, so they ate goutweed to balance their diet, as it is high in vitamin A and C. // Leaves - raw or cooked. An unusual tangy flavor, like parsley. The leaves are best harvested before the plant comes into flower, they can be used in salads, soups, or cooked as a vegetable. (1)  Spreads rapidly.

CAUTION: https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/goutweed/ - scroll down for "Precautions", although PFAF says that there are "no known hazards" - https://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Aegopodium+podagraria .

NUTRITION/MEDICINAL:  Antirheumatic;  Diuretic;  Sedative;  Vulnerary.(1)

• Goutweed has MANY medicinal benefits: https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/goutweed/

• Goutweed is a useful herb to help 'move things around' whenever there is an energy blockage in the body. It is a diuretic, but it also gently stimulates digestion and metabolism. It is a good source of vitamin C and A as well as minerals such as iron and manganese, copper and trace minerals such as boron and titanium. http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/foraging/goutweed.php

• Goutweed is used for rheumatic diseases. This is a disease category that includes autoimmune diseases and diseases that affect the joints and soft tissues. Gout and arthritis are examples of rheumatic diseases. Goutweed is also used for hemorrhoids, as well as for kidney, bladder, and intestinal disorders. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-22/goutweed

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339385815_Goutweed_Aegopodium_podagraria_L_-_botanical_characteristics_and_prohealthy_properties

LOOK-A-LIKES: Eastern waterleaf, Sweet Cicely, Aniseroot

POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES:  Poison hemlock  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium_maculatum 

OTHER USES: Studied for use in reclamation and phytoremediation of contaminated soils and waters.-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26269111

SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):

1. https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Aegopodium+podagraria
2. http://www.eattheweeds.com/?s=Aegopodium+podagraria+    
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria 
4. https://recipes.net/articles/how-to-cook-goutweed-greens
5. https://sacredearth.com/2021/03/07/foraging-goutweed-aegopodium-podagraria
6. https://delishably.com/foraging/Ground-Elder-Facts-Uses-Recipes
7. https://feriantano.com/en/articles/33258-goutweed-recipes-how-to-cook-the-weeds-instead-of-fightin
8. https://alongthegrapevine.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/chimichurri-and-goutweed (recipes)
9. http://backyard-wildcrafting.blogspot.com/2016/07/goutweed-aegopodium-podagraria-l.html (recipes)
10. http://3gardensinquebec.blogspot.com/2012/06/goutweed-or-tastyweed.html (recipes)