What is the dock plant used for?
The leaf stalks are used in salads. The root and fruits are used as medicine. Yellow dock is used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of nasal passages and the respiratory tract, and as a laxative and tonic. It is also used to treat bacterial infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
Can I eat dock leaves?
The most commonly eaten part of the plant is its young leaves harvested before the plant bolts up to flower. Please pay attention as not all docks are great to eat, as they can be bitter, so try a little before making a soup with it.
What is curly dock herb used for?
Curly dock or yellow dock (Rumex crispus) has an ancient history as a powerful purifying, cleansing herb, used to help healing a wide range of skin conditions and other chronic illnesses that can benefit from a depurative herb.
Is Rumex edible?
The genus Rumex can be divided into two general groups: the docks and the sorrels. Both are delicious wild edible plants, and each group deserves its own article. Docks were widely eaten during the Depression, appreciated for their tart, lemony flavor, their abundance, and the fact that they were free for the taking.
Are dock leaves poisonous to humans?
Know that only young dock leaves are covered with mucilage. The sour flavor of dock comes from oxalic acid, which, when consumed in large quantities, may cause kidney stones. Now, for those who are generally healthy and don’t eat large quantities of dock on a regular basis, it should be fine.
Do dock leaves really work?
It is often claimed that crushed dock leaves relieve the pain because their alkaline sap neutralises the nettle’s formic acid, but dock leaf sap is acidic too, so this cannot be true. Nevertheless, many find that the dock leaf remedy seems to work, so there may be other reasons for this.
Is curly dock toxic?
Due to its potential to accumulate oxalates, all parts of the curly dock, including its leaves, stems and seeds, are toxic. While many cases of Curly Dock poisoning do not have fatal outcomes, horses typically become very ill after ingesting the plant.
What are the health benefits of curly dock?
Health Benefits of Curly Dock The astringent, laxative, and antioxidant properties of curly dock have made it a useful herb with many medicinal qualities: Relieving constipation. The laxative properties of curley dock stimulate intestinal transit and facilitate bowel movements. Reducing inflammation.
What parts of dock are edible?
Regardless, dock leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. When the plant sends up a stem, the basal leaves generally become too tough and bitter to eat, but those on the stem may be palatable. However, the best portion is the stem itself!
How do I get rid of dock leaves?
Dock Leaves They have a long tap root from which they will re-grow. You have to dig out the root and then kill it. You can either leave the root to dry out, burn them or drown them in a barrel of water to do this.
Should you spit on a dock leaf?
If you pick a dock leaf and break it up to release the chemicals and then add some spit to the crumpled up leaf prior to applying it gently to the stings, both the antihistamine and the natural healing properties of saliva will ease the pain.
Is curly dock edible?
Curly dock (Rumex crispus, also called yellow dock) is one of those plants that is easily overlooked. It doesn’t have a showy flower and the leaves can look kind of generic. It’s unfortunate that people aren’t more familiar with it, as the leaves, stem, seed, and root are all edible or medicinal.
