After some 90 inches of snow this past winter, just think of all the seeds that got germinated in the sodden ground. In the forest, they鈥檒l become wildflowers. In the city, they鈥檙e usually called weeds.
Whether weeds or wildflowers, uncultivated plants often fill an invaluable role in supplying food for birds, bees and people; and some have medicinal histories. Many of these uninvited plants have a propensity to spread so abundantly, they鈥檝e made the blacklist of invasives.
Below is a handful of invasives with a history of feeding and/or healing humanity. The information is not meant to promote the plants because they are, after all, invasives. But you might think differently about how to deal with them.
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
The French call it pourpier. Mexicans call it verdolaga. Most gardeners call it a weed. The ground-hugging purslane grows in fields, around sidewalks and driveways and in your garden. Since its taproot digs deep in search of water, eradication takes effort.
Purslane鈥檚 little yellow flowers attract pollinator bees; but since it鈥檚 a hermaphrodite, it can fertilize itself. One plant can produce 200,000 seeds.
Purslane migrated from its Indian homeland by way of trade routes to Europe. Ancient Romans used the plant to treat intestinal maladies. Herbalists consider it a cooling plant when the liver overheats (from too much food and/or libations, for instance) or the heart becomes afflicted.
The tangy weed produces a nutritious culinary side dish that has appeared on menus from some of the most celebrated chefs in the nation. Purslane is packed with potassium, impressive amounts of feel-good chemistry (magnesium, phenylalanine, tyrosine and lithium), glutathione (helps rid the body of toxins), and high levels of melatonin, vitamins and minerals.
Once researchers discovered purslane鈥檚 remarkably high level of alpha-linolenic acid 鈥� just over three ounces provides 400 mg 鈥� purslane ranked among the most researched of plant species. The results? Researchers categorized purslane as anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, skeletal muscle relaxant, antitumor, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antioxidant, gastroprotective, neuroprotective, wound healing and antiseptic.
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
Mention horehound to a gardener and watch the eyes roll. The opportunistic germinator doesn鈥檛 give much thought to where it sprouts 鈥� gardens, wastelands, fields and streamsides all look accommodating. Horehound thrives in poor soil, is drought tolerant and is too bitter tasting for most herbivores to nibble. Pollinators, however, love this mint family member鈥檚 small lavender flowers, which earns it a worthy place in the garden. Horehound鈥檚 history of medicinal uses might earn a place in your home.
Horehound鈥檚 enduring cache is lung-centric; but back in the day, horehound was a go-to for digestive and liver problems, too. Old-timers created horehound candy to help make its medicine go down easier.
Horehound鈥檚 bitterness comes from its trademark alkaloid, marrubiin, which has antiviral and antibiotic action. This bitterness makes horehound an excellent digestif. Researchers found that marrubic acid, also among horehound鈥檚 chemistry, can substantially reduce elevated liver-associated enzymes.
Other pharmacology researchers identified include antioxidant, cardioprotective, vasorelaxant, gastroprotective, antispasmodic, immunomodulating, analgesic and antidiabetic properties.
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Mullein made the invasive list due to its propensity to spread quickly. Historic records mention the European native in Virginia in the mid-1700s, and by 1876 it was naturalized on the West Coast with a little help from pioneers who carried seeds as they advanced westward. Here鈥檚 how mullein spreads:
The biennial appears as a rosette of velvet-like leaves the first year and then sends up a 5-10-foot-high stalk that, in the second year, blooms an elongated cluster of yellow flowers. The flowers open only a few at a time, feeding pollinators from dawn till they close in midafternoon. They will self-pollinate if not cross-pollinated. Each plant produces 100,000-240,000 tiny seeds. Even though those seeds require light to germinate, which is why you鈥檒l find mullein in the disturbed ground of wastelands, road cuts and wildfire-charred areas, they can remain viable for hundreds of years.
Mullein is best known for its benefits to the respiratory system, for which it鈥檚 been used for centuries. Research shows mullein has significant antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity, which explains why it was once an herb of choice for pneumonia, tuberculosis and whooping cough, as well as skin afflictions and growths. Mullein can still shine for some respiratory ailments due to its ability to loosen mucus, soothe inflammation and nourish the cells and cilia.
Like horehound, mullein鈥檚 benefits extend to the digestion. Archeologist Wilhelmina Jashemski noted in her book, 鈥淎 Pompeian Herbal: Ancient and Modern Medicinal Plants,鈥� that excavation workers in Pompeii used mullein roots from the first-year plants for liver and viscera problems and to cure jaundice. The recipe: 鈥淢y workmen boiled four mullein roots in water and drank the liquid after meals, one liter per day for six days.鈥�
Cheeseweed (Malva neglecta)
Like its cousin globemallow (which is a native), cheeseweed needs only a decent rain to trigger growth. And grow it does 鈥� quickly 鈥� into impressive spreads. Plants have taproots that dig deep enough into the ground to make them difficult to remove. Colonies can overrun native plant habitats and diminish the plant diversity needed for a healthy ecology. Colonies also harbor several plant viruses that affect native plants.
So what鈥檚 good about cheeseweed? First, it鈥檚 edible. The invasive gets its name from its fruit, which looks like mini cheese wheels, that is packed with protein (about 21%) and essential fatty acids (about 15%). The leaves also rate high in protein, as well as vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.
Being of the Malvaceae (Mallow) family, cheeseweed contains mucilage and pectin, classic demulcent material that imparts a soothing, softening and protective effect. Cheeseweed has traditionally been used for soothing and treating kidney, urinary tract and stomach problems.
Cheeseweed has shown its chops in the lab. Researchers found a wide range of pharmacological activities that include antioxidant, anti-arthritic, antimicrobial and anti-urolithiac (kidney stones). Cheeseweed has been found to inhibit bacterial growth and help prevent biofilm formation. Researchers have also found the lowly cheeseweed has neuroprotective potential, which may help protect against Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.