Hedge Garlic
Parts Usually Used
The herb
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Hedge garlic is a European annual or biennial plant; the blue-green, usually simple stem grows to 3 feet high and is mostly glabrous but thinly hairy at the bottom. The leaves are glabrous and coarsely serrate, the basal reniform, the stem leaves cordate to almost triangular. When bruised, they smell like garlic. The small, white flowers grow in a broad raceme from April to June.
Where Found
Grows along roadsides, hedges, walls, fences and among bushes.
Medicinal Properties
Anthelmintic, stimulant, diuretic, tonic
Uses
Historically, hedge garlic was used in ways similar to common garlic (Allium sativum). Folk traditions regarded the plant as a springtime tonic and utilized it for complaints such as rheumatism, gout, and asthma.
Warning
As with mustard, skin irritation can result from use of the plant as either a poultice or a plaster.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023