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Horse sorrel: when to harvest
Horse sorrel is a perennial plant that can be found in almost every meadow or forest glade. Its leaves have a wonderful sour taste, which is why they are often used in cooking. But the plant gained the greatest popularity due to its medicinal properties. A lot of decoctions and tinctures are prepared from the roots and flowers of the bush, which have a beneficial effect on almost all body systems.
Why horse sorrel is useful: description and photo
Horse sorrel is a shrub 60 to 150 cm high. It has a straight stem, slightly wavy oblong leaves and a small thick root with numerous branches. You can also recognize this plant by its flowers. They are a long branch with small yellow-green inflorescences.
Horse sorrel is prized for its medicinal properties
Horse sorrel is a medicinal plant, the beneficial properties of which have been known since ancient times. The leaves of this bush contain a huge amount of vitamins C and K, as well as carotene and flavonoids. Moreover, sorrel leaves appear much earlier than other greens. Therefore, they help to fill the spring deficiency in vitamins.
But sorrel root is especially popular in folk medicine. It contains a huge amount of nutrients that have a positive effect on the state of the body. Decoctions and tinctures from the root have the following properties:
- antiparasitic;
- wound healing;
- improving the processes of hematopoiesis;
- antibacterial;
- hypotensive;
- choleretic;
- calming.
And this is not a complete list. Healing decoctions are often used against diseases such as ulcers, cholecystitis, hemorrhoids, hypertension, enterocolitis, diarrhea, headache, tonsillitis, gingivitis and others.
How to grow and when to harvest horse sorrel?
This bush does not require special care and can be grown both at home and in the garden. For planting, it is better to use the “Altai” or “Maikop” variety. Sorrel tolerates shade well and even low temperatures from 5 ° C. The bush will grow better on soil rich in humus, so slightly acidic soil, for example, “Begonia”, will be ideal for it.
You can plant a plant almost at any time of the year. The main thing is that at least 30 days pass between each sowing. For higher yields, it is necessary to plant seeds in grooves up to 1 cm deep. In addition, it is important to respect the distance between the rows. It should not be less than 6 cm
The flowers and leaves of the plant are harvested during the flowering period. As a rule, it occurs from late May to mid June. But sometimes the flowering period can be repeated in August-September. The fruits ripen in August. The root must be harvested in the autumn. You can dig it up after the ground part of the plant is completely dry. In order for the root to retain its useful properties, it is important to prepare it correctly. For this, the plant is cleaned of soil, washed with water and dried in the shade or in a dryer at a temperature of no more than 50 ° C.
Sorrel is a useful and unpretentious plant. And it doesn’t take any special effort to grow it.