Effect:
slightly laxative, blood purifying, emollient, metabolism stimulating, anti-inflammatory
Areas of application:
Skin diseases, inflamed skin, abscesses, worm infections, as a laxative
Plant parts used:
Leaves before flowering
Collection time:
April to October
To find:
On roadsides and paths, on rubble sites, on the edges of pastures or in gardens.
Ingredients:
Saponins, proteins, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals
Miscellaneous:
The Good King Henry is a perennial plant and can reach a height of 10 to 80 cm. It is a hemiccryptophytic pleiocorm perennial and has a fleshy, multi-headed root up to 1.5 cm thick. Its stems are erect, unbranched and it usually has several ascending stems. Its smell is unremarkable. Its alternate leaves are very large. They are larger at the bottom and smaller at the top. They are triangular to spear-shaped, almost entire, stalked, pointed or blunt, somewhat sticky, initially mealy due to multicellular stalked bladder hairs and joint hairs, later glabrous and dark green. The thick flower clusters are arranged on short branches in a panicle-like, terminal, elongated, rather narrow and dense, often nodding inflorescence, which is only leafy in the lowest part. The flowering period is from April to October. The fruits are single-seeded nuts.
Among the many goose feet, Good King Henry is the only one that is tasty. The young leaves of Good King Henry are good cooked and raw and provide vitamins and minerals; the iron content is particularly high. People used to eat it like spinach. The shoots can be prepared like asparagus. The flowers can be steamed in a similar way to broccoli. The seeds can be used as a flour substitute.
Good King Henry should not be dried; it is only effective fresh.
It can be used as a dye plant, achieving golden-green hues.
The older leaves were previously smoked as a tobacco substitute.