List Of Beneficial Weeds - Wild Rose Detox

This is a list of undomesticated or feral plants, generally considered weeds, yet having some positive effects or uses, often being ideal as companion plants in gardens.

Beneficial weeds can accomplish a number of roles in the garden or yard, including fertilizing the soil, increasing moisture, acting as shelter or living mulch, repelling pests, attracting beneficial insects, or serving as food or other resources for human beings.

Chart

Categories of beneficial weeds

Pest-repellent

• Neemâ€"repels leaf eating insects

Edible

• Borageâ€"all parts have various medicinal purposes, with the edible flowers being used in desserts.
• Burdockâ€"roots are edible (as are the stalks, but particularly the young leaves )
• Chickweed (Stellaria media) -- used in salads and also as ground cover
• Cornflower various colours; can be served as edible garnish to decorate salads.
• Horsetailâ€"primeval plant that produces its own vitamin D & is high in silica; tops are very similar to & may be eaten like asparagus
• Lamb's quartersâ€"leaves and shoots, raw, also prevents erosion, also distracts leaf miners from nearby crops
• Nettleâ€"young leaves collected before flowering used as a tea or spinach substitute. Plants have use as compost material or for fibre.
• Purslaneâ€"prepared raw for salads or sautéed
• Shepherd's purseâ€"leaves are edible and often sautéed or blanched
• Watercressâ€"can be eaten raw or cooked; is considered a weed in some cultures (caution required when harvesting wild due to the risk of contracting potentially fatal liver fluke)

Habitat for beneficial insects

• Wild blackberryâ€"attracts predatory insects, and produces berries
• Motherwortâ€"attracts bees
• Joe-Pye weedâ€"habitat for pollinators and predatory insects
• Asterâ€"habitat predatory insects

Shelter plants

• Normal grass can be used as ground cover, especially in nitrogenous soils.

Trap crops

Trap crops draw potential pests away from the actual crop intended for cultivation.

• Cowpeaâ€"attracts ladybird beetle, so planting around cotton fields protects them from sucking insects. It serves as source of food and niche.

Medicinal use

• Rumexâ€"Dock. Commonly grows in association with nettle, is rumoured to cure or ease their sting. Crush a leaf before applying to affected area. Liver tonic, increases iron levels in the blood, regulates hormone levels and reduces menstrual flow and cramping.
• Urtica dioicaâ€"Stinging nettle. Nutritive tonic, diuretic. Restorative to the adrenals and kidneys. Highly nutritive. Can be eaten after cooking to remove the stinging properties. Stinging nettle has been used as a successful pain reliever for arthritis by stinging the affected area with the raw plant.
• Arctium lappaâ€"Burdock. The root is used to stimulate detoxification of the lymph and liver, known as a "blood purifier." It also has diuretic and diaphoretic properties.
• Taraxacum officinaleâ€"Dandelion. The leaves are a tonic to the kidneys, being one of the few diuretics that does not deplete the body of potassium. The whole plant, especially the root, is a detoxifying tonic for the liver. The whole plant is bitter and can be used as a digestive stimulant.
• Capsella bursa-pastorisâ€"Shepherd's Purse. Used to stop bleeding.
• Galium aparine â€" used in folk medicine to make poultices.
• Stellaria media -- Chickweed. One of the most nutrient dense plants, full of antioxidants. Effective for skin conditions when infused into oil. Dissolves cysts and lumps.
• Plantago sppâ€"Plantain, Ribwort, Pig's ear. Wound healing herb. "Not only does plantain increase the speed of healing, it also relieves pain, stops bleeding, draws out foreign matter, stops itching, prevents and stops allergic reactions from bee stings, kills bacteria, and reduces swelling." Mucilaginous. The seed husks are the main ingredient in psyllium laxatives. Identify this common weed by the 5 parallel veins on the underside of the leaf.
• Hypericum perforatumâ€"St John's Wort. Tincture is used as an anti-viral and for muscle aches, shingles, sciatica, back pain, neuralgia, and headaches including migraines. Infused oil can be used to treat sore muscles, cold sores and genital herpes, and can be used as a sunscreen.
• Achillea millefoliumâ€"Yarrow. Antibacterial, pain relieving. Herb for wounds. Regulates blood flow, so that it stops excessive bleeding while also preventing blood from pooling. Can be used to prevent and treat colds and flu. Diaphoretic. Digestive stimulant.
• Malva sppâ€"Mallow. Whole plant is mucilaginous, extracted in cold water or vinegar, which is soothing internally (easing sore throats, upset tummies, heart burn, irritable bowel, colic, and constipation) and externally (relieving bug bites, burns, sprains, and sore eyes).
• Impatiens capensisâ€"Jewelweed. Often grows near poison ivy and can be used as an antidote (for poison oak as well)
• Verbascum sppâ€"Mullein. The leaves are an expectorant, stimulating coughing to clear the lungs. An infused oil can be used for ear infections. All parts are stimulating to the lymphatic system and are helpful for any ailment related to the alignment of joint, bone or tissue.
• Bellis perennisâ€"Daisy. Relieves headaches, muscle pain and allergy symptoms. Different from the native daisy (Lagenifera petiolata).
• Ambrosia trifidaâ€"Giant ragweed. A tincture can be made and used in small doses to treat ragweed (and other) allergies.

Other

• Nightshadeâ€"breaks up hardpan, allowing roots to grow deeper

References

• Peterson, L.A. & Peterson, R.T. (1999). A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America. Houghton-Mifflin.
• Duke, J.A., Foster, S., & Peterson, R.T. (1999). A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton-Mifflin.
• Gibbon, E. (1988). Stalking the Wild Asparagus. Alan C. Hood & Company.
• Sharma, O.P., R.C. Lavekar, K.S. Murthy and S.N. Puri. (2000). Habitat diversity and predatory insects in cotton IPM : A case study of Maharashtra cotton eco-system. Radcliffe’s IPM world textbook. http:// www.ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/ sharma.htm. Minnesota University, USA