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Herbal Glossary | Medicinal Glossary | Herbal Preparations | Ayervedic Formulas | Chinese Formulas Sheep SorrelContents:Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties | Biochemical Information
Scientific Names
Common Names
Parts Usually UsedFresh leaves and shoots. Description of Plant(s) and CultureSorrel is a slender, smooth, sour-tasting, perennial plant, 4-12 inches high; with a clump of dark green, arrow shaped basal leaves and an erect, leafy flowering stem, grows from 1 to 3 feet high and bears alternate, light-green leaves that are oblong or oblong-oval in shape and range from long-petioled at the bottom to nearly sessile at the top of the plant. They have two pointed lobes at the base and may be obtuse or pointed at the apex. Tiny greenish or reddish flowers grow in whorls in narrow elongated spikes, male on one plant, female on another, bloom in panicled racemes from May to August. Blooms are followed by tiny, shiny brown, three-angled nutlets enclosed by calyces. Where FoundVery common in damp meadows, in yards, grassland and fields, along roads and shorelines, usually on acid soils, in Europe and Asia, throughout much of the United States and Canada, except the far north and south. Medicinal PropertiesAntiscorbutic, astringent, diuretic, laxative, febrifuge, vermifuge Biochemical InformationCitric, malic and oxalic acids, tannin, vitamin C and iron Legends, Myths and StoriesSorrel is a name applied to several unrelated plants having in their leaves an acid sap that gives them a sour flavor. An outmoded use for the extract of sorrel leaves is as a stain remover on linen cloth. An ancient Chinese belief was that sorrel juice could remove freckles. UsesA decoction of the root has been used for hemorrhage in the stomach, diarrhea, and for excessive menses. For mouth ulcers and sore throat, fever, inflammations, scurvy, expel worms, kills putrefaction in the blood, a tea made from the leaves and flowers and taken with honey is good. Leaves poulticed (after roasting) for tumors, wens (sebaceous cysts), folk remedy for cancer. Sorrel leaves sometimes are used like spinach in the springtime. xternally, a tea from the herb can be used as a wash to treat skin diseases. As a lotion, the infusion will heal boils, abscesses, and sores. A poultice from the leaves reduces inflammation. Not recommended for anyone suffering from rheumatism, jaundice, scurvy, scrofula, gout, or kidney stones, as it contains oxalic acid. Can also be used in salads to prevent scurvy. Formulas or DosagesUse the fresh plant. Infusion: steep 1 oz. of the cut herb in a cup of hot water. Drink cold to reduce fevers. Nutrient ContentVitamin C and iron WarningMay cause poisoning in large doses, due to the high oxalic acid and tannin content.
Bibliography
Herbal Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, Cornell Plantations, Matthaei Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan, University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley., Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition
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Common field sorrel
The Herb Book
, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.
, by Jethro Kloss; Back to Eden Publishing Co., Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994Copyright © 1996-2010 Lynn DeVries, all rights reserved.