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Sisymbrium officinale - Hedge mustard
Hedge mustard, known as Sisymbrium officinale, (formerly Erysimum officinale) is a plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is found on roadsides and wasteland, and as a weed of arable land. A native of Europe and North Africa, it is now well-established throughout the world.
It is distinct from the mustard plants which belong to the genus Brassica. S. officinale is similar to other Sisymbrium, but differs in its tall, erect stems with tiny flowers and fruits that are compacted parallel to the stem instead of hanging free.
Hedge-mustard is food for the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera, such as the small white (Pieris rapae).
Uses
- This plant is widely cultivated across Europe for its edible leaves and seeds. It is widely used as a condiment in Northern Europe (particularly Denmark, Norway and Germany).
- The leaves have a bitter cabbage-like flavour and they are used either in salads or cooked as a leaf vegetable (in cultivar versions). The seeds have been used to make mustard pastes in Europe.[1]
- It is "good for all diseases of the chest and lungs, hoarseness of voice...the juice...made into a syrup with honey or sugar, is no less effectual...for all other coughs, wheezing and shortness of breath...the seed is held to be a special remedy against poison and venom."
- In Tibetan medicine it is used to repress the symptoms of food poisoning.
