Uses for Japanese Knotweed

 Yet another weed in my yard that I actually did not kill.
And do eat. 

Japanese Knotweed  (Polygonum cuspidatum)

Description - Japanese Knotweed looks like bamboo. it has visible nodes(dark ring around stalk) every 8″ or so. When it comes up in the spring it is usually part of a larger grove of Knotweed sending up many shoots of varying heights each about an inch in diameter, when summer approaches the maximum height will be somewhere around 6′-8′.   Japanese Knotweed has a wide leaf, the length is about twice the width. Japanese Knotweed is an invasive weed in many parts of the United States.,

Time of Year  early spring to fall

Location Most of North America 
Click here to see Map   If it does not grow in your area do a search to see what type does.

Nutrient Content

Vitamin A and C also provides potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese. And Resveratrol

Uses

Edible uses

• Young shoots in spring are yummy. They can be used as an asparagus substitute. 

•  They are a great as a  substitute in pies, fruit soups, jams etc (old ladys in my area uses them all the time when I was a kid they would pay us a quarter to cut them and bring them to them)

•  Older stems and shoot tips are cooked in the same way.

•  They taste like a mild version of rhubar

•  Seed - raw or cook. 
• The seed can also be ground into a powder and used as a flavouring and thickener in soups etc, or can be mixed with cereals when making bread, cakes etc. 

• The root is sometimes eaten, great winter edible 
•  

Medical uses

• Large quantities can make a mild laxative

•  A paste made with dried roots can be used in the treatment if burns, boils cuts and abscesses 

• Make a great rash treatment

•  1/2 teaspoon of the tincture makes a great antioxidant and fluid retention

• There are studies saying that the root tincture helps with Lyme Disease 

• Uses tincture as a mouth wash for gingivitis

• Is known to help with coughs and bronchitis 

• Resveratrol (a chemical found in knotweed)may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease or slow its progression

Other Uses 

• A yellow dye is obtained from the root

•  The plant is potentially a good source of biomass. 

• Knotweed contains a natural pesticide so grind it up and put it around you house or garden

• Plants can be grown to form a ground cover that will exclude all other grow

BEE HIVES!! people are now making them from knotweed! Which bees do pollinate.
 Not so much for the honey but to help solitary spices . But yes you can get honey.
 I am going to try this, this year will do a post on it. Click here to learn about solitary bees at wiki. 
some make honey some make wax. When picking out the pieces to use to make the hive

make sure they are not to wide.Choose piece a pencil can fit in...no small and not much bigger. 

And the craftier in me loves this use. little containers from the stalk

Uses for Purslane

I got a little of this at a plant swap a few years back for my curbside barrels and it just took off growing. I just ripped some of it out and placed it in an area in my yard were grass will not grow and it spread like crazy and looks amazing. This is a beginner friendly plant and drought plant.

Purslane (Portulaca L.)

Description - This evasive weed as a  smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate leaves clustered at stem joints and ends. A yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up to 6 mm wide. Depending upon rainfall, the flowers appear at anytime during the year. The flowers open singly at the center of the leaf cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens when the seeds are mature. Purslane has a taproot with fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted soils and drought.

Time of Year: Spring to Fall  

Location: World (originally from India) 

Click Here for map  If it does not grow in your area do a search to see what kind does.

Nutrient Content

Sodium, Patassium Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A and C

 

USES 

You can eat the Leaves and seeds.

Editable uses

Taste sour raw and sweet cooked

• The leaves can be burned and used as a salt. 

• young leave for salads

• Seeds can be grounded into a powder and used in gruels, breads and pancakes to add nutritional value. (they make around 10,000 seeds per plant)

• you can dehydrate the leaves to use later.

 

Medical Uses     Leave are high in omega- 3 fatty acids which can be important to preventing heart attacks and help immune system     The leave are also a great antibacterial and diuretic     The fresh juice is used in the treatment of coughs and sores     The leaves  poulticed van be applied to burns      A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of stomach aches and headaches     Both the tea and the plant juice are particularly effective in the treatment of skin diseases and insect sting     The seeds are tonic and vermifuge and are prescribed for dyspepsia and opacities of the cornea  Other Uses Has a blue color when used for dye.  excellent hog feed While considered an obnoxious weed in the United States, purslane can provide much needed vitamins and minerals in a wilderness survival situation. Ghandi actually numbered purslane among his favorite foods.