Chenopodium album
Synonyms: Chenopodium reticulatum
Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)
English name : Fat Hen
Urdu name : Wan Palak/Jangli Palak
Hindi name : Wan Palak
Medicinal use of Chenopodium album:
Chenopodium album is not employed in herbal medicine, though it does
have some gentle medicinal properties and is a very nutritious and
healthy addition to the diet. The leaves are anthelmintic,
antiphlogistic, antirheumatic, mildly laxative, odontalgic. An infusion
is taken in the treatment of rheumatism. The leaves are applied as a
wash or poultice to bug bites, sunstroke, rheumatic joints and swollen
feet, whilst a decoction is used for carious teeth. The seeds are chewed
in the treatment of urinary problems and are considered useful for
relieving the discharge of semen through the urine. The juice of the
stems is applied to freckles and sunburn. The juice of the root is used
in the treatment of bloody dysentery. Food that comprises 25.5% of the
powdered herb may suppress the oestrus cycle.
Edible parts of Chenopodium album:
Leaves - raw or cooked. A very acceptable spinach substitute, the taste
is a little bland but this can be improved by adding a few
stronger-flavoured leaves. One report says that, when eaten with beans,
the leaves will act as a carminative to prevent wind and bloating. The
leaves are best not eaten raw, see the notes above on toxicity. The
leaves are generally very nutritious but very large quantities can
disturb the nervous system and cause gastric pain. The leaves contain
about 3.9% protein, 0.76% fat, 8.93% carbohydrate, 3% ash. A zero
moisture basis analysis is also available. Edible seed - dried and
ground into a meal and eaten raw or baked into a bread. The seed can
also be sprouted and added to salads. The seed is very fiddly to harvest
and use due to its small size. Although it is rather small, we have
found the seed very easy to harvest and simple enough to utilize. The
seed should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before
being used in order to remove any saponins. The seed contains about 49%
carbohydrate, 16% protein, 7% ash, 5.88% ash. Young inflorescences -
cooked. A tasty broccoli substitute.
Other uses of the herb: A green dye is obtained from the young shoots. The crushed fresh roots are a mild soap substitute.
Propagation of Chenopodium album :
Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a
few days of sowing. It is usually unnecessary to sow the seed since the
plant is a common garden weed and usually self-sows freely in most
soils.
Beneficial use in ecological pest control
: Chenopodium album is vulnerable to leaf miners, making it a useful
trap crop as a companion plant. Growing near other plants, it attracts
leaf miners which might otherwise have attacked the crop to be
protected. It is a host plant for the beet leafhopper, an insect which
transmits curly top virus to beet crops.
(Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future/International Information Resource Centre)
Availability materials : Chenopodium album seed, Chenopodium album plant, Chenopodium album leaves
For more information, contact:
The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR J&K 190001
Mob: 09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com
