Words on Wellness • Sunny Smiles
By Karin Uphoff
As the summer simmers, flowering ‘wayside’ plants keep their sunny smiles. One is Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennsis) whose flowers first open in the evening and only last a day. This tall biannual with narrow leaves and lemon yellow flowers is related to fireweed and fuchsias and native to North America. It was used by Indigenous peoples as a leaf poultice for bruises and hemorrhoids, or an infusion to speed up wound healing and for upset stomachs. The boiled root and stem bark were taken for whooping cough, asthma, general stiffness, pelvic fullness and nerve pain. Seeds were considered a valuable food and medicine. In recent years, evening primrose seed oil has become an important dietary supplement and a good source of essential fatty acids, specifically gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is found in human breast milk, borage and black current seed oils, but is otherwise rare. Studies suggest the oil can improve eczema and possibly help address neuropathy, but hey – this plant is edible and can be grown in gardens for its nut-flavored first-year roots, which are boiled or baked. The young leaves and unripe seed pods are tasty in salads or cooked with other greens (they have a bitter/peppery flavor). The flowers add beauty and health to any dish along with seeds, which are collected when pods dry.
Another yellow plant is Western Salsify (Tragopogon dubius), which looks similar to a giant dandelion. There is also Purple Salsify (T. porrifolius) but both can have the nickname ‘goats beard’ because the bracts around the flower are so long. This plant was brought from Europe as a replacement for potatoes and can be enjoyed in soups, mashed or sautéed in butter with its greens. The edible greens look like tufts of coarse grass, and grow up to three feet tall. Related to dandelions, this plant saw some medicinal use for gallbladder, pancreas and liver complaints. There is also a yellow-flowered Black Salsify or vegetable oyster (Scorzonera hispanica), whose black roots are grown for their mild oyster-like flavor. This plant also goes by Viper’s Grass because it was a popular remedy for snakebites. All these simple roots contain iron, vitamin C, thiamin, calcium, potassium and phosphorus, plus a healthy dose of fiber, earning them “superfood” status!
