Sorrel, Rumex acetosa, is also known as common sorrel, garden sorrel, meadow sorrel, narrow leaved dock (which is also used for the curled dock), sheep’s sorrel (which is properly used for a different plant, R. acetosella), sourgrass and spinach dock. If you garden, it’s quite likely you’ve dug up and thrown a number of sorrel plants on the compost heap over the years.
Sorrel is native to Europe, and is also found in temperate parts of Asia, North America and even Greenland! It’s closely related to curled dock, sheep’s sorrel and French or buckler’s sorrel, which is often grown as a salad crop. It is not related to rosella (which is also sometimes called sorrel).
Sorrel is a hardy perennial which reaches a height of 2′ (60cm) and will grow in any soil, even very acid soil, so long as it is moist and not in full shade. Plants are either male or female so if you wish to collect seeds you will need to ensure that you have some of each. If you don’t want the seeds or flowers, remove flowers as soon as you see them, as leaf production will stop otherwise. All parts are edible, and leaves will be available for salad or medicinal purposes all year round if you prevent flowering (especially if you provide some protection in the winter months) and can also be dried for later use.
Small quantities are an excellent addition to the diet as a salad vegetable or pot herb. Don’t overdo it, though. Sorrel is high in oxalates (as is spinach), which can prevent absorption of calcium, and also cause a flare up of existing rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity if eaten in large amounts.
The parts used in medicine are the leaves, juice (extracted from fresh leaves) and root. The juice is usually mixed with that of another plant, fumitory, and used to treat itchy skin and ringworm.
Make a standard infusion using 30g (1 ounce) of dried leaves or 3 handfuls of fresh to 570ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) boiling water. Allow to stand for between 15 minutes and 4 hours, strain and discard the herb.
A decoction is made using 30g (1 ounce) of chopped/crushed root to 570ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
Dosage in either case is a cup a day, which can be split into 3 doses.
The infusion is a cooling drink (the medicinal term for this is “refrigerant“), rich enough in vitamin C to treat scurvy, and can be used internally as a diuretic and laxative, for disorders of the liver, to dissolve kidney stones, expel parasites and treat stomach/duodenal ulcers. Externally, it can be used as a lotion for boils, abscesses and sores.
You can also make a poultice from the leaves by mashing them up, mixing with boiling water, wrapping in a bandage and applying to the area to be treated. This is used mainly for inflammation. As the poultice cools off, refresh by dipping into the remaining liquid (which should be kept hot) and replace.
Use a root decoction to treat jaundice and kidney stones.
Sorrel, like all plants grown for medicinal purposes, must be grown organically to ensure its active ingredients remain efficacious.To find out more about growing organic herbs visit the Gardenzone.
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