Hedge mustard

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Hedge-mustard

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Sisymbrium
Species:	S. officinale

Binomial name

Sisymbrium officinale
(L.) Scop.

Hedge mustard is a plant, Sisymbrium officinale of the family Cruciferae. It is found on roadsides, 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.

The Hedge-mustard is food for the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera, such as the Small White (Pieris rapae).

[edit] Relationship with humans

The Greeks believed it was an antidote to all poisons. In folk medicine it was used to soothe sore throats - indeed one name for it is singer's plant.

Hedge mustard is a diuretic, expectorant, tonic and laxative. herbalists use the juice and flowers to treat bronchitis and stomach ailment, among other uses, and as a revitaliser.^[1]

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 pot herb (in cultivar versions). The seeds have been used to make mustard pastes in Europe.^[2]