Cow Parsnip

There is a place, on one of our walks, that must be fed by an underground stream for it not only produces some lush looking plants but an abundance of mosquitoes as well (I, being the mosquito magnet that I am -- notice!). This plant, a giant (can grow 2 meters and more in height), is

"Cow Parsnip" (Heracleum lanatum or Heracleum maximum).

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First Nation peoples peeled off the fibrous outer layer of the young stalks (before flowering) and ate them raw or cooked ... something like celery. Hence, you may hear the name Indian Celery or Indian Rhubarb applied to this plant. Young leaves may be used in a salad.

Dried stalks can be used like straws ... or made into flutes for children.

The ashes, from leaves dried and burned, can be used as a salt substitute.

Blossoms steeped in oil make a mosquito repellent.

An important food for grizzly bears ... especially in the spring. Moose are fond of it too.

Roots can be

• made into a yellow dye
• made into a medicine for those sick with colic or stomach cramps
• cooked like rutabaga with supposedly a similar taste
• side roots resemble ginseng root and even smell like it when fresh or dried

Seeds may, sparingly, be eaten ripe or unripe and added to salads. Green seed tincture can be applied to a sore tooth ... something like clove oil. May be used like dill seed to relieve colic and flatulence.

Because of its large leaves, someone reported its use as T.P. ... when desperation hits in the woods!! But check out your skin sensitivity to this plant first ... or you may just be a bit uncomfortable for a while!!!

Raw juice on skin can cause a photo toxic reaction ... i.e. a rash may develop on exposure to sunlight. A word of caution (if you are at all tempted to try some of the concoctions), when first emerging in the spring, this plant can resemble the very poisonous Water Hemlock.

A very versatile plant it seems.