Ox-eye Daisy – Leucanthemum Vulgare: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Beloved Daisy of Wild Plants

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The daisy, commonly seen woven into a crown on the heads of ethereally dressed children in aesthetic photography.. who knew this familiar flower is edible and medicinal too?

Daisies are quite neglected in my herbal library. Yet they’re one of the first plants many young folks will recognize; the token “he loves me, he loves me not” sort of daisy.

Ox-eye Daisy - Leucanthemum Vulgare
Ox-eye Daisy – Leucanthemum Vulgare

Edible Uses of Ox-eye Daisy

Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, mixed sparingly in a salads perhaps. Finely chopped young spring shoots and the young root can also be also be used.

Unopened buds can be marinated and used as capers.

You can eat the flowers, best fried in batter, like dandelions. All the parts are bitter and pungent, especially with age, so cooking helps.

Medicinal Uses of Ox-eye Daisy

Ox-eye Daisy is primarily said to support these body systems:

  • Digestive
  • Integumentary
  • Nervous
  • Respiratory

Medicinal tags include Astringent, Antispasmodic, Diuretic, and Sedative. See Medicinal tag key for more information.

Common usage includes using in place of chamomile as a tonic. There’s also the usual massive list of astringent uses, e.g. lotions and salves for wounds. Some may find it relieves excess sweating and excessive mucous discharge.

Alternative Uses of Dog Daisy

The acrid juice contains polyacetylenes and thiphenes, which are insecticidal.

Daisy chains. Oh, memories. 🙂

Ox-eye Daisy - Leucanthemum Vulgare
Ox-eye Daisy – Leucanthemum Vulgare

Growing Leucanthemum Vulgare

The fact it can bloom late spring and then sparsely into early autumn makes it an attractive option for brightening up a flower garden, but native black-eyed Susan also fills that niche. And looks wise we have native fleabanes including horseweed, and asters that’ll do too.

WARNINGS

Large doses may cause vomitting.

And the Usual Cautions:

1) Most medicinal herbs, if edible, are meant to be eaten in moderation, even sparingly. Some require extra preparation. Tannins are toxic if consumed in excess.

2) People can be allergic or sensitive to nearly any plant; try new herbs one at a time at your own risk. For instance, saponins commonly cause stomach upset.

3) For medicinal use, I must recommend receiving a diagnosis and working with a reputed health care provider. I generally do not post specific treatments and dosages because I think that is best between you and your health care provider, and ideally monitored.

4) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.

5) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.

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REFERENCES

wiki/Leucanthemum_vulgare

Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada

A Modern Herbal (Volume 1, A-H): The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees with Their Modern Scientific Uses

Planting the Future: Saving Our Medicinal Herbs

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