Table of Contents
- Edible Uses of Pearly Everlasting
- Medicinal Uses of Pearly Everlasting
- Alternative Uses of Silver Button
- Growing Anaphalis Margaritacea
Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is a unique looking edible and medicinal plant. While not used much these days for food or medicine, it’s still a hit for American Lady butterflies and florists alike.
Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is especially common along roadsides and damp ditches. It’s named for its pearly colored flower bracts. Silver leaf, silver button and moonshine are some of its similar folk names.
Edible Uses of Pearly Everlasting
Young plants and even older leaves can be eaten when cooked as a potherb, but their fuzziness may make them unpalatable to most folks.
Medicinal Uses of Pearly Everlasting
Pearly everlasting is primarily said to support these body systems:
- Integumentary
- Respiratory
Medicinal tags include Antiallergic, Antimicrobial, Antiseptic, Astringent, Expectorant and Sedative. See Medicinal tag key for more information.
Common usage includes smoked, sometimes with mullein, for coughs from colds or asthma. As an astringent, it can be used for a gargle for a sore throat, or in a skin poultice for burns and heat rash.
It’s an old remedy for paralysis, as a smoke cleansing, often including a mixture of herbs.
Alternative Uses of Silver Button
They are beautiful in flower arrangements as the flowers retain that pearly look when dried.
Green and yellow to brown dyes can be obtained from the flowers, stems and leaves.
They’ve been used as a moth repellent in wardrobes (but hey, there are literally 2 moth species that eat clothes, out of 160,000 species!) My lack of clothing eating moths makes it hard to test this out!
Growing Anaphalis Margaritacea
The first thing that got me interested in planting some pearly is that the leaves are host to the caterpillars of various painted lady butterflies (Vanessa spp.), a butterfly I have only seen here on rare occasion. Other butterflies will visit it too. You can plant it in about any soil, even poor soil, and it’ll flower best in full sun. If the butterflies find it, it’ll look a little messy (the cats pull the flowerheads together into a cotton ball like clump, maybe one reason it’s also called cottonweed), but the plant will grow back and frass from the caterpillar activity will make it grow back better. It’s a good spreader too, and low maintenance!
I’m starting the seeds of this one this year, 2022, and in two years we’ll have flowers🤞. I’m using it as a medium height groundcover along ditches and in remaining spots of grassy lawn I want to ditch.
WARNINGS
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. Before taking any new supplements, you should consult with a healthcare professional.
2) A vast amount of these herbs are diuretic. (See the Medicinal tags above to check if this featured herb is one of them!) Diuretics are generally safe, but they can be risky for people with other medical conditions or who take certain medications. Please consult your doctor if you have any health conditions.
3) 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.
4) For serious 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.
5) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.
6) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.
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REFERENCES
My new favourite foraging book is Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America and this plant IS NOT featured in his book. Which to the least means it isn’t a popular edible. I highly recommend this thorough guide for your bookshelves!
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada
How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts (Native American)