Common Name: Fumitory

General Information

Fumaria officinalis is an annual plant growing from a taproot with a branched stem that can be prostrate, ascending or erect; it can grow up to 30cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Europe from Norway to Portugal and eastwards; West and central Asia - Turkey, the Levant, Iraq, Caucasia, Kazakhstan; N. Africa - Morocco to Egypt

Habitat

Arable land and as a weed in gardens, usually on lighter soils[, ]. It is also found growing on old walls[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a light well-drained soil in a sunny position[, , ]. Prefers friable, nutrient-rich loams, usually low in lime[].
This plant can be a common weed in some gardens, self-sowing freely, though it is fairly easy to control by hand weeding[]. It infests grain and mainly tilled crops, fodder grasses, flax; occurs in kitchen gardens, orchards, near habitations, on fallow lands, along roads, railway embankments[].
The flowers are seldom visited by insects, but they are self-fertile and usually set every seed[].

Edible Uses

The fresh or dried herb can be added to sour plant milks. A few sprays are added to each litre of liquid and left until the liquid has soured thickly. The sprays are then removed. It gives a tangy taste to the milk, acts as a preservative and prevents the rancid taste that can accompany soured milk[].

Medicinal

Fumitory has been highly valued since at least Roman times for its tonic and blood cleansing effect upon the body[]. It is particularly valuable in the treatment of all visceral obstructions, particularly those of the liver, in scorbutic affections and in troublesome eruptive diseases of the skin, especially eczema (for which it can be taken internally and externally)[, , ].
A decoction makes a curative lotion for the treatment of 'milk-crust' on the scalps of babies[].
The herb is antispasmodic, aperient, cholagogue, slightly diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, laxative and weakly tonic[, , , , ].
The plant is harvested as flowering begins in the summer and can be used fresh or can be dried for later use[, ].
Some caution should be exercised in the use of this herb since excess doses cause hypnotic and sedative effects, especially if it is taken for more than about 8 days[, ].

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[, ].

A decoction of the plant makes a curative lotion for 'milk-crust' on the scalps of babies[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Optimum 18-20°C.There is normally very little need to sow this seed, the plant normally self-sows freely and should manage quite nicely by itself.