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Common Name: Fumitory

General Information

Fumaria officinalis is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Most of Europe, including Britain, to the Mediterranean and east to Iran.

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
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[, , ].
This plant can be a common weed in some gardens, self-sowing freely, though it is fairly easy to control by hand weeding[]. 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)[, , ].
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 makes a curative lotion for 'milk-crust' on the scalps of babies[].

Propagation

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