Garlic Mustard / ผักเสี้ยนฝรั่ง
Garlic Mustard Fast Facts
Scientific name: Alliaria petiolata
Identification: triangular, heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges and white four-petal flowers
How it was introduced: Brought from Europe in 1800s for herbal uses and erosion control
Edible? Yes, can be harvested when young. Older plants should be cooked thoroughly due to increased toxicity.
What is garlic mustard?
Garlic mustard, originally from Europe and Asia, has become a very troublesome invasive plant across the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest of the United States.
The plant was introduced to North America in the mid 1800s for its herbal and medicinal qualities and as erosion control.
Its aliases are Poor Man’s Mustard, Hedge Garlic, Garlic Root and Jack-by-the-Hedge. It is called garlic mustard because its leaves have a garlic smell when they are crushed.
During its first year, garlic mustard leaves are rounder and take on a rosette formation at ground level. In their second year, the leaves grow up a flowering stem and become more triangular and heart-shaped with toothed edges. Small white four-petaled flowers emerge in the spring.
Like many invasive species, garlic mustard requires patience and persistence to get rid of.
Why is garlic mustard bad?
Garlic mustard is a threat to the biodiversity (the variety of life on Earth and in a habitat) of many native ecosystems.
This plant spreads its seeds in the wind and gains a foothold in fields and forests by emerging earlier in spring than many native plants. By the time native species are ready to grow, garlic mustard has blocked their sunlight and outcompeted them for moisture and vital nutrients.
This advantage is only strengthened as climate change continues to alter seasons faster than native plants can adapt. Invasive species that crowd out forest ecosystems inhibit trees, which store large amounts of carbon dioxide, from growing.
Because the understory of a forest is so important for insects and other species at the bottom of the food chain, invaders like garlic mustard can weaken the entire ecosystem.
Further, garlic mustard’s roots release chemicals that alter the important underground network of fungi that connect nutrients between native plants, inhibiting the growth of important species like trees.
Fortunately for us, we have options to rid ourselves of this pest of a plant.
How do you kill garlic mustard?
The ultimate goal in removing garlic mustard is to prevent seed development and spreading until the existing seed bank is depleted. Unluckily for us, this may take 2- 5 years in any confined area. Vigilance is key, as garlic mustard can sprout up even when you're sure that you've gotten rid of every last one.
The best way to get rid of garlic mustard is manually :
🟣 Try to pull up the plants before they set seed, because the action of yanking the plant from the ground will spread the seed.
🟣 A good time to pull garlic mustard is after it rains, when it’s easier to get all or most of the long tap root.
🟣 After you have pulled the plants, bag them up and throw them out with your garbage; do not compost.
🟣 For more info, see the USDA's guide to the species.
The task may seem daunting, but if you watch carefully, you will see that native plants and even tree seedlings steadily re-populate the areas where you have removed the garlic mustard. You are helping the area become healthier!
Can you eat garlic mustard?
Yes, garlic mustard is edible. Harvest young, when it’s less bitter (older plants need to be cooked thoroughly as they contain cyanide). Adds spice to dips, sauces, salads, and stir fries. Be sure to harvest the whole plant, roots and all, to help prevent its spread. Pull up any nearby plants you don’t intend to eat and put in a bag (to prevent seeds from falling) and throw away. Clean off boots and clothes to further reduce the spread.
Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard is a common wild herb in Britain and Ireland. Its leaves exude a garlicky smell when bruised or chopped, although the plant is unrelated to garlic.
Scientific Name
Family
Brassicaceae
Botanical Description
Garlic mustard has straight, stems (hairy at the base) with large green and toothy leaves, sometimes described as heart-shaped. The flowers are small and white with cross-shaped petals.
Status
Biennial. Native.
Habitat And Distribution
Deciduous woodland, cultivated land, hedgerows, wasteland.
Parts Used For Food
Leaf, stems, flowers, seeds, root.
Harvest Time
March, April, July, August, September.
Food Uses
The release of a garlic smell and taste when the leaves are crushed led to the use of garlic mustard as an alternative to true garlic. Thus it can be said to have the same uses as garlic in food preparation and cooking. The wild herb also makes an excellent savoury salad green, sauce and potherb. Seeds used as a pepper substitute. The root has wasabi notes, and the flavour ranges from ‘very hot’ to ‘sweet with mild heat’ depending on location and region.
Nutritional Profile
As a member of the mustard family, which includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mustard and watercress, garlic mustard could be among those vegetables which if eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet might help to prevent cancer.
It shares cancer-preventing chemicals isothiocyanates, from the mustard family, and allyl sulfides, from the garlic family.
Garlic Mustard Recipes
- Garlic mustard and blue cheese pasta
- Garlic mustard and cow parsley sauce
- Garlic mustard and three cornered leek vichysoisse
Herbal Medicine Uses Of Garlic Mustard
Garlic mustard has been used as an antiseptic herb for treating leg ulcers, bruises and sores, coughs and colds, clearing a stuffy head, to encourage sweating and even as a cure for colic and kidney stones.
In Somerset, England, the fresh green leaves were rubbed on feet to relieve the cramp.
Other Uses
A yellow dye might also be obtained from the whole plant.
Safety Note
Garlic mustard is apparently “palatable to livestock”, which suggests another means to manage its spread on the borders of fields and woodlands. An unfortunate side effect of this, however, is that it might lend a disagreeable flavour to cows’ milk and an unpleasant taste to poultry meat.
References
Duke, J. A. (1992) Handbook of edible weeds. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Gerard, J. (1994) Gerard’s herbal: the history of plants. Nachdruck. Marcus Woodward (ed.). London: Senate, an imprint of Studio Editions Ltd.
Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s herbal: the secret history of British plants. London: Penguin.
Mac Coitir, N. & Langrishe, G. (2015) Ireland’s wild plants: myths, legends and folklore.
Quattrocchi, U. (2012) CRC world dictionary of medicinal and poisonous plants: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms, and etymology (5 Volume Set). Boca Raton: CRC press.
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