Łódź, Łagiewniki Forest

It is native to western and central Europe. Edible plant - flower buds are pickled and used as a substitute for capers; the tender green tops of the plant have been used like hops to give a bitter flavour to beer and to render it more intoxicating(!); the roasted seeds are a coffee substitute. Herbal plant - is a bitter narcotic herb that depresses the respiration and regulates heart action, it acts upon the electrical conductivity of the heart, slowing and regulating the transmission of the impulses(!); young tips of flowering shoots and seeds are cardiotonic, cathartic, diuretic, emetic and vasoconstrictor; this herb should not be prescribed to pregnant women or patients with high blood pressure. Usable plant - growing well on dry banks and on steep slopes, the plant is an effective sand binder and soil stabilizer.