Łódź, Botanical Garden

It is native to the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. Bees feeding plant. Edible plant - leaves cooked, used like spinach; the herb is used as a substitute for rennet in curdling plant milks. Herbal plant - the leaves and flowering tops are diaphoretic, diuretic, galactogogue and hypoglycaemic; it has also been used in the treatment of fevers; it is taken internally to treat insufficient lactation, late-onset diabetes, pancreatitis and digestive problems, especially chronic constipation caused by a lack of digestive enzymes. Useful plant - a fast-growing plant, it makes a good green manure crop, enriching the soil with organic matter and also fixing atmospheric nitrogen; the plant has potential as a natural fertilizer on saline soils.