Bratoszewice

Synonym 'Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sibiricum (L.) Simonk.'. Native to temperate Eurasia. Possible invasive plant! Bees feeding plant. Edible plant - stem and young shoots raw or cooked, used as a green vegetable, when harvested just as they are sprouting from the ground they are somewhat like asparagus in flavour, the rind is somewhat acrid; a sweet substance resembling sugar forms on the dried stems, a great delicacy; the peduncles, before flowering, can be eaten as a vegetable or added to soups. Herbal plant - the whole plant, harvested shortly before or at flowering time, is aphrodisiac, digestive, mildly expectorant and sedativ; it is used in the treatment of laryngitis and bronchitis, though it can cause allergic dermatitis in some people.