Łódź, Łagiewniki Forest

The drone fly is Eristalis tenax. It is native to Europe and central Asia. Edible plant - leaves, young shoots and stems used as an aromatic addition to salads, or cooked and used as a vegetable; stems and leafstalks are used in candies and sweetmeats; seeds used as an aromatic flavouring in confections and pastries; roots cooked. Herbal plant - the root and the seeds are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic; a decoction is sometimes used in the treatment of bronchial catarrh, coughs and dyspepsia; large doses have the effect of depressing the central nervous system.