Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) is a firm favourite amongst foragers as it has such a distinct taste and a multitude of edible uses. Despite being a very common plant, it’s not actually that well known amongst the general public, and it can't be said that its vernacular name particularly does much for elevating its reputation. Those who have heard of it are probably associating it with its bad boy big brother, giant hogweed, reknown for causing burns.
However, as we’ll explore in this plant profile, I think common hogweed's low profile actually belies an inner strength which we can all learn from.
In this plant profile, I cover:
1) Naming hogweed
Names are an interesting thing. What do they represent? A lot I would say. Language matters, it shapes perceptions, and first impressions - and also can give us some indication of how people viewed things in the past.
Hogweed has many vernacular names across the UK. My favourite by far is the Devonshire 'humpy scrumples', or limpenskrimps, though I'm not entirely sure what it means (let me know if you do), but it just sounds jolly.
It was also called 'cow parsnip' by William Turner in the 16th Century, presumably beacuse its flowers smelled of cow dung.
The plant’s most used vernacular name is, "common hogweed", because it was fed to pigs and was presumably thought of as a weed. Apparently it was not unusual to see people walking around with bundles of it to feed to pigs. The flowers also smell a bit like a pig sty too, which is a further association with our swiney friends.
I can't help but feel that the name hogweed is a bit of a derogatory name for such an impressive plant. Not that there is anything wrong with feeding pigs, of course - it needs to be done. However, combined with the word “weed”definitely gives the impression that this is a bit of a lowly plant - an afterthought for humans. Add common to the front of that, and it becomes even less impressive!
Enter Hercules
By contrast, the botanical name of common Hogweed's genus, Heracleum, is rooted in classical mythology, particularly in the association with Heracles (Hercules). The plant was named as such by the great naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1753, a family name he gave to the five plants he identified in this family.
Why? Well it's hard to say where he got it from. He often named plants after classical mythology. I have read that legend said that Hercules used the plant medicinally - and I live the idea that it was strong enough to heal such a hero.[1]
It has also been speculated that the name reflects a tradition of naming plants after mythological figures to reflect their attributes. In this case, it relates to the plant’s size, sturdiness and vigor, which symbolizes strength, a characteristic of Heracles. This would especially be the case for giant hogweed (more on that below) - but even common hogweed has thick stems, expansive leaves, and grows vigorously.
It just strikes me as fascinating that the same plant can be both referred to as a weed, only good enough for the pigs --- and also the healer of the great Hercules!! To observe hogweed out and about you can't help but notice its strength. It's a striking plant, grows abundantly, and as we'll explore it has so many nutritional and medicinal benefits, I think this is really a great example of a plant worthy of its botanical name.
2)Identifying common Hogweed
Hogweed thrives across Europe, Western Asia and parts of North Africa and can grow in a number of habitats ranging from meadows to woodland edges, roadsides and riverbanks. I would argue that it’s abilty to grow in different habitats is another sign of its strength.
Like its cousins in the carrot/apiacea family, Hogweed has flowers with white umbels. It differs however in having really distinctive leaves (pictured below), which are slightly rounded. Its fresh leaves grow under a sheaf which I think is rather beautiful. It has a celery-esque stem when cut, which is hairy and often purple on the side that faces the sun.
As with all plants that you forage, really take your time to get to know hogweed before you start eating it - check out some ID guides (I list some I recommend in my resources section), and read my blog on How to Start Foraging.
This is especially important with Hogweed which as a member of the umbellifer apiaceae family could potentially be confused with some pretty toxic plants including Hemlock (which will kill you), Hemlock Water Dropwort (will kill you even quicker) to someone not familiar with plants at all. It's actually quite easy to distinguish hogweed from these to be fair as the leaves are very different.
The biggest risk of confusion is giant hogweed -- I've included in the 'cautions' section of this blog.
3) Foraging hogweed
It turns out that feeding it to pigs wasn't a bad idea as it's highly nutritious -- and for humans too!
It contains 105mg of Vitamin C per 100g of fresh leaves [2] - to put that in context, oranges contain between 50-60mg! Per 100g it also contains 5.31g of protein, 6.42g of carbohydrates, and 50 calories. [2] A real power vegetable!! (And another source of hidden strength).
The key thing that makes it a favourite amongst foragers is its versatility and its taste. The whole plant including the roots can be boiled or used as a pot herb - just make sure you cook it (see cautions section)! Common usage is as follows:
The young leaf shoots can be steamed or sauteed in butter. The taste is very distinctive - it has been likened to asparagus, but for me it tastes unlike anything else. I confess it's not my favourite part of the plant.
The young flower buds (photographed above) make an excellent vegetable too, and can be sauteed or steamed in butter. They look. a bit broccoli-esque but actually have a very subtle taste.
The seeds (photographed below) are a wonderful native spice here in the UK - that have been likened to cardamom and bitter orange. You can eat them either green or brown - though I prefer the taste of the other as I find it deeper and much more complex. You can eat it as part of a native chai tea mix, or mix it into porridge / cake etc. The opportunities are endless! What really blows my mind is that we import spices from the other side of the world yet we have the most amazing tastes growing here on our very doorstep!
In some parts of the world, it is used as an ingredient for several traditional recipes.
The sour soup, borscht, common in Eastern Europe, originated from a traditional soup that was initially prepared using the fermented stems, leaves, and umbels of common hogweed (there is now also a Ukranian version made from beetroot).
I like to imagine that before global trade routes were opened up bringing spices like cardamon and cinnamon, Hogweed played a really important role in giving local cuisine a deep and complex taste. The trouble is that it's really hard to find evidence of exact local usage because often this social history wasn't written down!
It may not come as a surprise that a recent study found that it has "good potential" as a cash crop given that it grows easily in marginal places and also has high nutritional benefits. But why go that far when we can help ourselves for free?
As well as being abundant it is a plant that can be foraged over much of the year given that different parts of the plant can be used at different times (shoots in spring, flowers in early summer, seeds late summer & autumn).
4) Herbal medicine
Hogweed is not one the most well known plants in herbal medicine - in fact I struggled to find it in any of my herbal medicine books! Nonetheless, it appears that Hercules was certainly onto something.
Hogweed is said to have sedative, expectorant and tonic properties and it is still used today to treat spinal complaints, epilepsy, headaches and stomach pain.
It is said that in Eastern European countries, especially in Romania, hogweed is used as an aphrodisiac and for addressing gynaecological, fertility, and impotence issues. In Piedmont, "potions" were frequently recommended as nerve system sedatives.
During the Renaissance, hogweed was also utilized to combat depressive episodes, and the root infusion has been recognized since ancient Egypt for treating impotence and frigidity. [3]
5) Biodiversity benefits of Hogweed
Whenever I spot this plant out and about it is always covered with insects - particularly flies and beetles . It apparently attracts no less than 118 insect species [2], including 16 varieties of moth! [1]
The UK Polinator Monitoring Scheme has found that in its Flower-Insect Timed (FIT) Counts, Hogweed flowers are visited by a huge variety of different insects, beaten only by Ivy!
One of the ways it attracts pollinators is its smell, which although not so pleasant to humans clearly works for the insects! Another is the fact that it has an open, flat flower structure that is easily accessible. It has also been found to be a top ten flower for nectar production which probably also helps!
6) Cautions
The main caution with common hogweed is that the sap has phototoxic chemicals called furocoumarins which if get onto the skin and exposed to sunlight can cause blistering and burning. It's part of the stress the response of the plant when cut - intended to protect it from predators. I love that this plant has its own mechanism of self defence - surely another sign of inner strength!
There's no need to be too alarmed about the chemicals in this particular species of hogweed, though. In fact, these are commonly occurring in many plants eaten by humans including grapefruit, carrot, orange etc.
I have been foraging hogweed for years and have never had any issues, but many foraging books advise harvesting it with gloves, so its worth bearing this in mind. Cooking the plant kills the potency of the chemicals - so no need to worry when eating it as cooked food. Just don't eat it raw!
It's also not advisable to eat it when pregnant or breastfeeding.
Big brother Giant Hogweed
These photo toxins are more concerning when it comes to giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum. This is a non native plant --- and its sap can cause very serious blisters and burning which cause hospitalisation (see Guardian article on this issue)!
As with many of our common non natives, it was brought over deliberately and escaped. Its first known mention of its arrival in Britain can be found in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Seed List of 1817, where giant hogweed was included among the seeds provided to Kew by the Russian Gorenki Botanic Gardens (see RHS).
In 2017 the government in the UK listed it as an invasive, non native, plant species in England and Wales. It is illegal to breed, transport, or sell it - a crime punishable with a fine or even up to 3 months in prison. In all honesty, you wouldn't want to touch it anyway.
How to tell it apart from common hogweed? Well, if you've ever come across giant hogweed, it really looks like it comes from another planet - it is massive! The leaves look more jagged and angry-looking than common hogweed, and the stem has purple blotches (rather than hogweed's stem which is hairy and purple too but not blotchy). It is a striking plant, there's no doubt about that. It can grow to 5m tall.
The challenge, unfortunately, is that when the plant is very young it can easily be confused with common hogweed. So do some reserch and be 100% sure of the ID before foraging common hogweed. This will also ensure you don't confuse it with other highly toxic members of the umbillifer family, such as hemlock or hemlock water dropwort - which as I've mentioned above can both kill you!
Concluding thoughts
I do think that common hogweed can teach us a lot about inner strength. Regardless of its common name, the plant does demonstrate some really herculean qualities. From its ability to grow prolifically across multiple habitats, badass release of chemicals in response to predators, and great medicinal and nutritional qualities. I hope that reading this blog means you'll keep an eye out for it when out and about - and let me know if you spot it!
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Resources
[3] Matarrese, E.; Renna, M. Prospects of Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium L.) as a New Horticultural Crop for Food and Non-Food Uses: A Review. Horticulturae 2023, 9, 246. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9020246
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