who with Andreas Sölva on the way, is stopped once more and once more: meadow sage is blooming next to the apple orchards in blue colors, the stag’s tongue fern has conquered an old wall or the goutweed is spreading on the mountain slope above Lake Caldaro. Each of these plants is edible, has its own taste and promotes health. The herbs found are in the kitchen or as medicinal plants usable, with some wild plants being protected.
Compared to cultivated vegetables and fruit, herbs have many more vitamins and minerals.
Today, two house guests of the hotel where Andreas Sölva works as a chef accompany the herbal expert on an excursion Hike near Altenburg. “You shouldn’t collect herbs along the wayside, in fertilized meadows, orchards, on private property, near animal feeding places and roads,” he says. During the hike he finds over 30 different herbs. Depending on the herb, the processing and effect is different.
“Strawberry, raspberry and blackberry leaves can be drunk in tea all year round, but with other wild herbs it makes sense not to take them for a long time,” explains Sölva. Otherwise, the body will be burdened with ingredients that already achieve their health-promoting effect within a short period of time and then tend to harm the body – according to the principle ‘the amount makes the poison’.
Benefits of Wild Herbs
Compared to cultivated vegetables and fruit, herbs have many more vitamins and minerals. A nettle contains seven times as much vitamin C as an orange, and the plant also has a purifying and detoxifying effect. The coumarin contained in sweet clover, for example, counteracts water retention in the tissue and ensures optimal drainage of lymphatic fluid.
The Deer Tongue Fern: astringent, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, soothing, expectorant, diuretic, inhibits milk secretion, wound healing; (Photo: salto.bz)
The bitter substances contained in many herbs promote digestion. Even proteins and carbohydrates are contained in some wild plants, for example in the roots. The root of the angel fern is tasted on the herb hike with Andreas Sölva. With its ingredients, it can compete with a cup of coffee because it provides an energy boost.
In their variety of species, meadows and forest offer a range of herbs that make the daily kitchen more varied and healthier. “The local herbs harmonize well with each other and can therefore be mixed during preparation,” explains Andreas Sölva. In order to protect nature, you should only collect as many herbs as you need. “If you are unsure regarding identifying the plants, it is better not to collect them.” There is also more information regarding identifying and using herbs in numerous books and on the Internet.
If so, herbs have slight side effects and can protect and promote health as a preventive measure.
The herbs can be used in the kitchen for teas, salads, soups and much more. If you make extracts from the plants, they can also be used as medicine. In particular, the burnet / buckroot is suitable as a medicine because it is a natural antibiotic.
The burnet: The dried root is still used today in the pharmaceutical industry to treat bronchitis and asthma. (Photo: salto.bz)
Andreas Sölva acquired this knowledge himself. The trained chef did herbal training at the Laimburg and also uses wild plants in his work. “If herbs do have slight side effects, they can protect and promote health as a preventive measure.”
On a discovery tour: Many useful plants grow in nature. (Photo: salto.bz)
