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Aegopodium podagraria (Ground Elder) is a perennial herbaceous plant. It has a long, horizontal, creeping underground rhizome with numerous buds and shoots. The plant forms large thickets connected by the common rhizome. The stem is hollow, slightly grooved, sparsely branched, either smooth or covered with short fine hairs, and can reach up to 1 meter in height. The leaves are complex and alternate; the lower leaves are simple, twice ternate, with long petioles. Leaf segments are sharply double-serrated and oblong-ovate in shape, while the upper leaves are less dissected and smaller. Leaf length can reach 10-30 cm, with a width of 15-35 cm, growing on long petioles measuring 30-40 cm.
The small white flowers are gathered in complex multi-rayed umbels. The upper umbel is larger than the lateral sterile umbels, which lack involucres and bracts. The inflorescence is a compound umbel with 20-30 rays (small umbels), each no more than 1.5 cm in diameter. Each small umbel consists of 15 or more rays with tiny flowers having pure white petals; each flower has 5 stamens and 1 pistil. Only the central (upper) umbel produces fruit, while the lateral umbels are sterile. The flower formula of Aegopodium podagraria is Ч5(5)Л5Т5∞П1→.
The flowering period lasts about one month, usually in early summer (sometimes extending until August). The fruit is an elongated, slightly laterally compressed, brown schizocarp with ribs, 3-4 mm long, containing two seeds. The fruit matures in August. Ground Elder reproduces both vegetatively and by seeds.
Harvesting of Raw Materials
The medicinal raw material consists of the leaves and young shoots. The rhizomes of Aegopodium podagraria are used much less frequently in traditional medicine.
The herb is harvested before the first buds appear, usually in late April to early May. With periodic cutting, raw material can be collected throughout the summer. The plant material should not be washed before drying. The herb is dried outdoors, under a shelter, or in a well-ventilated room, spread out in a thin layer and protected from direct sunlight. Final drying can be done using an electric dryer at a temperature not exceeding 40°C. The finished dried raw material is stored in paper bags. When stored in glass containers, the herb may start to rot (especially if it was not fully dried). Properly dried raw material retains its properties for up to 1 year.
When harvesting Aegopodium podagraria, it is crucial not to confuse it with similar poisonous plants: water hemlock (Cicuta), poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), and fool’s parsley (Aethusa cynapium). Poisonous species have thicker stems and grow taller (over 1 meter) than Aegopodium. Their stems are often purple or violet tinted, and their leaves are narrower than those of Aegopodium.
The smell of water hemlock roots resembles celery, poison hemlock emits an unpleasant mouse-like odor, and its inflorescences are much larger than those of Aegopodium podagraria. The stem of fool’s parsley has thin stripes, and its shiny leaves smell like garlic on the underside.
Chemical Composition
Aegopodium podagraria contains valuable substances, including proteins and carbohydrates such as umbelliferose, glucose, and fructose; cyclitols like scillit and glucinol; lectins; coumarins such as umbelliferone, bergapten, and xanthotoxin; steroids including sitosterol; and the nitrogen-containing compound choline.
The aerial parts contain vitamins and organic acids (malic, citric, and ascorbic acids); amino acids including arginine, histidine, leucine, lysine, threonine, valine, methionine, and carotene; as well as bioflavonoids like quercetin, kaempferol, and their glycosides.
The vitamin C content in 100 grams of Aegopodium leaves ranges from 65 to 100 mg, increasing toward autumn.
The plant also contains phytoncides, polyacetylenes (falcarinol, falcarindiol), enzymes, saponins, coumarins, ash, resins, and small amounts of essential oils. The concentration of essential oils varies depending on the plant’s growing location, averaging 0.02–0.04% in the aerial parts.
In 100 grams of fresh Aegopodium, there is approximately 16.6 mg of iron, 2 mg of copper, 2.1 mg of manganese, 1.7 mg of titanium, and 4 mg of boron.
Pharmacological Properties
The compounds found in Aegopodium podagraria have tonic effects and exhibit diuretic and choleretic (bile-stimulating) properties, as well as vasoprotective, detoxifying, antispasmodic, and calming effects.
Aegopodium reduces inflammatory processes, alleviates joint pain, decreases allergy symptoms, and demonstrates antibacterial and antifungal activity. It also helps prevent thrombosis (blood clot formation).
The aerial parts contain a high amount of beneficial carotene, a powerful antioxidant that enhances the immune system and positively impacts the nervous system’s health.
Additionally, Aegopodium is a source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), an essential vitamin that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must obtain through diet.
Use in Traditional Medicine
Aegopodium podagraria (ground elder) has long been used by traditional healers to treat gout. Poultices made from the aerial parts of the plant are effective against this condition. It is also commonly applied in folk medicine to treat inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, polyarthritis, and arthrosis. Its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties help alleviate symptoms of these disorders and are used to treat inflammation of the skeletal muscles.
In Abkhazia, people use the leaves and shoots of Aegopodium podagraria to treat atopic dermatitis and erysipelas.
The plant supports the functioning of the stomach, intestines, and liver, and also stimulates kidney activity.
Aegopodium has calming effects and is used to treat neuroses and sleep disorders by stabilizing the nervous system. Folk healers often recommend baths made from the plant’s rhizomes for this purpose.
Decoctions and ointments based on Aegopodium are used by traditional practitioners to treat various fungal infections.
Thanks to its iron content, Aegopodium is beneficial for iron-deficiency anemia. In such cases, healers advise adding it to salads or drinking decoctions made from the herb.
The plant is also valuable for treating hypovitaminosis and avitaminosis, as it is rich in vitamins and minerals. Young leaves and shoots are used as an anti-scurvy remedy, typically by slowly chewing them over 1–2 hours.
Due to its detoxifying properties, Aegopodium is used in folk medicine for cleansing the body of toxins and poisons, and it helps reduce swelling.