Foraging Pittsburgh

Wild Food Walks, Workshops, & Guided Nature Hikes

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) – A Beautiful Pennsylvania Native Plant

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wildgingerwildfoodism

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) — gotta take your time to really appreciate this one.

The flowers are a bit difficult to view from the top, so when you spot the heart-shaped leaves, get down real low and peer underneath.

The rhizomes smell and taste somewhat like true ginger, though the two plants aren’t closely related.  Use wild ginger in moderation — it contains a compound known as aristolochic acid, which can be carcinogenic and medicinal… depending, of course, on the dose.

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Author: Adam

Wild foodist

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