Herbs Past

Bistort

Bistort aka common bistort, European bistort, snakeroot, snakeweed, or pudding dock (Persicaria bistorta) is a perennial herb. It is native to temperate Eurasia and Morocco. Bistort is hardy in USDA zones 3-7. It prefers moist nutrient-rich soil. When growing as a garden escape, it might be found in moist meadows and forest edges. In the early 18th century this herb was known as Bistorta.

All parts of the plant are edible. Most commonly the leaves and young shoots are boiled or steamed as a pot herb. In Northern England the plant was used during Lent to make a bitter pudding (hence the common name “pudding dock”). In traditional medicine the roots are astringent (contain significant concentrations of both tannic and gallic acids). The roots were also used to treat diarrhea. Both the roots and the leaves were used to treat wounds. Bistort, which has pink flowers in dense spikes, is commonly grown as an ornamental. One cultivar, ‘Superba,’ has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Taxonomic note: “World Flora Online” (worldfloraonline.org) considers Bistorta officinalis Delarbre (1800) to be a synonym of Persicaria bistorta (L.) Samp. (1913). “Plants of the World Online” (powo.science.kew.org) is of the opposite opinion. This species was first described as Polygonum bistortum by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum (1753).

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