Medicinal Monday - Surprising Sheep Sorrel

Sorrel, known as Rumex acetosella is a flowering herb in the family Polygonaceae and is commonly found in grassland habitats. Today it is cultivated as a garden herb; however, it is and considered a pest to farmers that cultivate blueberries because of its invasiveness.  Native Americans found medicinal and culinary uses for this plant that grew in many different environments throughout the country.

About Sheep Sorrel

Sorrel is a slender perennial plant that is 4 to 12 inches high and blooms March - November.  It has a base of green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinged stems that sprout from a rhizome that spreads aggressively.  The stem grows one to three feet in height and has maroon colored flowers that grow in whorls in narrow elongated spikes that are male on one plant and female on another.  Blooms are followed by small shiny brown nutlets.  Sorrell originated in Eurasia and the British Islands but was introduced to North America where it is considered a hard to control weed that is found in damp meadows, grasslands and on sandy or acidic soil. 

Medicinal and Culinary Uses of Sorrel

The leaves of this plant are tart and have a lemon like or rhubarb-like flavor. Native Americans use sorrel as a seasoning for meat dishes, they also baked it into bread.  The Kiowa chewed leaves of this plant on long walks to relieve thirst; other Native American communities use it as an antidote to poison.  The Aleut applied a poultice of steamed leaves to warts and bruises and the Cherokee used leaves and blossoms to aid healing of old sores.  The Mohegan used fresh leaves as a digestive aid and would chew them to relieve a stomach ache.  The Squaxin would eat raw leaves to help remedy tuberculosis.

Did You Know...

The name sorrel is derived from the Germanic word "sur" and the old French word "surele" both meaning sour.

Other names for sheep sorrel are sour weed, red sorrel and field sorrel.

Sheep sorrel is an ingredient in essiac tea, an herbal preparation taken to treat a variety of cancers.

The American copper butterfly depends on sheep sorrel for food.

Blueberry farmers are familiar with this plant and consider it a weed because it grows in the same conditions under which blueberries are cultivated.

Sheep sorrel is used as a curdling agent in some types of cheese making.

An ancient Chinese belief was that sorrel could remove freckles.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS)

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs.  We have an outdoor replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village and Wigwam Escape and a Museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut.