Medicinal Monday...Common Yellow Woodsorrel

This dainty summer perennial herb found in Connecticut is easy to identify with its clover-like leaves and delicate yellow flower. It is sometimes mistaken for a patch of clover in the grass because of its leaves. It has a long history as a culinary herb and for medicinal use.

About Common Yellow Woodsorrel

This plant is in the Oxalis genus and even though it looks like clover, it is in a totally different family. Woodsorrel is a native North American plant that grows from little bulbils. The plant often branches out particularly at its base and can grow up to eight inches. It has three heart-shaped leaves and delicate yellow flowers with five petals, 5 light green sepals, ten stamens, and a pistil. Seeds form in hard capsules that split open when ripe and seeds spill out. Each pod has ten seeds. It can be found in open woodlands, grassy meadows, lawns, and gardens. It has a tendency to spread aggressively because it reseeds itself.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

The genus oxalis means sour and the leaves, flowers, and stems have a tangy taste. The taste is described as sour and lemony but not bitter. Native American communities used this plant to flavor stews and salads. The pods were ground and added as a spice. The leaves also make a good tea. The Cherokee ate the leaves raw and the Meskwaki ate this plant for its acidity. The Omaha pounded the bulbs and fed them to horses to increase their speed and endurance. Pawnee and Ponca children ate the leaves, flowers, and bulbs. The Meskwaki boiled the entire plant to make a yellow dye.

The Iroquois made a compound decoction of the roots and took this as a blood medicine. They also used it as an anti-witch medicine. An infusion of the plant was taken for fever as well as for cramps and nausea. The Kiowa chewed the leaves on long walks to relieve thirst. The Kiowa name for this plant means salt and they used it as sort of an electrolyte when out on a hike.  The Omaha made a poultice and applied it to swellings.

Did You Know...

This wild plant is full of Vitamin C and contains potassium oxalate and oxalic acid, which can be toxic in high quantities but beneficial in smaller quantities.

The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract Halictid bees, bee flies, the Cabbage White butterfly, and the little pasture grasshopper.

The seeds of this plant are eaten by several bird species including the Bobwhite, Horned Lark, Slate-colored Junco, and several types of sparrows.

The foliage is occasionally eaten by whitetail deer and cottontail rabbits.

Wood sorrel has a magical reputation and has been used in healing magic. It is associated with fairies and woodland spirits.