Purple Loosestrife.
What an eye catching beauty this one is with it’s vibrant purple flowers and sharp green leaves.
Purple loosestrife contains astringent chemicals called tannins and salicarin. They have a drying effect. Astringent chemicals help reduce diarrhea and inflammation and Salicarin helps fight bacteria in the intestine. Purple Loosestrife is also used directly on the skin to treat problems such as eczema.
The best way to obtain some of this plants benefits is to steep the flowers and leaves in some hot water and make some purple loosestrife tea! The young leaves are also edible to add to salads or used in cooking.
Scientific name: Lythrum salicaria
Happy Foraging!!