USES OF SALSIFY
The plant is edible and has different uses in food:
- Root: The root is fleshy and is sometimes used as a carrot in food. It is rich in inulin, like artichoke, and has a slightly sweet taste. The cooked root is consumed. Meadow salsify (Tragopodon pratensis) has a root with black skin, while Tragopogon porrifolius (common salsify) has a white root. The latter is the one that is most cultivated to take advantage of its root.
- Leaves and young shoots: It is an edible wild plant. Its unopened leaves and flowers are cut off the tender floral stems with the first leaf. They are eaten cooked as a vegetable or added to soups or other recipes, like asparagus.
Meadow salsify as food
Meadow salsify is a healthy plant food that does not show toxicity. It is one of the plants most present in the Cretan diet.
A kind of diet so studied for the diversity of wild vegetables that it still conserves, and which it has maintained despite the globalization of markets.
Meadow salsify as a medicinal plant
It has uses in traditional medicine as an aperitif, liver, cleanser and diuretic. Due to its inulin content, it is recommended for diabetics.
Studies show that this plant contains good sources of phenolic compounds capable of protecting against some diseases such as cancer. It is also anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Among its phenols, meadow salsify is very rich in gallic acid, caffeic acid and rutin. It also contains certain doses of resveratrol, ferulic acid, and synapic acid.
More information on meadow salsify and other plants
