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Navelwort has vulnerary and healing properties. In traditional medicine it has been used from always fresh, for immediate cures. One of its most common uses is to remove the skin from the top of the leaf and crush it against the wound to heal it. They were the “strips” of our ancestors!
A similar cure can also be made by a poultice on top of the wound, made with the crushed leaf.
Navelwort is a plant apt to be consumed in the kitchen. It is eaten raw, leaves and petioles in salad, being very crunchy and tasty. It only requires cleaning, no need to peel it.
Since their leaves are consistent, fresh and smooth, they are ideal for making artistic dishes and making them a culinary adornment.
A brief observation of this plant’s habitat leads us to consider its usefulness for the conservation of walls and fences in gardens and crop fields. Navelwort takes advantage of the soil that seeps through the stones that make up the walls, as well as the soil formed by erosion, to strengthen its roots and thrive.
There is no doubt that this plant is acting as a natural element of cohesion and, therefore, of preservation for all the walls on which it grows. Although the plant disappears in summer, as it is a hemicryptophyte, it keeps its roots buried, which continue to exercise their function underground, waiting to sprout again at the end of winter. It thus contributes to the stabilization and cohesion of the wall where it grows. Perhaps it would be a good idea to encourage its proliferation, since it is not an invasive plant, and instead, it can help us to conserve -and beautify- the landscape.
More information on edible wild plants.
