Bistorta officinalis

Bistort, in Latin Bistorta officinalis (synonym Persicaria bistorta) is a perennial medicinal, edible, honey-producing, and highly decorative plant that grows spontaneously in damp, moist, and slightly shaded areas, mainly in the mountains. It offers lovely spikes of pink flowers, rich in nectar, from spring to summer. Its young shoots and leaves are edible and its root is sometimes used in herbal medicine. When used as an ornamental groundcover, it should be monitored as it can be invasive. Bistort can be sown under cover from February or in place from March. Its seeds, which go dormant, can sometimes take time to germinate.

Bistort has many common names. It is a perennial plant from the family Polygonaceae that measures between 20 and 80 cm (8 and 32in) in height. Its growth is rapid. It has a thick, spreading stump and twisted rhizomes. Its stems are erect, simple, and sparsely leafy. The basal leaves are broadly oblong-lanceolate, arranged alternately. They resemble those of sorrel. The stem leaves are smaller and sheathing on the stem. Flowering, abundant, charming, and nectar-rich, occurs from May to July. Compact and cylindrical spikes measuring 3 cm (1in) in diameter and 5-9 cm (2-4in) in height appear at the tips of the stems. They are composed of tiny pink flowers with prominent stamens. The vegetation, semi-evergreen, more or less disappears in winter. This plant gets its name Bistort, which means twice twisted, from the shape of its S-shaped root. It contains saponin, vitamin C, tannins, and potassium nitrate with pharmaceutical properties used particularly in cases of bleeding. Its use is strongly discouraged for individuals with kidney conditions, as it contains a high amount of oxalic acid like its cousin sorrel.

Harvest: Young shoots and leaves are harvested before flowering. The root is usually dug up in autumn, especially for use in herbal medicine.

Preservation: Young bistort leaves should be consumed immediately after harvesting. They can also be dried and stored in the shade, or cooked and frozen.

In the kitchen: Young fresh leaves can be consumed in small quantities in salads. They can also be cooked, fresh or rehydrated, like spinach, in soups, quiches, soufflés, and gratins, for example. For the rootstock: it is essential to cook it in multiple changes of water to eliminate its astringency. The seeds can be consumed like millet.

Gardener's tip: To limit watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings mixed with dead leaves from late May onwards. This protection helps the soil retain moisture and also reduces the need for weeding.

In ornamental gardens: Bistort can be planted in full sun or partial shade, in any deep and rich soil, clay or rich in humus, that remains moist. It can even be planted on damp banks near water sources. It pairs perfectly with grasses such as miscanthus, and other spike-bearing plants like Verbena hastata and perennial field geraniums...