Summer is a generous season. As the sun warms the soil, country lanes and clearings abound with treasures close at hand: wild herbs. These often little-known plants are full of gustatory, medicinal and ecological virtues. But you still need to know which ones to pick, how to recognise them and how to use them. Here is a selection of 7 wild herbs to pick this summer, with their simple and accessible uses.
🌼 1. Plantain (Plantago major / lanceolata)
Easy to recognise with its long, ribbed leaves and upright spikes, plantain is a hardy plant.
Use: Its young leaves are eaten raw in salads or cooked like spinach. It is also well-known for soothing insect bites: crumple up a leaf and apply to the skin.
Where to find it: waysides, meadows, lawns.
🌿 2. Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Yes, it stings, but it's a nutritional treasure! Rich in iron, calcium, protein and vitamins.
Use: As a soup, pesto or herbal tea (young leaves lose their sting when cooked or dried). It also fortifies hair when rinsed.
Where to find: Near hedgerows, forest edges, nitrogen-rich areas.
🌸 3. Mallow (Malva sylvestris)
With its beautiful purple flowers, mallow is as good as it is pretty.
Use: The leaves and flowers are soothing: as an infusion for sore throats, or in salads. It colours dishes beautifully.
Where to find: Waste ground, gardens.
🌱 4. Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Often considered simple fodder, red clover is edible and beneficial.
Use: Its flowers are eaten raw, in salads, or dried as a herbal tea. It is slightly sweet and rich in antioxidants.
Where to find: Natural meadows and pastures.
🌼 5. Wild chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Its fragrance is delicate and recognisable. It resembles a small daisy.
Use: As an infusion to aid sleep, calm anxiety or digestive problems. It can also be used to flavour homemade syrups.
Where to find: Dry, sunny soils, untreated fields.
🌿 6. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
A creeping plant with fleshy, slightly acidic leaves.
Use: Rich in omega-3, purslane is eaten raw in salads or sautéed in a pan. Its flavour is slightly reminiscent of lemon.
Where to find: Gardens, cultivated fields.
🌿 7. Common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
Caution: not to be confused with Giant hogweed, which is toxic.
Use: The young shoots and flowers are edible. They can be cooked as vegetables or in tempura. It has a slightly lemony, spicy flavour.
Where to find: Meadows, pathsides, forest edges.
⚠️ A few essential rules
- Always identify your plants with certainty. If in doubt, refrain from doing so or use a reliable recognition application, or even a botanical guide. Do not harvest any plant that you have not identified 100%. In Switzerland and Europe, some plants are toxic or even lethal!
- Respect nature: only take what you need, and always leave enough for the plant to reproduce.
- Avoid polluted areas: busy roadsides, treated areas, etc.
🌞 A summer at your fingertips
Reconnecting with wild plants means reconnecting with a form of autonomy, respect for living things and ancestral knowledge. A walk can become a basket full of simple, delicious treasures. This summer, open your eyes: nature is reaching out to you - sometimes in the form of a tiny green leaf, barely visible beneath your footsteps.