Common Name: Curled Dock

General Information

Rumex crispus is an erect, unbranched, perennial plant growing 30 - 60cm tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

Plants can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, which is what gives the leaves of many members of this genus an acid-lemon flavour. Perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[].

Botanical References

Range

Eurasia from western Europe to the Russian Far East, Japan and eastern China, south to Turkey, the Himalayas; Africa - Morocco to Egypt, Arabia

Habitat

Growing almost anywhere[], it is found especially in grassy places, waste ground, roadsides and near sand dunes and is a serious weed of agriculture[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Originally native to temperate Asia and Europe, the plant has spread to become a weed of agriculture throughout much of the world, including higher elevations above 2,200 metres in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 14 - 18°c, but can tolerate 8 - 28°c[]. The plant can tolerate quite severe frosts. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 600 - 1,200mm[].
Succeeds in most soils, preferring a moist moderately fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5.2 - 6.8[].
The plant does not need any help in growing, it is doing very nicely in many areas of the world from the temperate zone to the tropics, where it is a serious weed of agriculture.
A very important food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterfly[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. They can also be dried for later use[]. The leaves can be added to salads, cooked as a potherb or added to soups[]. Only the very young leaves should be used, preferably before the stems have developed, and even these are likely to be bitter[, , ]. If used in early spring and in the autumn they can often be fairly pleasant tasting[, , ]. The leaves are very rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron and the vitamins A and C[, ]. A nutritional analysis is available[].

Stems - raw or cooked[]. They are best peeled and the inner portion eaten[].

Seed - raw or cooked[, ]. It can be used as a piñole or can be ground into a powder and used as a flour for making pancakes etc[, , , ]. The seed is very fiddly to harvest and prepare[].
The roasted seed has been used as a coffee substitute[].

Medicinal

Curled dock has a long history of domestic herbal use. It is a gentle and safe laxative, less powerful than rhubarb in its action so it is particularly useful in the treatment of mild constipation[]. The plant has valuable cleansing properties and is useful for treating a wide range of skin problems[]. All parts of the plant can be used, though the root is most active medicinally.

The root is alterative, antiscorbutic, astringent, cholagogue, depurative, laxative and mildly tonic[, , , , ]. It used to be sold as a tonic and laxative[]. It can cause or relieve diarrhoea according to the dose, harvest time and relative concentrations of tannin(astringent) and anthraquinones (laxative) that are present[]. It is used internally in the treatment of constipation, diarrhoea, piles, bleeding of the lungs, various blood complaints and also chronic skin diseases[, , ].
Externally, the root can be mashed and used as a poultice and salve, or dried and used as a dusting powder, on sores, ulcers, wounds and various other skin problems[].
The root has been used with positive effect to restrain the inroads made by cancer, being used as an alterative and tonic[]. The root is harvested in early spring and dried for later use[]. Some caution is advised in its use since excess doses can cause gastric disturbance, nausea and dermatitis[, ].

The seed is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[, ].

A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh root, harvested in the autumn before frost has touched the plant[]. It is only used in the treatment of a specific type of cough[].

Other Uses

Yellow, dark green to brown and dark grey dyes can be obtained from the roots. They do not need a mordant[].

An extract of the flowers, leaves and stems is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].
An extract of the roots is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner and soothing agent[].

An alternative ingredient of 'QR' herbal compost activator[]. (is it the flowers?) This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[].

Propagation

Seed - this plant does not require any help in its propagation.

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