Notes from the Apothecary: Bistort

Until the end of August, possibly a little beyond depending on the weather, you may find the bristly, bottlebrush-like flowers of bistort growing everywhere from meadows to roadside hedgerows and verges. Although the bistort we have in the UK and that found in the US are slightly different, they’re all part of the same family: Polygonaceae, under the genus Bistorta.

Here in the UK, I always think of the flower as little pink or purple cleaning brushes. The North American variant tends to be a bit paler and fluffier looking — I hope I get to see some with my own eyes someday.

The Kitchen Garden

The Wildlife Trust reports that a local name in the North of England for bistort is Pudding Dock. A cookware site goes into a bit more detail on this. A cake called Easter-Ledge Pudding or Dock Pudding was, apparently, an Easter/Lent dish served in Yorkshire (my local area), the Lake District, and Cumbria. The name “pudding” here shouldn’t be taken to mean a sweet dish. In fact, the leaves of bistort are cooked with onions, eggs, butter, barley, and oats. Sounds filling!

During Easter-tide, it would be eaten with lamb and with bacon at other times. Here’s a recipe if you want to have a go — not tested by me, so I take no responsibility for the outcome.

There are numerous other ways to eat and enjoy bistort. Anecdotal evidence suggests the rhizomes (the part below the ground) work as a root vegetable and the leaves can be used in salads or as cooked greens. For foragers, the striking flowers make it easy to pick out from other plants with similar leaves that could be toxic. However, as always, never ever eat anything you pick in the wild without verification from an expert.

First Nations peoples across North America have used bistort as a medicine and food source.

The Apothecary

Mrs Grieves states in her Modern Herbal (1931) that the most important part of bistort is the root stock, which should be gathered and dried in March just as the leaves of the plant start to appear. She notes that the name means “twice twisted,” and another common name for the plant is the slightly ominous Twice Writhen. These names come from the twisty rhizomes.

The roots are highly astringent and “styptic,” which means they should slow bleeding. A more modern term would be antihemorrhagic.

Mrs Grieves also states the herb is good for treating digestive concerns like diarrhoea and dysentery, and could be a useful remedy for haemorrhoids.

Nicholas Culpeper, in his Complete Herbal (1650s), says another common name for bistort is snakeweed. He stated that the herb had a cold and dry action, language reminiscent of that used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), although cold actions are often not desirable.

He recommended the leaves and roots as a remedy for insect bites, and recommended mixing the paste of the root with honey for tooth pain.

The Witch’s Kitchen

Bistort has been used by multiple cultures across the world for a variety of magical uses.

In his Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Scott Cunningham stated that bistort was also known as dragonwort, a truly evocative name. He associated the plant with Saturn (as did Culpeper) and the element of Earth, and stated that magical uses included:

• Fertility
• Wealth and attracting money
• Driving out ghosts, specifically poltergeists
• Improving psychic powers when burned with frankincense
• Enhancing divination

Bistort’s potential healing power could be used in conjunction with deities also associated with health and well-being, for example, Asclepius (Greek) or Eir (Norse).

Home and Hearth

If you can grow bistort around your home, you may find that its presence naturally improves your psychic ability, if that’s something you have. Visions, dreams, and meditative images may be enhanced. Similarly, you can place some on your altar or other sacred space and request a dream or vision to guide you in a particular situation.

I Never Knew…

In Lancashire (UK), the plant is sometimes known as “sweaty feet” thanks to the slightly pungent smell the flowers can produce when in full bloom. In West Yorkshire, it’s been known as “dog stinkers” for the same reason.

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Mabh Savage is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist and content creator. She’s a nature-based witch, obsessed with Irish and British Paganism and Folklore, plus she’s a massive plant and bird nerd. She’s also a long-time Hekate devotee and a newbie Lokean. She works extensively with the UK Pagan Federation, including editing their bi-annual children’s magazine, Aether. Mabh is a passionate environmentalist and an advocate for inclusiveness and positive social transformation.

Mabh is the author of A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors,  Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways, and most recently, Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet Friendly Living. Pre-order her upcoming book, The Magic of Birds, here. Search “Mabh Savage” on Spotify and @Mabherick on all socials.

Image credits

Bistort meadow photo by Marek Piwnicki: https://www.pexels.com/photo/vibrant-spring-meadow-with-purple-wildflowers-31346470/

Bistort closeup photo by Philippe Bonnaire: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-lavenders-in-bloom-6354417/

Bistorta bistortoides, Western bistort, Yosemite, by Dawn Endico, shared under this license.