The common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is native to the American continents and has been used there for centuries both as food and in traditional medicine. In Europe, too, the fleshy roots of the plant were primarily eaten. Nowadays, the plant's versatility has been forgotten; occasionally it is even said that it is poisonous.
Is evening primrose edible and usable?
The common evening primrose is edible - its leaves can be eaten as salad or wild spinach, flowers and flower buds serve as decoration and roots can be prepared like salsify. Evening primrose is also known as a remedy, for example for treating skin problems or respiratory infections.
Edible parts of evening primrose
Basically, almost all parts of the evening primrose can be used in the kitchen. The young leaves can be used to make a salad or prepared as wild spinach; the flowers and flower buds serve as a tasty and distinctive decoration for salads, desserts, soups and other dishes. The root of the evening primrose, previously known as “ham root” due to its reddish color, can be prepared like salsify.
Evening Primrose Root
Evening primrose roots are usually peeled and then cooked in a strong meat broth. The finely sliced roots can then be eaten as a salad, dressed with s alt, pepper, vinegar and oil. Alternatively, they can also be traditionally served as root vegetables in a white bechamel sauce. Evening primrose roots are collected in the first winter, i.e. before the first flowering of the two-year-old plant.
Flowers and flower buds
The slightly sweet and spicy flowers of the evening primrose are suitable as an edible decoration, for example in colorful salads, as an addition to soups or as flower butter. Dried, they can also be added to tea blends. On the other hand, you can blanch the flower buds that are still harvested closed in vinegar and then marinate them in oil - nicely packaged and a great souvenir.
Evening primrose as a remedy
Evening primrose is even better known as a vegetable as a remedy, because the flowers and seeds in particular contain a lot of gamma-linoleic acid, an essential amino acid. For this reason, evening primrose oil is primarily used externally for skin problems - especially neurodermatitis - while the flowers are used as an infusion or in the form of syrup for coughs and other respiratory infections.
Tip
The slightly nutty-tasting seeds can also be easily roasted in a pan without fat and mixed into morning muesli as an ingredient.