Chenopodium album aka lamb's quarters, melde, goosefoot and fat-hen,
“is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.
though the latter two are also applied to other species of the genus Chenopodium, for which reason it is often distinguished as white goosefoot. It is sometimes also called pigweed, however, pigweed is also a name for a few weeds in the family Amaranthaceae, it is for example used for the redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus).
Chenopodium album is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India as a food crop, and in English texts it may be called by its Hindi name bathua or bathuwa (बथुआ) (Marathi:चाकवत). It is called Pappukura in Telugu, Paruppukkirai in Tamil, Kaduoma in Kannada, Vastuccira in Malayalam, and Chakvit in Konkani.
Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed.
Its native range is obscure due to extensive cultivation, but includes most of Europe, from where Linnaeus described the species in 1753. Plants native in eastern Asia are included under C. album, but often differ from European specimens. It is widely introduced elsewhere, e.g. Africa, Australasia, North America, and Oceania, and now occurs almost everywhere in soils rich in nitrogen, especially on wasteland.
The leaves and young shoots may be eaten as a leaf vegetable, either steamed in its entirety, or cooked like spinach, but should be eaten in moderation due to high levels of oxalic acid. Each plant produces tens of thousands of black seeds. These are high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Quinoa, a closely related species, is grown specifically for its seeds. The Zuni people cook the young plants' greens.
Archaeologists analysing carbonized plant remains found in storage pits and ovens at Iron Age, Viking Age, and Roman sites in Europe have found its seeds mixed with conventional grains and even inside the stomachs of Danish bog bodies.
(under: Bathua paratha, see links for recipe)
In India, the plant is popularly called bathua and found abundantly in the winter season. The leaves and young shoots of this plant are used in dishes such as soups, curries, and paratha-stuffed breads, especially popular in Punjab.
As some of the common names suggest, it is also used as feed (both the leaves and the seeds) for chickens and other poultry.”
(aww they like it)
C. album leaves are rich in proteins (4.2 %) with a high proportion of essential amino acids such as lysine, leucine, and isoleucine, and significant amounts of calcium and vitamins A (11,000 IU/100 g) and C (80 mg/100 g). high content of vitamin C (155 mg/100 g) and carotenoids (12.5 mg/100 g) in the leaves of C. album. Fibre amounts were also remarkable (4–6 g/100 g), high iron in C. album, than commonly consumed spinach and cabbage *see research link PMC4486584/
Note of caution: do not consume if you’re prone to kidney stones
Anti-cancer against breast cancer, both the estrogen positive and negative one (excerpt from research:” Significant percent inhibition (94.06%) in the MeOH extract of C. album (leaves) at 48 h of exposure and concentration 100 mg/ml (p < 0.05) against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Our findings highlight the potential of this plant for its possible clinical use to counteract malignancy development as antibreast cancer bioagent. “) *see research link 20592771 & PMC2763242/
Antiparasitic against sheep stomach worm Haemonchus contortus (excerpt from research:” Both plants exhibited dose- and time-dependent anthelmintic effects by causing mortality of worms and inhibition of egg hatching “) *see research link 17826017
Could work against helicobacter pylori, the stomach ulcer bacteria , because Chenopodium contains syringaresinol which inhibits it *see research link 17019936
Contains a melatonin (N-[2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]acetamide) which helps for better sleep *see also 17019936
Contains pinoresinol which can act against hypoglycemia (yes it made me also think of big bird pino) *see also 17019936 & Pinoresinol
Research & tips on Lamb’s quarters:
