10 Interesting Facts About Sorrel Leaves

Sorrel leaves contain mineral salts, proteins, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamins, citric, and malic acid. What do you know about Sorrel Leaves? We will tell you 10 interesting facts about him, and if you have something to add, be sure to leave your comment under this post!

Facts About Sorrel Leaves

1. Botanists classify sorrel as a cosmopolitan plant, as it is common on all continents except Antarctica, as well as on many islands. There are about 150 types of it. Some of its varieties are even considered weeds because of their vitality.
2. The source of the origin of the name of sorrel has not yet been established.
3. Different varieties of sorrel are consumed in different ways in different countries. In some countries they are put mainly in soups and salads, in others, they are used to make sauces, and in others, they are brewed in tea. In traditional Slavic cuisine, sorrel leaves were also used as a filling for pies and other baked goods.
4. Sorrel is extremely unpretentious, it is able to grow in a variety of conditions if it has enough sunlight. It often grows by itself on roadsides and even in landfills. Its seeds are carried by the wind, and they germinate easily, falling to the ground.
5. The roots of many sorrel species are rich in tannins and have been used in the past for tanning leather. They also contain natural dyes, from which dyes of red and yellow colors can be obtained. But in the modern world, artificial colors are still cheaper to manufacture.
6. In gardens and vegetable gardens, they grow mainly sour sorrel, the same one that many of us have seen in the garden in the village. This is a surprisingly tenacious plant, it grows on all continents, easily runs wild and assimilates in new spaces, and is found even high in the mountains, up to 3000-3300 s above sea level.
7. Cut sorrel is not stored for a long time, it quickly begins to wither, losing its taste and aroma, because the nutrients in it disintegrate. You can briefly extend its shelf life if you wrap it in a plastic bag, and put the cut leaves in a container with water, of course, in the refrigerator.
8. They eat horse sorrel in Azerbaijan and Armenia! To do this, the leaves are dried, after which they lose their bitterness and acquire a pleasant taste. And young stalks and leaves of horse sorrel are part of a number of dishes in Uzbekistan.
9. Since ancient times, many species of sorrel have been known as medicinal plants. All their parts are used - rhizomes, seeds, stems, leaves. Depending on the specific type of sorrel, the part of the plant, and the method of processing the raw material, the end product is used as a remedy against lichen, scabies, some tumors, diseases of the stomach, intestines and digestive system, and much more.
10. Even healthy people cannot eat sour sorrel in large quantities, since it contains a large amount of oxalic acid. And for people with gastritis, ulcers, and other gastrointestinal diseases, it is better to completely exclude it from the diet.