00:00:00
These are grocery store Skittles.
00:00:03
They taste pretty good, but
then, if we look at the ingredients,
00:00:07
they're filled with sugar and corn
syrup and artificial flavors and food coloring.
00:00:13
So, forget that.
00:00:16
These right here are nature Skittles.
00:00:18
They still have amazing flavor.
00:00:22
I love it.
00:00:23
It's so sour.
00:00:24
But none of that other crap.
00:00:26
Seriously, I'm
telling you guys, everyone needs
00:00:28
to eat this plant at
least once in their life.
00:00:31
If you haven't, you are in luck because
00:00:33
these plants called
wood sorrel or sour grass or,
00:00:36
as we just learned, nature Skittles
are extremely common all across the globe.
00:00:42
I'd be looking to bet it's
even growing in your yard right now.
00:00:46
In this video, I'm
going to show you how to
00:00:47
identify them and
some look-alikes that you
00:00:49
should know because
there's at least one that is
00:00:51
poisonous but easy to
tell apart if you know what
00:00:54
to look for.
00:00:55
And then, great
ways to use this plant, some
00:00:58
that you might not
have heard about before that
00:00:59
I didn't even know about before
I started experimenting for this video.
00:01:03
But if you've been following my channel
00:01:05
for some time and
you have eaten them before,
00:01:07
stick around because
I'm going to be unveiling
00:01:09
new information
about wood sorrel that I don't
00:01:12
think has ever been talked about before.
00:01:14
You see, people
drastically overemphasize the
00:01:17
dangers of consuming
wood sorrel in a ridiculous
00:01:21
way.
00:01:21
I asked all of you if you'd heard about
00:01:23
this in a community
poll and more had than not.
00:01:26
I've also recruited the help of an expert
00:01:28
and registered
dietitian to thoroughly debunk
00:01:31
all of the myths
surrounding wood sorrel danger.
00:01:34
I cannot wait to tell you more about this
00:01:36
amazing wild edible
plant, so let's get started.
00:01:39
Wood sorrel are
members of the genus Oxalis.
00:01:42
Don't confuse the
naming with the true sorrels
00:01:45
which are in the
genus Rumex and actually not
00:01:47
really closely
related to wood sorrel at all.
00:01:50
The reason for the similar naming has
to do with the etymology of the word sorrel,
00:01:55
which comes from the
Proto-Indo-European surra for sour.
00:02:00
And both kinds of sorrel
have very sour tasting leafy greens.
00:02:04
This is likely due in part to the content
00:02:07
of oxalic acid and
possibly other acids in
00:02:10
the plants as well.
00:02:11
If the content of oxalic acid
or oxalates concerns you, don't worry.
00:02:16
That is the alleged danger that we
are going to be addressing in this video.
00:02:20
From the name wood in wood sorrel, you'd
00:02:22
think that these
plants would mainly be found
00:02:24
in the woods and some of them like violet
00:02:26
wood sorrel are, but
others like common yellow
00:02:29
wood sorrel grow in
open sunny areas like your lawn.
00:02:33
I'd be willing to bet
that there's some there right now.
00:02:35
Identifying wood
sorrel is actually very easy.
00:02:38
Though there are
some articles online that
00:02:39
can make it really
confusing, so I'll try to
00:02:42
clear that up.
00:02:42
The plant has trifoliate compound leaves.
00:02:46
So what you see me holding
right now is actually just one leaf.
00:02:50
One leaf with three individual leaflets.
00:02:54
Most species have
a deep notch at the top,
00:02:56
which creates a
distinct heart shaped appearance.
00:02:59
I honestly can't
think of another shape in
00:03:01
nature with a
closer appearance to our symbol
00:03:05
of a heart.
00:03:06
Some species do have greater than
three leaflets like the peculiar oxalis decafyla.
00:03:12
Decafyla meaning 10 leaflets.
00:03:15
Just look at this thing, it's crazy.
00:03:17
But the vast majority of these
species have three leaflets per leaf.
00:03:22
Wood sorrel flowers are usually yellow to
00:03:25
pinkish and hue,
but they always have five
00:03:27
petals and many tend to
be funneled towards the base.
00:03:30
Their seeds come in
these long capsule like fruits.
00:03:33
Before we use all
these details to compare
00:03:35
the plant to
lookalikes, I want to show you
00:03:38
some of the amazing uses of wood sorrel.
00:03:41
In order to feel
good about consuming this
00:03:43
plant, I think we
really need to address the
00:03:46
alleged dangers surrounding them.
00:03:48
You may have read
articles or heard warnings
00:03:51
that you should only
ever consume a tiny amount
00:03:54
of wood sorrel due to the
content of a chemical called oxalic acid.
00:03:59
The way that this is
often presented to you, I
00:04:02
think is absolutely
hypocritical and ridiculous.
00:04:06
There is critical
context missing when you
00:04:09
are told to only
have small amounts, which
00:04:12
is that oxalic acid
is a very common chemical
00:04:15
that is present in
many members of the plant
00:04:18
kingdom.
00:04:19
Oxalates are used
for vital plant functions
00:04:21
like regulating
plant growth and heavy metal
00:04:23
detoxification.
00:04:24
That's why it's so common.
00:04:26
It can be found in plants that you know
00:04:28
like parsley,
spinach, chard, rhubarb, and many
00:04:32
many more.
00:04:33
There are people out there that are
00:04:34
absolutely pounding
their raw green spinach smoothies.
00:04:38
You see this a lot in fad diets
or cleanse diets and things like that.
00:04:42
You know what?
00:04:43
Those people are relatively
fine eating all of that spinach.
00:04:46
So, if consuming relatively large amounts
00:04:49
of spinach is okay,
then the question becomes
00:04:52
how much oxalic acid is
in spinach versus wood sorrel.
00:04:56
How do they compare?
00:04:57
Thankfully, in
2024, we get a well-designed
00:05:01
study that gives
us insight into the oxalic
00:05:03
acid content in at
least one species of wood sorrel.
00:05:07
When we calculate everything out and make
00:05:08
conversions from
dry weight to fresh weight,
00:05:11
we get that wood sorrel has an
oxalic acid content of 22.42 mg per gram.
00:05:18
So, how does that compare to spinach?
00:05:21
In this study, we
get an average content in
00:05:23
spinach of 11.2 mg
per gram of oxalic acid.
00:05:28
So, it's almost exactly
half of what is found in wood sorrel.
00:05:33
I know that might seem like a lot, wood
00:05:34
sorrel having double
from spinach, but after seeing
00:05:37
this next part, you'll
really understand that it isn't.
00:05:41
Here is a recipe
for a green smoothie that
00:05:43
is calling for 2
cups of fresh spinach, which
00:05:46
is about 60 grams of spinach.
00:05:49
So, we would need 30 grams of wood
sorrel to get the same amount of oxalates.
00:05:54
This is what 30 grams
of wood sorrel looks like.
00:05:58
You would really need to be
going out of your way to gather that much.
00:06:01
When I was doing this, I got what I
thought was a lot, wasn't nearly enough.
00:06:06
So then I got a lot more.
00:06:07
Still wasn't enough.
00:06:08
It was just crazy
how many times I had to keep
00:06:10
going back out to
get 30 grams of wood sorrel.
00:06:13
And now think about how people will have
00:06:15
these smoothies
multiple times per week or spinach
00:06:17
in their salad multiple times in a week.
00:06:20
Honestly, it is
infeasible to think that you
00:06:23
could continuously
gather and eat enough wood
00:06:26
sorrel to get
anywhere close to the oxalic
00:06:28
acid that you would
be consuming with eating
00:06:30
spinach.
00:06:31
But there are a lot of people out there,
00:06:33
especially in the health
trend space or the health guru
00:06:36
space, and they're going to tell you that
00:06:37
consuming any
amount of oxalates is dangerous
00:06:40
and should be avoided at all costs.
00:06:43
So, is that true?
00:06:45
Well, I've recruited the
help of a friend, Shyla Kedogan.
00:06:48
She is a registered
dietician out of Maryland.
00:06:50
Not only does she work at a hospital and
00:06:52
helps people in
critical care situations, but also
00:06:54
is an amazing content creator
in the space of diet and nutrition.
00:06:59
Let's hear her take on oxalates.
00:07:02
Most people get concerned about
oxalates and we have to talk about what oxalates
00:07:05
are and you might have heard
oxalic acid being referred to interchangeably
00:07:09
And the reality is they're both
kind of the same thing interchangeably
00:07:12
Except oxalic acid is the organic
acid that is actually in the foods spinach
00:07:18
almonds soy potatoes
00:07:20
Spinach is the biggest
offender that gets all the flak for
00:07:23
it. Oxalate is that but
just describes it binded to minerals
00:07:26
So in your body it
could bind to like calcium iron
00:07:30
Magnesium what most people are
concerned about is the calcium oxalate bond
00:07:33
This is what people are
scared of when it comes to kidney
00:07:35
stones and just health
detriments and all that sort of stuff
00:07:38
But we have to know a few things one
00:07:40
They can get excreted through the
body and for most people it just goes right out
00:07:43
through the urine
light and really don't feel
00:07:45
Any ill effects from it for
people that might be at risk of kidney stones
00:07:48
It is important to know and they are
the most common reason behind kidney stones
00:07:52
But the thing is for a lot of people
that's not really helpful to know because we
00:07:57
have to consider that
most Americans don't actually
00:07:59
Eat things like
spinach. They don't actually eat
00:08:00
many things like
almonds. It may not be those foods
00:08:03
That's causing that
and so it's been a whole lot
00:08:05
of fear created behind
it when we have to consider
00:08:07
overall generalizable information and
that is that most people aren't eating those
00:08:10
things and the people that
are a lot of them don't suffer from
00:08:13
Kidney stones or any ill
effects from that and we also
00:08:15
have to consider that
cooking can break down oxalates
00:08:17
Boiling is the most
effective way to reduce oxalate content
00:08:20
Not only that but
eating sufficient calcium
00:08:22
can be important
if you eat enough calcium
00:08:25
It allows things
to go through much easier
00:08:27
another way that people can mitigate
the formation and the distress that it might
00:08:30
have on their body of
their prone to kidney stones is
00:08:32
just including magnesium from
electrolyte sources because what magnesium can do is
00:08:37
Displace the calcium in the calcium
oxalate bond and the magnesium would make that
00:08:42
so much easier because
it made it more water-soluble
00:08:44
In your body think about
water-soluble is something that's
00:08:47
just like less likely to
stay in your body for a long time
00:08:49
It just you go in and you go out
00:08:51
It's an electrolyte and that's
what it does and it's super super cool and
00:08:54
information that I like to
share with people because it's just not
00:08:56
Something that is widely understood to me
00:08:58
The evidence does not
suggest that there is a direct
00:09:01
link between oxalate
consumption and kidney stone formation
00:09:04
Yeah, for sure. Well, I'll also
mention that your body makes oxalates
00:09:08
It makes it as a waste product
00:09:10
And so we also depend on nutrients
to kind of help us get rid of them as well
00:09:14
So for example, if someone isn't
eating sufficient amounts of vitamin B6
00:09:18
That can prevent
breakdown of oxalates to the
00:09:21
overarching idea is that
oxalates are not inherently like bad
00:09:25
You know
00:09:26
There's just different factors
that can come into place and honestly for an
00:09:29
overwhelming amount of people
spinach is not the reason they're getting
00:09:32
Kidney stones or
ill effects from oxalates
00:09:34
So the huge fear or any plant really
for that matter including woods oral when we
00:09:39
look at everything
from a zoomed out perspective
00:09:42
It helps us
00:09:44
Okay, I have to cut the interview there,
00:09:46
but we also talked about the
relationship between gut health and oxalates,
00:09:50
plant anti-nutrients and more.
00:09:53
The full interview is on my Patreon page.
00:09:55
Be sure to check
out the rest of her work.
00:09:57
She is a wealth of information on health.
00:10:01
So now that we've
gotten all that out of the way,
00:10:04
let's learn about the
incredible ways that we can use this plant.
00:10:07
First is the
simplest. You just have to try it.
00:10:11
Find and pick a plant
and give it a nibble. That's it.
00:10:13
You'll be greeted with a delicious
sour flavor for which the plant gets its
00:10:17
names like sour grass or the one
that I like to call it nature's skittles.
00:10:22
The most common species of woods,
00:10:24
oral that you'll likely come
across is common yellow woods, oral.
00:10:29
That is the one
that will grow in your yard.
00:10:30
But if you're on a hike in a
woodland setting, look up for those violet ones.
00:10:34
I think they have even
better flavor and way more sourness.
00:10:38
This was one of the first
wild plants that I ever foraged in my
00:10:42
life. And I remember
the exact moment to this day,
00:10:46
I was at a survival class on Texas
and the instructor showed us the plant,
00:10:50
eating it for the first time.
00:10:51
That is just an
experience that we all need to have.
00:10:54
This is truly one of the best
beginner wild edible plants in the world.
00:10:59
Please. You have to try it. All
parts of what's oral or edible, even the root.
00:11:04
In fact,
00:11:04
one species oxalis tuberosa is
cultivated in South America for their large
00:11:09
tubers. Gathering woods oral is simple.
00:11:12
You just pick them for the
yellow ones, which are annuals.
00:11:14
I really don't worry
about pulling up the whole plant,
00:11:17
but with the woodland species,
00:11:18
I make sure to only harvest the
above ground parts as they are perennial.
00:11:22
I'm out here at one of my violet
woods oral spots because I really wanted to
00:11:25
show you guys the
tubers. They look very, very cool,
00:11:28
but I think I've just missed them
and they've now died back for the season.
00:11:32
So I've added violet woods
oral to my interactive forgers calendar.
00:11:36
So next year I definitely won't
miss them and I can show that to all of you
00:11:39
guys.
00:11:39
My forging calendar helps you
time the windows for the flowers, fruits,
00:11:43
and vegetables of dozens
of different wild edible species.
00:11:47
This is the single most
important forging tool that I use.
00:11:50
And I think that you'll love it too.
00:11:52
With the tangy
flavor and beautiful flowers,
00:11:54
what's role makes the perfect
garnish for a raw salad or blanched greens.
00:11:58
But there are a few other ways that
I don't think many people have heard about
00:12:02
before. I tried to make a
cold infusion with the fresh leaves,
00:12:05
just chopping them up
and putting them into water.
00:12:07
But the taste was pretty lackluster.
00:12:10
So then I just took them all and
completely blended them and it was a lot
00:12:14
better. It was kind of
like a sour cucumber drink,
00:12:17
but still only had
mild flavor and sourness.
00:12:20
So after that I tried to
make a hot infusion and this was,
00:12:25
well, just listen to
my live reaction of this.
00:12:33
Wow. This is a hot
extraction from wood sorrel.
00:12:37
And it is delicious.
00:12:39
I can't believe that
I've never done this before.
00:12:41
I haven't seen that
you can do this before. Wow.
00:12:45
Amazing sour flavor. Add a
little bit of sugar to sweeten it up.
00:12:48
Just like drinking lemonade.
Really. This is really, really good.
00:12:55
Wow. I'm so glad I'm experimenting
more for this video. This is delicious.
00:12:58
You guys have to try it.
00:13:00
I also dehydrated some of the
leaves to see if I could preserve the flavor.
00:13:04
I think you do lose a little bit,
00:13:06
but I was happy to find
that it still made a nice sour tea.
00:13:09
Add in a little bit of a sweetener
and some ice and you've got a really amazing
00:13:14
refreshing beverage
to enjoy on a hot summer day.
00:13:18
Many people attribute oxalic
acid directly for the sour flavor,
00:13:23
but wood sorrel also
contains citric acid and ascorbic acid,
00:13:27
which you may know as vitamin C.
00:13:29
And I think both of those
contribute to the flavor as well. Please, please,
00:13:33
try these drinks out and let me
know what you think about them in the pin.
00:13:37
Comment below. But before you do,
00:13:39
you should know
about a few lookalikes first.
00:13:42
One of the great things about wood
soil is that they are relatively easy to
00:13:45
recognize. But that being said,
00:13:47
there are a few other plants that
you at least need to know about so that you
00:13:50
can distinguish them
properly. And like I mentioned before,
00:13:53
one of them is toxic.
00:13:55
The first is
clover or a trifolium species.
00:13:59
If you have confused these two
before, it is not your fault at all.
00:14:03
Because if you went to
Google search clover right now,
00:14:07
dozens of the photos that you would be
shown are actually going to be wood sorrel.
00:14:12
Of course, the flowers
between them are completely different.
00:14:15
But what about the leaves? That's
the main part that will be harvesting.
00:14:19
Clovers will sometimes have a
tiny, tiny notch at the top of the leaflets,
00:14:24
but wood sorrels have
far more deep and distinct ones.
00:14:27
And most of them have that overall
heart shaped appearance and clover does not.
00:14:32
But hold on. Isn't
shamrock supposed to be clover?
00:14:35
And it has heart
shaped leaves too. I know.
00:14:37
There is a lot of confusion here.
00:14:40
Basically nobody actually
knows what shamrock really is.
00:14:45
I think it's supposed
to be a species of clover,
00:14:47
but at least the way it's commonly
represented. I mean, see that right there.
00:14:51
That is wood sorrel, no doubt. So
who knows what's really going on here?
00:14:56
Is shamrock clover? Is it
wood sorrel? I don't know for sure.
00:14:59
But clovers have a lot of other
uses as well that I'll tell you about in a
00:15:03
second. Okay. So
for the poison to look like,
00:15:06
it's really peculiar and
you probably have seen it before.
00:15:09
It will grow right next to wood
sorrel and has these really shiny flowers.
00:15:15
I've actually done a whole video
on that plant and distinguishing them from
00:15:19
wood sorrel, which you can
watch right here. And in that video,
00:15:22
it will lead you straight
to the clover video afterwards.
00:15:25
So I hope to see you there.
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