Seasonal Eating and Health with The Healing Garden – Late August: Rowan

ROWAN    Sorbus aucuparia  – Rose family (Rosaceae)

Also known as mountain-ash, the rowan is native to cool regions of the Northern Hemispehere. It is one of the hardiest European trees and can grow in very poor soil as long as it is well drained. Found in woods, borders, and on rocky hillsides, in sun or partial shade, this elegant little tree turns bright red in the autumn, and the name “rowan” is thought to derive from this fact. It also has a long list of other names throughout the world, many of which can be linked to the mythology and folklore surrounding the rowan.

The tree is deciduous, and its leaves consist of between 10 and 35 small leaflets. The flowers are creamy white and arranged in dense corymbs (bunches) which appear in the spring and turn into small “pomes” (the proper botanical name for rowan berries) over the summer. These are mostly bright orange or red, but can be pink, yellow or white in some species. Birds love the soft, juicy and waxy berries that stay on the tree throughout the winter, but to the human palate they taste quite tart, bitter and mealy (though after they have had frost, the taste becomes gentler).

Rowan berries can be eaten raw or cooked and make excellent, slightly bitter jellies, jams and preserves. They taste especially good when combined with apples or pears, and can also be used to make or flavour liqueurs, wines, and cordials.

In traditional medicine rowan berries are used to treat constipation, kidney disease, arthritis, gout, vitamin C deficiency and diabetes. As the berries are astingent and antibiotic, small amounts of rowan juice (from frozen ripe berries) can be used as a gargle for sore throats, hoarseness and tonsillitis.

They are rich in fibre, iron and vitamin C, and contains good amounts of fructose, vitamin A, K, B3, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, carotenoids, tannins and parasorbic acid. Parasorbic acid is strongest in the fresh berries and can cause local irritation and diarrhoea, but it becomes less powerful during drying and is fully destroyed by cooking, which turns it into the more benign sorbic acid.

ROWAN, APPLE AND CARROT JUICE
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves 2

50g frozen rowan berries
1 sweet apple, quartered and cored
5 carrots, scrubbed
Liquid honey to taste
Ice cubes

Juice the berries, apples and carrots. Add the honey and serve with ice.

TIP: Freezing makes rowan berries sweeter. Pick them before the frost and keep them in the freezer until needed.

NUTRITION PROFILE
109 calories per portion
6% protein, 10% fat, 73% carbohydrate, 11% fibre
Vitamins and minerals (percentage of RDA)
Vitamin A 215%, E, 8%, C 40%, B1 6%, B5 5%, B6 8%, folate 19%, potassium 21%, calcium 7%, magnesium 5%, iron 7%

Health benefits: Very high in vitamin A and carotenoids. Strong antioxidant. Good for vision, lungs, blood cleansing, joints and a steady blood sugar.

Kisten Hartvig – Founder of The Healing Garden

The purpose of the Healing Garden is to unite botany and herbal medicine with biodynamics, and to create a peaceful inspirational forum for learning, healing and conservation, promoting health and wellbeing for all living beings. Discover The Healing Garden here