Interesting article on Duckweed
I’ve not heard of duckweed before. Has anyone in TGN had any experience?
Comments
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I've heard of duckweed but didn't know anything about it being used as a food or medicine.
I'm going to have to leave now while I fall down the rabbit hole. :)
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We have duckweed growing in our little pond in front of our house. But I didn't know it was a health food.😮
I'll need to look into this some more too, @torey.
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That was interesting! Now I know what to do in the summer when my spinach bolts :) We basically have a pond of it growing in the back fed with rainwater so nice and clean. Who knew - around here (Vancouver Island) people spend hours and dollars to get rid of the stuff.
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There she goes again! 😬 Those rabbits, you know...
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Please take note that if duckweed is used for yourself or livestock, that it should be taken from a clean source (see bioremediation in the first link below).
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I have heard of people growing duckweed in water barrels in a greenhouse for feeding to ducks. I knew it has a lot of benefits for them. I didn't even think about if it would be beneficial for human consumption. Maybe I should revisit the idea of growing some.
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I have pleanty of duckweed in my two ponds which I made for bees and birds. They both contain only rain water. So far I would just remove them from time to time and throw into compost. Now I am looking forward to spring when they come again. And I will definitely try how they taste. @JodieDownUnder @LaurieLovesLearning thanks for sharing!
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I'm back from the rabbit hole.
Lemna species: There are 14 species in the Lemna genus of the Lemnoideae sub-family of the Araceae family. L. minor is the most common species. Lemna species may also be called water lentil. There are other genus’ that may be referred to as Duckweeds; Spirodela, Wolffia, Wolffelia and Landoltia.
Habitat: Floating plant that requires a minimum water depth of 12”. Worldwide distribution. While some sources may suggest that it doesn’t grow in arctic climates, my plant atlas shows duckweed growing as far north as Fairbanks, AK and Fort McPherson in the Northwest Territories and as far south as Tasmania and the southern tips of New Zealand and Africa. Prefers a neutral pH but requires high amounts of nitrogen for optimal growth.
Food Uses: Different species of Lemna have differing amounts of protein but this may be dependant on growth habitats and testing methods. The protein content of one species tested is comparable to cereal grains with higher amounts of fibre, lipids and minerals than cereal grains. From Food Reviews International: “Partial substitution of wheat flour with duckweed flour could greatly improve the nutritional aspects of conventional cereal foods and also provide additional health benefits to prevent chronic diseases, due to the better amino acid and FA profile and higher amount of vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant in duckweed compared to wheat. Duckweed contains up to three times more protein than wheat; thus, it can be used for protein supplementation in snacks or nutrition bars.” Traditional use of whole plants: as famine food in Poland, blanched and fried with lard, butter, cream, flour or eggs.
Traditional Medicinal Uses: The whole plant was used as an anti-scorbutic, astringent, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge and soporific. It was also used in the treatment of colds, measles, oedema and difficulty in urination. In TCM, this is considered a cooling plant to relieve excess heat. Hildegard von Bingen used duckweed in at least 2 of her formulas; one was an ointment for colic and the other was a fairly complicated formula for an elixir to be used for precancerous growths, colic, heart pain, rheumatism and a weak immune system.
Research: Antimicrobial effects have been shown against a variety of bacteria and fungi, depending on the extraction method used. An aqueous extract of Lemna showed immunomodulatory activity. Vitamin B12 has been found in one of the Wolffia species, which is uncommon in plants, making this a potential source for vegans. A type of pectin extracted from L. minor has shown anti-inflammatory properties.
Homeopathics: Used to treat acute rhinitis symptoms that include dryness of the pharynx and larynx and maybe accompanied with diarrhea. A foul taste and smell are also indications for use of this remedy.
Cautions: Duckweeds have the capability of absorbing heavy metals and other toxins from water. Make sure your water source is clean before harvesting wild duckweeds.
I found a few companies selling duckweed greens, powders or mixes (not recommending any of them, just for reference).
https://setaorganic.com/en/products/lentille-d-eau-water-lentil
https://www.plainnutrition.ca/water-lentil-protein-powder/
While I was on this quest I found a portion of a very interesting article on Russian plant medicine. (first time I have ever been tempted to purchase a scientific PDF) It said that an anthology written in 1073 describes the use of “banya mold” to treat wounds and prevent infection from setting in. This predates the discovery of penicillin by 7 centuries. So much we could all learn from each other!
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Many years ago we used to have duckweed growing in our freshwater aquariums. Never heard of it as a food source. Hmmm🤔
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@Mare Welcome to the forum! Please leave a short into in the Introductions section to give us an idea where in the world you are from.
I remember canoeing in duckweed in our dugout. I didn't know what it was back then, but as everything sat in the water and it grew, by summer's end the water smelled quite foul. It killed off all other plant life underneath as it took over the water's surface. But I have to say that the water insects underneath were fascinating!
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@torey thank you for the deep dive into duckweed. You are a walking Encyclopaedia Britannica (I’m old fashion)
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@JodieDownUnder Thank you so much for sharing the article. @torey Thank you for the detailed information. You may have sent me down a rabbit hole with you. Pea and wheat production here have had a couple rough years. So our local grown grain based chicken feed is no longer available as both growers have no peas or wheat available. I don't use soy, so may have to look into this and see if it is suitable for chickens and what nutritional needs it would fill for them as well as us.
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I've heard of duck weed only as an invasive species.
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@marjstratton Me as well. I remember reading that just a few years ago and how bad it was, but everything I looked up now claims it's native.
I remember seeing it in our sloughs as as a teen. We weren't living anywhere close to water before that.
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@LaurieLovesLearning now that you mention it, I remember small weeds like this growing all over the lakes in the summer time when I was very young. I had no thought then to ask about it. Many people with aquaponics systems will grow duckweed to feed their fish in place of the processed fish food. It does make sense to me now, if fish can eat it and we eat the fish then if from a clean source we should be able to eat it as well. I know tilapia raisers that feed their fish plants and vegetables they have raised in their setups.
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I'm glad to know that duck weed has beneficial uses. Now that I know that it is nutritious, may have to grow some, like in a water tank, once I have some chickens and use that as an inexpensive feed for them. I have thought about putting a water tank in the greenhouse and raising tilapia, but I also have heard that they are very hard to catch, even in a tank!
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