As the name suggests, woodruff is at home in forests. From April, the knowledgeable walker can find green carpets of the fragrant plant there. Woodruff owes its botanical name, Galium odoratum, to its wonderful, aromatic scent. Translated into the German language, it means fragrant bedstraw.
Coumarin in woodruff
A chemical compound called coumarin is responsible for the aroma. But woodruff does not voluntarily spread its fragrance, because the plant contains only a precursor of the scent. Only when plant cells are injured by trituration or wilting do enzymes release the aromatic coumarin.
But coumarin doesn’t just bring flavor and fragrance. In the 1980s, it caused liver damage in animal studies and was considered carcinogenic. Later studies disproved this assumption. Nevertheless, coumarin should still be used with caution because in high doses it causes headaches, dizziness and nausea. A maximum amount of 2 milligrams of coumarin per kilogram has therefore been set by law for foodstuffs.
Exceptions to this are candies and alcoholic beverages with an upper limit of 10 and chewing gum with 50 milligrams of coumarin per kilogram. The food industry also uses the non-toxic substances coumaric acid and 6-methyl coumarin. Like coumarin, both can be produced artificially and smell like woodruff.
Woodruff has many uses
Woodruff is particularly well known in May punch, which originated in 845. The medical science appreciates his blood circulation-promoting, decramping and calming properties. In addition, bouquets in the closet drive away voracious moths.
In homemade Jell-O or May punch, three grams (about ten plants) of fresh woodruff are enough for a strong aroma. This amount does not trigger any undesirable side effects. It is undisputed that there are more health risks in alcohol than in coumarin.
Woodruff is also popular in cakes, jello, liqueurs or as a syrup. If you are looking for recipes, you will quickly find them on the Internet.
Recipe: Woodruff punch
For all those who want to do without percentages – but not the aroma – here is the recipe for an alcohol-free, refreshing Waldmeisterbowle:
- Hang a bunch of dried or wilted woodruff (about ten plants) in a liter of apple juice. When doing so, the stems must not come into contact with the liquid, so that no bitter substances pass into the punch.
- After half an hour to two hours, remove the woodruff, add lemon juice and mineral water to taste and garnish with woodruff leaves or lemon slices.
Woodruff jello make yourself
From the apple juice with woodruff flavor can also cook a real Jell-O. To do this, stir gelatin, cornstarch or agar-agar into the warm or boiling woodruff apple juice (see instructions for use of the gelling agent) and refrigerate the dish.
Since the homemade jelly lacks food coloring, it is of course not as green as the one from the supermarket.
Harvest woodruff yourself
Common in Europe, woodruff is easy to find in the forest. The plant can be recognized by its thin, square stem, which bears delicate leaves without a stalk. Flowering begins in late May or early June. Contrary to popular belief, the coumarin content does not increase then, but the stem and leaves become harder. Therefore, it is advisable to harvest woodruff before flowering, between the end of April and June.
It is easy to confuse woodruff with wood ragwort, a non-toxic botanical relative. The latter grows in the same locations and can be enjoyed as a wild vegetable. Because it lacks the precursor coumarin, it does not emit the distinctive aromatic fragrance when the leaves are rubbed.
