Harvesting Woodruff – You Should Pay Attention to That

Keep this in mind when harvesting woodruff

If you have not planted the woodruff in your garden, you will often find it in the forest. The woodruff prefers shade and grows in deciduous and mixed forests.

• The woodruff is harvested in spring, between April and June.
• Woodruff contains the plant substance coumarin, which you may be familiar with in connection with cinnamon. Coumarin is one of the active ingredients where the right dosage is important. While it is also used in the medical field in low doses, coumarin is harmful to health in high doses.
• Shortly before flowering, the coumarin concentration in the plant is not too high, so the woodruff is then harvested.
• Cut off the woodruff just above the ground. Since the plant usually only grows to around 35 centimeters high, wash it well before using it again.
• Then carefully dry the plant and form small bouquets that you tie together.
• Then let the woodruff dry for about two days, during which time the plant develops its spicy aroma.

You can do that with the woodruff

If you would like to enjoy the freshly harvested and dried woodruff right away, you can, for example, prepare a delicious woodruff punch.

• You need about three grams of woodruff for one liter of liquid.
• After you have tied the plant together, hang the woodruff upside down in the liquid for about 15 minutes.
• Let the ends of the stems dangle over the liquid so your punch doesn’t taste bitter.
• You can also use woodruff to make herbal lemonade or tea.
• The aromatic plant is also often used in herbal pillows.