Oxeye daisy is one of the more surprising edible members of the sunflower family. Despite its reputation as an invasive weed, it provides pleasant salad greens, useful cooked vegetables, and attractive herbal tea. Combined with its abundance across much of North America and its long history of culinary use among related species in Asia, it deserves greater recognition as a worthwhile wild edible plant [2-3]. The roots, leaves, and flowers are edible fresh or cooked [2-3]. Young leaves are the most useful part of the plant and are excellent in salads or cooked as a potherb. The flowers are also edible and can be used fresh or brewed into tea. Stems are technically edible but are generally too fibrous to be worthwhile [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 4 out of 5 – A versatile edible wildflower with excellent leaves and flowers, although the relatively small foliage means gathering a meal requires some time [2-3]. Taste and Preparation: Fresh leaves have a mild, pleasantly resinous flavor with a subtle fruity note. They make excellent salad greens and lack the strong bitterness found in many members of the sunflower family. Fresh flowers are similarly pleasant, although the green bracts beneath the flower heads can have a slightly scratchy texture. Stems may be chewed for moisture and nourishment but are usually too fibrous to eat regularly. Cooked leaves produce a rich green broth ideal for soups and stews. Unlike many wild greens, they do not require changes of cooking water, as they retain a mild flavor after boiling. Fresh flowers also make an attractive pale yellow herbal tea with a distinctive flavor that differs from the leaves. Related species are widely used to prepare chrysanthemum tea throughout Asia [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): Oxeye daisy flowers primarily during late spring and summer, although flowering periods vary with climate. Gather young leaves in spring and early summer, and use flowers throughout the blooming season [2-3]. Nutritional Value: The leaves provide vitamins A and C, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants typical of leafy greens. Like many members of the daisy family, the plant also contains beneficial polyphenols and aromatic compounds. Traditional Uses: Although Native Americans in the Southwest did not widely use it because it was rarely found there, Europeans have long eaten oxeye daisy as a wild green. Closely related chrysanthemums are important food plants throughout East Asia, where they are cultivated as leafy vegetables and valued for their flowers, which are used to prepare traditional chrysanthemum tea [2-3]. Safety: Oxeye daisy is generally considered safe to eat. Some individuals may experience allergic reactions similar to those caused by other members of the daisy family. The seeds contain small amounts of naturally occurring pyrethrins, but these compounds readily break down through cooking, light exposure, and air exposure. As with all members of the Asteraceae, people with known allergies to daisies, chrysanthemums, or ragweed should consume it cautiously. Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 115]. The young spring shoots are finely chopped and added to salads[4, 7, 183]. Rather pungent[9], they should be used sparingly or mixed with other salad plants[183]. Root - raw[5]. Used in spring[207].

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The whole plant, and especially the flowers[7], is antispasmodic, antitussive, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, tonic and vulnerary[4, 7, 21]. It is harvested in May and June then dried for later use[4]. The plant has been employed successfully in the treatment of whooping cough, asthma and nervous excitability[4]. Externally it is used as a lotion on bruises, wounds, ulcers and some cutaneous diseases[4, 7]. A decoction of the dried flowers and stems has been used as a wash for chapped hands[257]. A distilled water made from the flowers is an effective eye lotion in the treatment of conjunctivitis[7].

Groundcover and Specialist Nectary. Landscape Uses: Groundcover, Massing. Special Features: Invasive, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers.The flowers provide abundant nectar and pollen for insects, and birds occasionally eat the seeds. Dense colonies also provide shelter for numerous invertebrates.

Special Uses