Small spring seed can be found throughout Asia, Central and Western Europe and even the east coast of Canada and North America. In the Netherlands it regularly occurs in forests. It is a plant that can grow 20 to 60 centimeters high and it has yellow flowers that bloom from June to October. Small spring seeds can often be found in places where few plants originally grow, such as in dense forests. This plant, which is a member of the balsam family, likes a moist soil. Lesser spring seed is a medicinal herb in Asian countries. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.
Flower small spring seed / Source: André Karwath aka Aka, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-2.5)
Contents:
- Distribution of small spring seed
- Naming small spring seed
- Edibility of the seeds and leaves
- Ingredients small spring seed
- Small jumping seeds against itching on your head
- External use small spring seed
- Warts and eczema
- Contraindication due to calcium oxalate
Distribution of small spring seed
Small spring seed does not originally occur in Europe. The plant originally only grows in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The plant was first spotted in Europe around 1830. That happened around Dresden. Forty years later the plant was found around Prague, which is not very far from Dresden. Since then, small spring seed has spread itself further, each plant can spread its seed several meters far, so it has slowly but surely moved throughout Europe. In addition, humans contribute to its spread by cutting down and transporting trees. The seeds hide in the bark and if the tree has arrived at another place in Europe, a hearth of small jumping seeds can develop there. Small spring seed can grow on forest floors where there is not much light; This means it is not a threat to other plants because many forest lands are originally bare or only mossy due to a lack of light.
Small spring seed / Source: 4028mdk09, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)
Small spring seed is related to the giant balsam and the busy lily.
Naming small spring seed
The Latin scientific name of this plant is Impatiens parviflora . In English this plant is called Small Balsam or Small-flowered Touch-me-not. In German the plant is called Kleinblütiges Springkraut. Springkraut means spring herb. The plant is given the name ‘spring’ because when the cotyledons are touched, they spring open so that the seeds travel far away from the mother plant. In Frisian the plant is called Lyts springsied. The Latin name impatiens literally means ‘impatient’, which refers to the sudden opening of the cotyledons with a light touch. Parviflora means ‘with small flowers’.
Edibility of the seeds and leaves
The young leaves of small spring seed can be cooked. The older leaves can also be eaten, but people who pick wild plants often prefer to eat the young shoots as they are less eaten by insects. The seeds can also be eaten. Collecting the seeds must be done very carefully. If you hold the seed-bearing plant part, it will pop open; that is why it is called jumping seed.
Ingredients small spring seed
The substances contained in small jumping seeds have not yet been fully identified. In May 2014, a Slovakian study was published which discovered some saccharides in the leaves of small spring seed. Small jumping seeds mainly contain polyphenols and polysaccharides. It contains, among other things, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, kaempferol, quercetin and quercetin derivatives and polysaccharides such as arabinogalactan; Glucuronoxylan, pectin, methylglucuronoxylan and rhamnogalacturonan.
Small jumping seeds against itching on your head
The seeds of small spring seed are used in a solution to wash the scalp. Some people suffer from an extremely itchy scalp and this can be solved with small jumping seeds. By the way, it is also good to use a few drops of lemon balm essential oil against an itchy scalp; that stops an itchy scalp and dandruff.
External use small spring seed
The Indians use orange spring seed as medicine. This contains many of the same substances as small spring seeds. Orange jumping seeds look very similar to small jumping seeds. It not only has orange flowers but also comes with yellow flowers. In North America, small spring seed is used for bee stings, insect bites, nettle stings and contact with poison ivy, a poisonous climbing plant. The latter plant can cause redness of the skin and small jumping seeds prevent this red skin rash.
Warts and eczema
Small spring seed juice has an antifungal effect. Warts are touched with small spring seeds so that they disappear again. The same happens with ringworm, a type of eczema that often appears on the toes and takes on a round shape. You can bruise the leaves to make the juice available. If you have a juicer, you could store the juice from the leaves in a bottle in the kitchen cupboard and use it to mark the skin areas for a week.
The seeds and young leaves of small spring seed are excellent to eat,
Contraindication due to calcium oxalate
Small jumping seeds contain calcium oxalate. This substance disappears during cooking and drying. Fresh leaves of small spring seed can in principle be eaten, but people with arthritis and other rheumatoid symptoms such as gout and osteoarthritis should be careful with it. People who suffer from kidney stones should also limit the use of the leaves of small spring seed.
