Couch grass

the root of couch grass (Agropyri radix)

Couch grass (Elymus repens) is a tenacious grass with a long, white creeping rhizome, which gardeners know as the most stubborn of weeds: a new plant springs from every piece of rhizome. It grows in fields, in gardens, on embankments and beside paths.

The rhizome is dug in autumn or early spring; it is cleared of soil and rootlets, washed, cut into pieces and dried at a low temperature. The dried rhizome is straw-coloured, slightly sweetish in taste, and is kept in a tight container.

Since couch grass is a weed, there is rhizome enough everywhere, but it is gathered only on unsprayed ground and away from roads. In the collection it appears as an ingredient of the blends for the urinary tract and for the liver.

Use and evidence

The EMA recognises the rhizome of couch grass as traditional use to increase the urine in minor urinary complaints. It does not treat kidney stones, gout or diabetes. EMA.