Himalayan Balsam

Leaves

Lanceolate with red veins and serrated with a red tinge at the edges.

Flowers

Different hues of white, pink and purple and very ornate with a hood like shape, hence the common names.

Seed Pods

The explosive seed pods are thinly kite shaped and green with red veins. The seeds start off white becoming black and eventually very hard.

Stem

Pale green to yellow, hollow, smooth and hairless with a red tinge.

Habitat

Along riversides, streams, ponds, lakes and damp meadows or woodland.

Possible Confusion

Balsam is a distinctive plant and with its flowers and seed pods can be positively identified.

Taste

The young leaves have a neutral taste, the older leaves can be a bit bitter.

The seeds have a pleasant nutty taste and seem better when pale in colour before turning black and becoming quite hard.

Frequency

Becoming more common alongside British waterways every year.

Collecting

The young leaves are best for salads, the older leaves can be used in soups and stews.

The seeds can be collected by placing a bag over as many seed pods as possible and shaking.

The flowers can be used in salads.

Medicinal Uses

An extraction of this plant is used in homeopathy to treat anxiety.

Other Facts

When mature the seed pods are under a lot of tension and the slightest touch will cause them to jettison their seeds up to seven meters away from the parent plant making this a very successful coloniser of the British countryside.
It is not too difficult to eradicate Himalayan Balsam as it is very easy to pull up and the seeds only stay viable for a few years.
The hollow stem can be used as a straw.