Wetland Fruit & Herbs

Note: unless stated otherwise the data on this webpage are taken from the Dutch research report "Marktverkenning Paludicultuur Kansen voor de landbouw in veenweidegebieden met behoud van veen". 2016

Vaccinum macrocarpon

Vaccinum oxycoccos

Cranberry

Cranberries are small creeping plants of the Ericaceae family and produce tart red berries. The American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is the most important species from a commercial point of view. It is found wild in the northeastern parts of the United States. The smaller-fruited species Vaccinum oxycoccos is found in northern parts of North America as well as in northern and central Europe, commonly on marshy lands (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.y.). The plant thrives in wet, poor, acidic soil such peat. Flowering period depends on the variety between June and August and flowers are pink to red. Cranberry does not lose any leaves in winter, but the leaves do discolour.

Blueberry

The blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) comes from the heather family. The blueberry is a shrub that grows to about 1.8 meters high. In the fall, the leaves turn red, orange and purple. The blueberry thrives best in moist, acidic, airy soil. In the Netherlands, the berry is most commonly grown in North Limburg and Drenthe.

Cloudberry

The cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), is a blackberry-like plant in the Rosaceae family. The plant grows in temperate climates in the Northern Hemisphere, mainly in Scandinavia, Baltic states, Russia and Great Britain, but also in North America. This peat bramble thrives in swampy areas with acidity levels between pH 3.5 and pH 5 with a groundwater table around 40 to 50 cm below ground level. Yields in nature are now 20 to 50 kilograms per hectare hexix. The plant can withstand low temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius. The plant grows to about 10 to 25 centimeters high.

Water Mint

Mentha aquatica, also known as mint, from the Greek Mintha, is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae (lip-flowers). The different species are not all clearly distinguishable from each other and varies between 15 and 19. Hybridization between a number of species occurs naturally. Many other hybrids and cultivars are known. While the species that make up the Mentha genus are found in many environments, most species grow best in moist environments and moist soil. Water mint is native to Europe, West and Central Asia, North, East and South Africa, and now also native to North America. Water mint is the mother plant of the well-known Mentha aquatica x piperita (peppermint). Watermint likes moist to wet soils in temperate regions, in the sun or partial shade. The herb can grow in shallow water. Water mint is mainly found along river banks, streams, ditches, peat lakes and dikes and in swamps. Water mint is a species that can survive just below the high water mark. We can thus say that without real reclamation it can make a maximum contribution to peat conservation. Water mint is a hardy, perennial herb that grows to a height of 12 to 12 feet. It self-sows (ripe seeds from August to October) and spreads easily. Propagation via stolones / rhizomes will be suitable for cultivation, after which the plant also spreads itself further via seed. Fields with water mint could be of great value to insects and amphibians and the associated predators. It is also a suitable breeding habitat for ducks, moorhen and water rail, for example.

Sundew

Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is a carnivorous plant found in Europe, North Asia, Africa and North and South America. Sundew occurs in moist, swampy ditch edges, heather and peat soils and moist scraping countries with an acidic soil. Both the soil and the water must be lime-poor and contain a low pH for sundew to thrive. It is native to the Netherlands, but you see it less and less often. One plant is said to catch 2000 insects per year. Sundew is not an edible plant, but traditionally tea was made from the leaves. The dewdrops themselves were collected for a drink "Rosa solis" and used as an aphrodisiac. Sundew is an endangered species. In The Netherlands a permit is required for collection in the wild.

Applications

Sundew has applications in the food industry, phytotherapeutic and cosmetic industry. Important ingredients are 1,4 naphthachinoins, enzymes (in the plant tissue), proteinase (in glandular secretion), flavonols such as quercetin, kaemferol, hypersoid, leucoanthiocyanate glysodien, organic acids, tannin, gum resin and essential oil.

Food industry

The product is not or hardly consumed. Tea can be made from the leaves, but too much consumption can be harmful. In the Netherlands, it is currently not allowed to offer the product as a food. Market potential inquiries with pharmaceutical companies revealed little or no supply and demand for sundew in the form of a phytotherapeutic drug. However, there were also signals from the market that Sundew has become scarce in recent years and as a result supply and demand have declined. One of the largest herb wholesalers talked about sundew volumes of 300 kilos per year, but also that he had not sold any sundew in recent years (info dates from prior to 2016). Two researchers from Greifswald University (Germany) are investigating a start-up in Drosera. This conversation also revealed some doubts about the market potential of Drosea, partly due to the high costs per hectare.

Cosmetic industry

Drosera rotundifolia Extract is an extract made from the whole plant Drosera rotundifolia L. In the cosmetic industry skin conditioning or tonics are made from it. This extract is registered under CAS No. 84696-10-6. This stands for Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the American Chemical Society. The CAS Registry is one of the largest database in the world with information on more than 50 million chemical compounds.

Medicinal use

Sundew is bronchospasmolytic (anti-spasmodic on the airways), antitussive (cough suppressant), anti-atheromatous (prevents atherosclerosis), diuretic (diuretic), and antispasmodic (decramping). Sundew is mainly used for diseases of the lungs and airways. In addition, sundew is mainly used for the treatment of warts, magpie eyes and freckles. Sundew itself is not good for the skin itself, but if you apply it to warts, magpie eyes and freckles, they will disappear. Sundew has a beneficial effect on respiratory problems. Sundew makes mucus more fluid and therefore easier to cough up. For these medicinal properties, sundew is used against the following throat diseases: spastic cough, whooping cough, cough with cystic fibrosis, cough with wheezing, larynx inflammation, trachea inflammation, bronchitis, hoarseness in speakers and asthma. In addition, the flavonoids in sundew protect vessel walls against the adhesion of oxidized cholesterol and strengthen capillaries (atheromatous). As a result, sundew can be used against arteriosclerosis. Sundew is also an antibacterial herb and kills the following bacteria: staphylococci, streptococci, pneumococci, salmonella, leishmania and tubercle bacilli.

Recommendations

In addition to the small scale of the market, the commercial production of sundew on a small scale in the Dutch peat meadows would not lead to a profitable business model with current market prices of 250 euros per kilo of dried material.