Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Apr 3;30(7):1603.
doi: 10.3390/molecules30071603.

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.)-An Edible Weed with Health-Promoting Properties

Kamila Dębia  1 , Małgorzata Dzięcioł  2 , Agnieszka Wróblewska  3 , Katarzyna Janda-Milczarek  1
Affiliations
Review

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.)-An Edible Weed with Health-Promoting Properties

Kamila Dębia et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.) is a species of medicinal perennial in the celery family (Apiaceae), also considered an edible plant with medicinal effects and high nutritional value. In traditional folk medicine, it was known as a remedy for gout (arthritis) and also used to relieve rheumatism or sciatica. The botanical characteristics, occurrence, nutritional composition, and traditional and present-day applications of this plant are discussed. Furthermore, the important specific plant metabolites including organic acids and their derivatives, flavonoids, coumarins, polyacetylenes and terpene components of essential oil are presented and their biological activity is described. The valuable medicinal properties of Aegopodium podagria L. include anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, diuretic, sedative and protective effects on the kidneys and liver. The aim of this paper was to describe, on the basis of the available literature, the chemical composition, bioactivity and health-promoting properties of this wild edible plant. The information obtained is described and summarized in tables.

Keywords: Aegopodium podagraria L.; bioactivity; biologically active compounds; goutweed; ground elder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The chemical structures of caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The chemical structure of rutin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The chemical structures of kaempferol, apigenin and luteolin.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The chemical structure of hyperoside.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The chemical structures of falcarinol and falcarindiol.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The chemical structures of sabinene, α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene, ethyl acetate, α-thujone, dehydro-p-cymene and β-phellandrene.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The chemical structures of sabinene, α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene, ethyl acetate, α-thujone, dehydro-p-cymene and β-phellandrene.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The chemical structures of limonene, p-cymene, (Z)-β-ocimene, spathulenol, perillaldehyde, β-caryophyllene and β-caryophyllene oxide.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The chemical structures of limonene, p-cymene, (Z)-β-ocimene, spathulenol, perillaldehyde, β-caryophyllene and β-caryophyllene oxide.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Traditional and contemporary medicinal and culinary uses of goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kyrbassova E.A., Baitasheva G.U., Danilov M.P., Dyuskaliyeva G.U., Abdrasulova Z., Adenova B.E., Saparov A. Anatomical-Morphological and Phytochemical Study of Medicinal Plant Aegopodium podagraria L. Growing in Kazakhstan. Int. J. Pharm. Res. 2018;10:689–697.
    1. Tovchiga O., Shtrygol S.Y., Gorbatch T.V. Metabolic Effects of Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.) Tincture and Metformin in Dexamethasone-Treated Rats. J. Dis. Med. Plants. 2016;2:117–126. doi: 10.11648/j.jdmp.20160206.17. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Valyova M., Tashev A., Stoyanov S., Yordanova S., Ganeva Y. In Vitro Free-Radical Scavenging Activity of Aegopodium podagraria L. and Orlaya grandiflora (L.) Hoffm. (Apiaceae) J. Chem. Technol. Metall. 2016;51:271–274.
    1. Amiri M.S., Joharchi M.R. Ethnobotanical Knowledge of Apiaceae Family in Iran: A Review. Avicenna J. Phytomedicine. 2016;6:621–635. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kapetanos C., Karioti A., Bojović S., Marin P., Veljić M., Skaltsa H. Chemical and Principal-Component Analyses of the Essential Oils of Apioideae Taxa (Apiaceae) from Central Balkan. Chem. Biodivers. 2008;5:101–119. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.200890000. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources