Just re-read this...it's so dense with information! Wow! Chickweed & miner's lettuce are our early spring faves in this neck of the woods. Do you have any idea as to the oxalate level in chickweed? I love greens, but the high oxalate greens don't love me back. I haven't noticed an issue with chickweed though. Great post!
It's a job to know when to quit with the info. It can bury all of us. :-D
The oxalate issue is multifactorial. If a plant has a lot of calcium along with the oxalic acid, then insoluble complexes are formed and less oxalate is absorbed. Therefore, plants with a lower oxalate to calcium ratio will not cause a lot of problems, even if the oxalate concentration is high. That's why lambs quarters, which has very high oxalate does not seem to be causing anyone troubles. Chickweed has pretty much calcium too, which offsets the oxalate problem. Yellow dock leaves have a high oxalate to calcium ratio, so they are more of a problem, (but the root is the medicine). It's surprising how many foods in the grocery store have a lot of oxalate, like beet greens and spinach and cucumbers, star fruit, etc etc . People who don't get enough dietary calcium, and who don't get sufficient fluids, and who have various metabolic disorders can have significant problems forming calcium oxalate stones in the kidneys. The pH and amount of calcium in the urine, and various dietary factors can influence this too. Chickweed is estimated to have up to 185mg of oxalic acid per 50 grams, but it also has significant calcium, and the oxalate to calcium ratio is said to be 6.3. It's cool if you don't eat bales of it.
Thanks for breaking that down. I was aware of the calcium-oxalic acid connection, but your explanation clears a few question marks.
Just re-read this...it's so dense with information! Wow! Chickweed & miner's lettuce are our early spring faves in this neck of the woods. Do you have any idea as to the oxalate level in chickweed? I love greens, but the high oxalate greens don't love me back. I haven't noticed an issue with chickweed though. Great post!
It's a job to know when to quit with the info. It can bury all of us. :-D
The oxalate issue is multifactorial. If a plant has a lot of calcium along with the oxalic acid, then insoluble complexes are formed and less oxalate is absorbed. Therefore, plants with a lower oxalate to calcium ratio will not cause a lot of problems, even if the oxalate concentration is high. That's why lambs quarters, which has very high oxalate does not seem to be causing anyone troubles. Chickweed has pretty much calcium too, which offsets the oxalate problem. Yellow dock leaves have a high oxalate to calcium ratio, so they are more of a problem, (but the root is the medicine). It's surprising how many foods in the grocery store have a lot of oxalate, like beet greens and spinach and cucumbers, star fruit, etc etc . People who don't get enough dietary calcium, and who don't get sufficient fluids, and who have various metabolic disorders can have significant problems forming calcium oxalate stones in the kidneys. The pH and amount of calcium in the urine, and various dietary factors can influence this too. Chickweed is estimated to have up to 185mg of oxalic acid per 50 grams, but it also has significant calcium, and the oxalate to calcium ratio is said to be 6.3. It's cool if you don't eat bales of it.