Nature's Free Vegan Food and Medicine

A guide to wild edible and medicinal plants commonly found in the Pacific Northwest.

• Photo identification help: PlantNet Pacific Northwest Plant Identification
• Recipe Factory Nutritarian (Vegan) Recipe List
• Kevin Ferguson's Home Page

Amaryllidaceae (Onion Family)

• Onion
• Camas (when properly identified)
• Garlic (mosquito repellent)
• Chives (mosquito repellent)

Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

• Field mustard
• Cress: Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)
• Honesty
• Radish (wild/feral)

Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

• Field mint
• Spearmint
• Chocolate mint (escaped)
• Lemon balm (medicinal; mosquito repellent)
• Oregano (escaped; mosquito repellent)
• Thyme (mosquito repellent)
• Bee balm / Heal-all

Apiaceae (Carrot/Parsley Family)

• Pennywort
• Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot)

Araliaceae (Ginseng / Ivy Family)

• Floating Marsh-Pennywort

Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family)

• Plantain
• Plantain seeds
• Brooklime

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Wild & Naturalized Fruits

• Rose hips
• Hawthorns
• Serviceberries
• Cloudberries
• Bramble fruits (blackberries, raspberries, loganberries)
• Osoberry
• Native blackberry
• Himalayan blackberry
• Thimbleberries
• Salmonberry
• Apple (feral)
• Crabapple
• Pear (escaped)
• Plum
• Cherry
• Cherry plum
• Plum–cherry hybrids
• Apple–plum hybrids
• Pear–apple hybrids
• Strawberry (wild)
• Blackcap raspberry
• Red raspberry (feral)
• Boysenberry / loganberry hybrids

Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)

• Pink currants
• Black currants
• Red currants

Berberidaceae (Barberry Family)

• Oregon grape

Adoxaceae (Elderberry Family)

• Red elderberry
• Blue elderberry
• Black elderberry

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)

• Twinberry (moved to medicinal)

Ericaceae (Heath Family)

• Salal
• Huckleberries (blue, black)
• Pink huckleberries

Asteraceae (Daisy Family)

• Dandelion
• Catsear
• Salsify
• Nipplewort
• Yarrow (medicinal; mosquito repellent)

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

• Mallow
• Common mallow / Cheeseweed

Miscellaneous Edible Greens (Various Families)

• Purple Dead Nettle
• Stinging nettle
• Miner’s lettuce
• Siberian miner’s lettuce

Edible With Cooking

• Yellow marsh marigold
• Camas (when properly identified)
• Fiddleheads (must be cooked)
• Elderberries (must be cooked)
• Stinging nettle (must be cooked)
• Acorns (leached)

Medicinal Plants

Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

• Lemon balm — calming, digestive support
• Field mint — aromatic, cooling
• Mint species — digestive, aromatic
• Bee balm / Heal-all — wound healing

Asteraceae (Daisy Family)

• Yarrow — wound care, anti-inflammatory

Salicaceae (Willow/Poplar Family)

• Willow bark — salicylic acid source
• Poplar leaf buds — resinous salicylates

Papaveraceae (Poppy Family)

• California poppy — mild sedative

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)

• Twinberry — topical anti-itch, anti-inflammatory

Mosquito-Repellent Plants

Amaryllidaceae (Onion Family)

• Garlic
• Onions
• Chives

Asteraceae (Daisy Family)

• Yarrow

Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

• Field mint
• Lemon balm
• Mint species
• Oregano