Myrica gale

Description

Myrica gale is an aromatic deciduous shrub growing to 2 m tall, and often forms extensive dense clonal colonies from root suckers.

Ecology

Use by wildlife: Myrica gale is eaten in small quantities by birds. It is a favorite food of beavers and provides good habitat for salmon and water birds.

File:Gagelstrauch wbl.jpg|Female catkins File:Gagelstrauch männlich blühend.jpg|Male catkins File:Myrica-gale-foliage-male-catkins.jpg|Foliage, and male catkins in bud

Uses

The foliage has a sweet resinous scent and is a traditional insect repellent, used by campers to keep biting insects out of tents. It is also a traditional component of royal wedding bouquets and is used variously in perfumery and as a condiment.

In Scotland, UK, it has been traditionally used to ward off the Highland midge, and it is marketed as an insect repellent and as an ingredient in some soaps.

Food and medicine

Dried leaves and fruits have been used as a spice in soups and stews and as a flavouring for beer; roots and bark are used as a source of yellow dye for calfskin and wool; Karolina Wawrzyńczak et al. Biotechnol Food Sci, 2019, 83 (1), 87-96 http://www.bfs.p.lodz.pl 88 catkins and fruits as a source of wax for candles; and leaf and fruit infusions as an insecticide. It has been also used in traditional medicine as a remedy for stomach and cardiac disorders.

Its volatile oil also has a role in resistance to fungal pathogens..

The leaves can be dried to make tea, and both the nutlets and leaves can be used (either chopped or dried) to make a seasoning.

In northwestern Europe (Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands), it was much used in a mixture called gruit as a flavouring for beer from the Middle Ages to the 16th century, but it fell into disuse after hops supplanted gruit herbs for political and economic reasons. In modern times, some brewers have revisited this historic technique and in Denmark and Sweden the plant is commonly used to prepare home-flavoured schnaps.

In some native cultures in Eastern Canada, the plant has been used as a traditional remedy for stomach aches, fever, bronchial ailments, and liver problems.

In 2007 there were plans to increase production of the plant in Scotland for use as an essential oil for treating sensitive skin and acne. The plant has been listed as an abortifacient and therefore should not be consumed by people who are, or might be, pregnant.

In culture

Queen Victoria was given a sprig of bog-myrtle which she planted on the Isle of Wight. Her daughter used some of the plant that grew in her wedding bouquet, starting a royal tradition.

References

References

1. Maiz-Tome, L.. (2016). "''Myrica gale''".
2. "Bog-myrtle ''Myrica gale'' L.".
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5. {{PLANTS
6. Francis-Baker, Tiffany. (2021). "Concise Foraging Guide". [[Bloomsbury Publishing.
7. (1989-01-01). "The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe". Lubrecht & Cramer Limited.
8. Streeter, David. (2010). "Flower Guide". Collins.
9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344978124_Composition_and_Antimicrobial_Activity_of_Myrica_gale_L_Leaf_and_Flower_Essential_Oils_and_Hydrolates
10. 10.25135/rnp.190.20.04.1628
11. https://nativeplantspnw.com/sweet-gale-myrica-gale/
12. Kelbie, Paul. (12 February 2007). "Scotland's bog myrtle to fuel second oil boom". [[The Independent]].
13. Evans, Emyr. (27 September 2012}}{{dead link). "It's Not Just about Our Ospreys". [[Liverpool Daily Post]].
14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344978124_Composition_and_Antimicrobial_Activity_of_Myrica_gale_L_Leaf_and_Flower_Essential_Oils_and_Hydrolates
15. Carlton, R.R., Waterman, P.G., Gray, A.I. et al. The antifungal activity of the leaf gland volatile oil of sweet gale (Myrica gale) (Myricaceae). Chemoecology 3, 55–59 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01261457
16. (2009). "Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods". [[Sterling Publishing.
17. "Gale (Myrica gale L.)". Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages.
18. Justyna, Wubs-Mrozewicz (2005). ''Hopped Beer as an innovation; The Bergen Beer Market around 1200-1600 in the European Context''. H. Brand (ed.) Trade, Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange, (2005) pp. 152-168
19. Patrick E. McGovern, Gretchen R. Hall, Armen Mirzoian, "[https://www.academia.edu/43367436/A_biomolecular_archaeological_approach_to_Nordic_grog A biomolecular archaeological approach to Nordic grog]" in ''Danish Journal of Archaeology'' (2013) pp. 112-131, see p. 124
20. "Myrica gale". Plants For A Future.
21. (21 July 2020). "Princess Beatrice's Wedding Echoed Meghan and Kate's in a Sweet Way".