Pelargonium sidoides

DC.

Geraniaceae Edible: Root, Tuber 405 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Pelargonium sidoides is a plant native to South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho. Its common names include African geranium and South African geranium. The current conservation status is Least Concern.

Description

A Mediterranean herb in the Geraniaceae family with edible roots and tubers.

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Edible Uses

The roots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Traditional Uses

The roots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

In cultivation in the UK, Pelargonium sidoides has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. If grown as a perennial it requires protection in winter, as it does not tolerate temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F). It needs a sunny, sheltered position. A 2013 Cochrane review found limited to no evidence of benefit with Pelargonium sidoides root extract for the symptoms of acute bronchitis, the common cold and acute rhinosinusitis. A summary of this review found that all studies were "from the same investigator (the manufacturer) and performed in the same region (Ukraine and Russia)." Root extract of Pelargonium sidoides may be sold as a dietary supplement or traditional medicine under various brand names, but there is no high-quality clinical evidence that it provides any therapeutic effect.