#aplantaweek #taurusgardening #weeds #groundelder #Aegopiumpodagraria Bishop Weed, Ground Elder, many other names, this common British weed is s hard one to beat in the garden just with digging. Often chemical help is needed in the form of glyphosate based weedkillers. However, The plant is said to have been introduced into England by the Romans as a food plant and into Northern Europe as a medicinal herb by monks. It is still found growing in patches surrounding many monastic ruins in Europe, and descriptions of its use are found among monastic writings, such as in Physica by Hildegard von Bingen. The young leaves have been used in a similar way to spinach over the centuries as a salad leaf or pot herb, but care should be taken to reduce its inclusion as it matures as the older leaves are less tasty and in fact work quite effectively as a laxative!