Mache /Valerianella locusta is a small annual plant that is eaten as a leaf vegetable. It has a characteristic nutty flavor, dark green color, and soft texture, and is popularly served as salad greens. Common names include lamb’s lettuce, corn salad, common cornsalad, mâche, fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce, field salad. In restaurants that feature French cooking, it may be called Doucette or raiponce, as an alternative to mâche, by which it is best known.^[rx] In German-speaking Switzerland it is known as Nüsslisalat or Nüssler, terms that have been borrowed by the area’s many English speakers. In some areas of Germany, it is known as Rapunzel and is the origin of the long-haired maiden’s name in the eponymous fairy tale.

Mache is an annual plant of the family Valerianaceae. It is mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. Other common English names are Corn salad, European corn salad, Fetticus, Lamb’s lettuce, Feldsalat, Common corn salad, Field salad, Nut lettuce, Italian corn salad, and Field lettuce. Mache is a small, annual and rosette-shaped bunched which grows in mild and dry or moist soil. The plant grows upto 15 and 30 cm high. It has spoon shaped-round leaves that are 6 inches long. The leaves are dark green which has a distinct, sweet, and nuttiness taste. The flowers have five bluish-white petals of funnel-shaped which is 1.5-2 mm (0.06-0.08 inches) long and wide. Fruits are yellow, round, and flattened achene.

History

Mache is native to temperate zones of Europe. Mache was foraged by the European peasants till the royal gardener of King Louis XIV, Jean Baptiste de La Quintinie, introduced it in the world. In Britain, it was consumed for centuries. It was commercially cultivated from the late 18^th or early 19^th century in London and appeared on modern markets in the 1980s. The president of America, Thomas Jefferson cultivated Mache at home Monticello in Virginia in the early 1800s.

Traditionally, it was cultivated in France to use in salads. Mache is wildly grown in parts of Northern Africa, Europe, and Western Asia. In Asia and Europe, it is cultivated as a common weed inland as well as waste spaces. In North America, it has become naturalized on the western and eastern seaboards. It is a major crop of Nantes and France, which is the leading producer of Mache in Europe.

This plant was cultivated earlier in the monastery’s gardens. Till the 19^th century, it was cultivated as winter lettuce. Today, Mache grows wild in the pastures and meadows and is mainly cultivated in France, Germany, Italy, and European countries.

Health Benefits of Mache

Mache is a salad green that helps to reduce triglycerides, inflammation, heart ailments, digestive ailments, cancer and improves HDL. It contains 30% more iron in comparison to spinach. It helps to eradicate stress, depression, and fatigue. It is steamed and added to salads or consumed as vegetables.

1. Vision

Vitamin A helps to prevent macular degeneration which is one of the main causes of age-related blindness. Vitamin A eye drops help to treat dry eyes effectively. It provides relief from dry eyes. Vitamin A slows down the development of Stargardt’s disease which is an eye disease for causes vision loss. (1)

2. Enhance immunity

Vitamin A enhances the immunity functions against infections by raising lymphocytic responses against antigens. It promotes the functions of white blood cells. It prevents the entering the germs into the body and counteract infections by providing double core protection. (2)

3. Treats hypertension

Hypertension patients have a high chance of cardiovascular diseases. The intake of Vitamin C helps to lower the blood pressure in the body. (3)

4. Skin health

The study shows that a high intake of Vitamin C helps to lower the appearance of wrinkles, skin dryness and slows down the process of aging. Vitamin C helps in the formation of tendons, skin, blood vessels, and ligaments. It helps to heal the wound and forms scar tissue.

The evidence shows that Vitamin C cream can reduce skin redness. It helps to maintain skin health as it is rich in antioxidants which help to prevent the body from skin cancer. (4)

5. Pregnancy

The deficiency of iron increases the chances of premature birth and underweight newborns. Prematurely born babies experience the health ailments such as cognitive development and delayed growth. The intake of iron supplements helps to lower the chances of low birth weight newborns by 10.2 percent. (5)

6. Formation of hemoglobin

This mineral helps in the formation of hemoglobin. Iron provides dark red shade to the blood and assists in circulating oxygen up to the body cells. Additional hemoglobin is very important as blood is lost during internal and external injuries. Especially women lose blood during menstruation due to which they could suffer from anemia. (6) (7)

7. Metabolism

Vitamin B6 has the ability to metabolize nutrients to extract energy. This vitamin helps in the metabolism of vitamins, fats, carbohydrates, and amino acids. (8)

8. Brain health

Vitamin B6 helps in brain function and brain development. The studies have shown that deficiency of Vitamin B6 enhances the function of memory and contributes to Alzheimer’s, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Studies have shown that deficiency of Vitamin B6 leads to Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin B6 impacts the function of the brain by controlling the level of homocysteine which is the major cause of heart disease and damage of neurons.

Vitamin B6 has a vital role in the formation of the hormones such as norepinephrine and serotonin which are called happy hormones that controls energy, mood as well as concentration. The researchers show that behavior disorders such as ADHD are caused due to the low level of serotonin. Vitamin B6 has a positive effect on children having behavior and learning disorders. (9)

9. Treat osteoporosis

The supplement of Manganese provides relief from osteoporosis. This mineral adds density to the bones. It helps in the formation and repairment of bones but the studies are still going on. Further studies are still needed for the specific mechanisms and roles of manganese in the human body. (10)

10. Cures diabetes

Manganese is essential for the formation of digestive enzymes which is responsible for the process known as gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis converts the amino acids of proteins to sugar and balances the sugar in the bloodstream. Manganese helps to prevent the level of high blood sugar which leads to diabetes. The study shows that manganese promotes the secretion of insulin, mitochondrial function and reduces lipid peroxidation. (11)

Mache Leaf Health Benefits

Mache Helps to Improve Eyesight

Mache Prevents the Risk of Cancer

Mache Improves Skin Health

Mache Boost Immunity

Mache Prevents Pregnancy Problem

Mache Reduce Blood Pressure

Mache Reduces the Risk of Anemia

Mache Boost Metabolism

Mache Improves Brain Function

Mache Treat Osteoporosis

How to Eat         

• Mache is consumed eaten raw by adding it to salads.
• It could be steamed and served as a hot vegetable.
• It is added to soups and stuffings.
• It is added to salad and with vinaigrette.
• Mache could be used in sandwiches or tacos.
• It is mixed with other greens like mustard leaves, dandelion, rockets, and fries.
• It is cooked like spinach or used as a substitute for spinach or lettuce.
• It could be used in soups, omelets, or rice.
• It associates well with sandwiches, salads, chicken, cold pasta, and tuna.
• It is simply dressed with toasted walnut oil and sherry vinegar.

Other Facts

• This plant is self-pollinating.
• Leaves are an excellent source of Vitamins C, E, A, B9, B6, potassium, and iron.
• It is small in size, delicate and perishable in nature.
• Thomas Jefferson, the former American president cultivated Mache at the beginning of 19th century in his garden, in Virginia.
• Mache produces leaves from May-November.
• Lamb’s lettuce refers to the size and shape of individual leaves resemble the tongue of a lamb.

References

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