Pellitory-of-the-wall

Parietaria officinalis

Also known as Wall Pellitory, Lichwort, Spreading Pellitory, Paritary

At a glance

Family

Urticaceae (Nettle family)

Type

Perennial herb

Parts used

Aerial parts (leaves and stems)

Size

8 to 32 inches tall, sprawling and bushy

Bloom

Summer, tiny clusters of greenish-white flowers tucked in the leaf axils

Habitat

Old stone walls, mortar cracks, rubble, shaded waste ground

Acquisition

Forage

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditional urinary support

Soothes minor skin irritation

Eases coughs traditionally

Gentle traditional diuretic

Traditional uses

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Pellitory-of-the-wall has quietly kept company with human settlements for thousands of years, rooting itself into the mortar of old walls, cottages, and ruins across Europe. Ancient and medieval herbalists, including Pliny the Elder, praised it as a gentle remedy for gravel and stone, and it earned a steady place in folk medicine as a soothing diuretic herb for the urinary tract. Country healers also bruised the fresh leaves into a cooling poultice for minor burns, stings, and irritated skin, and brewed the leaf into a mild tea for coughs and sore throats. It never became a famous herb, but it was a reliably present one, growing wherever old walls offered it a foothold.

How to grow & use it

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Pairs well with

✦Nettle
✦Cleavers
✦Dandelion Leaf

Substitutes

✦Cleavers
✦Corn Silk

Choose it when

“When the crumbling wall at the edge of the garden turns out to be growing something useful.”

Did you know?

Pellitory-of-the-wall is entirely unrelated to Spanish pellitory (Anacyclus pyrethrum), a daisy-family plant used historically for toothache, despite the two sharing a common name. Wall pellitory earned its name simply from its habit of rooting into the mortar and stonework of old walls, exactly where Roman and medieval herbalists most often found it growing.

Safety

Its fine pollen is a major cause of hay fever in Mediterranean regions, so those with pollen allergies or asthma should be cautious around the flowering plant. As a diuretic herb, use caution with kidney disease or diuretic medications.