Anybody have experience with motherwort and ground cherry?

I have 2 "weeds" growing in pots in my front yard, which I first thought might be hibiscus (since that's what was in those pots last) and left them alone. Now that they are much bigger, I know they're not hibiscus, so I posted pics of them on a gardening website and was told that one was an herb called Motherwort and the other is a plant called Ground Cherry. Apparently the Motherwort is used to treat things like stomach gas, cramps, menstrual regulation, and insomnia, and the ground cherry gets some kind of fruit. Does anybody have experience with either of these? I'm wondering whether you can just eat the motherwort (it says it's in the mint family) like a mint leaf, or is it not recommended if you're not trying to treat something? And what do the fruits from the ground cherry taste like? Can you eat them raw?

Since they're not weeds, I'm going to let them be in their nice little pots. :dance:

Plantsforafuture is a good site for finding out these things.

Ground cherries are interesting. Not sure how I'd describe them. I had a small amount of them last year from our CSA, other than that I haven't had them since I was a child. My aunt used to grow some in her garden. The fruit is like a tiny yellow cherry tomato in a papery husk. The taste is hmmm... kinda like a sweet green tomato? I've heard others say it has a slight pineapple flavor. They are unique. You can eat them raw, we used to all the time, and I did last year as well. They were also sometimes made into jam when I was young, but I preferred eating them right out of the garden. Btw, they are related to tomatoes and are a nightshade, if that makes a difference to you.

I eat motherwort all the time. It tastes kind of bitter though. It's an acquired taste. Not palatable like other leaves such as kale and lettuce.




So yes, you can eat it raw.