Chives

Everyone knows chives as a spice, but that it is also a medicinal plant is not so well known. We need it most when it sprouts from the ground in spring, because it dispels spring tiredness, cleans the blood and provides us with vitamin C.

Plant description

Chives is a perennial plant. In spring, the chives shoot out of the rootstock within a short time, forming round, hollow stems. These stems can grow up to 30 cm high. Only a few months later, usually in May, some stems grow, which are considerably harder than the others.

The pink-violet flowers then unfold on these stems. The flowers are spherical. After the flowering period, normal stems grow again until the chives retreat into the soil at the beginning of winter.

Characteristics

Scientific name
Allium schoenoprasum.

Other name
Cives.

Parts of plants used
Stem.

Ingredients
Iron, arsenic (small amounts), vitamin C.

Harvest period
March to October.

Medicinal properties

Main use: Blood circulation.

Healing effects

• • • • Diuretic
      • Cough
      • Inflammation of the stomach
      • High blood pressure
      • Blood-purifying
      • Expectorant
      • Loss of appetite
      • Flatulence
      • Bowel inflammation
      • Spring fever
      • Gout
        
        

Application method

• • • • Orally
        
        

Forms of preparation

The chives are best used in the kitchen around the world, because they unfold their strongest healing effects when eaten fresh. Nowadays, chives can be bought cheaply in pots and then left to grow on the windowsill.

A few snippets of it on bread or sprinkled in soup not only taste good, but are also good for your health. A herbal quark with fresh chives is also particularly valuable. You can also eat the flowers, for example in a salad.

Chives (Wikipedia)

This article is about the edible plant common in Western cuisine. For the Asian vegetable (garlic chives, Chinese chives) see Allium tuberosum. For other uses see chives (disambiguation)

Chives
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Allioideae
Genus:	Allium
Species:	A. schoenoprasum
Binomial name
Allium schoenoprasum L.
Synonyms
Synonymy Cepa schoenoprasa (L.) Moench Ascalonicum schoenoprasum (L.) P.Renault Allium gredense Rivas Goday Porrum schoenoprasum (L.) Schur Schoenoprasum vulgare Fourr. Allium sibiricum L. Allium palustre Chaix Allium tenuifolium Salisb. Allium foliosum Clairv. ex DC. Allium acutum Spreng. Allium tenuifolium Pohl Cepa tenuifolia (Salisb.) Gray Allium reflexum F.Dietr. Allium riparium Opiz Allium carneum Schult. & Schult.f. Allium alpinum (DC.) Hegetschw. Allium broteri Kunth Allium punctulatum Schltdl. Porrum sibiricum (L.) Schur Allium buhseanum Regel Allium raddeanum Regel Allium purpurascens Losa Allium idzuense H.Hara Allium udinicum Antsupova Allium ubinicum Kotukhov

Chives, raw

Cut chive leaves as used for preparing food
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	126 kJ (30 kcal)
Carbohydrates	4.35 g
Sugars	1.85 g
Dietary fiber	2.5 g
Fat	0.73 g
Protein	3.27 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene lutein zeaxanthin	27% 218 μg 24% 2612 μg 323 μg
Thiamine (B1)	7% 0.078 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	10% 0.115 mg
Niacin (B3)	4% 0.647 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	6% 0.324 mg
Vitamin B6	11% 0.138 mg
Folate (B9)	26% 105 μg
Vitamin C	70% 58.1 mg
Vitamin E	1% 0.21 mg
Vitamin K	203% 212.7 μg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	9% 92 mg
Iron	12% 1.6 mg
Magnesium	12% 42 mg
Manganese	18% 0.373 mg
Phosphorus	8% 58 mg
Potassium	6% 296 mg
Zinc	6% 0.56 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA FoodData Central

Flower with bud

Fully open flower

Chive seeds

Chive seedlings sprouting

Chives, scientific name Allium schoenoprasum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and Chinese onion.

A perennial plant, it is widespread in nature across much of Europe, Asia, and North America.

A. schoenoprasum is the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old Worlds.

Chives are a commonly used herb and can be found in grocery stores or grown in home gardens. In culinary use, the green stalks (scapes) and the unopened, immature flower buds are diced and used as an ingredient for omelettes, fish, potatoes, soups, and many other dishes. The edible flowers can be used in salads. Chives have insect-repelling properties that can be used in gardens to control pests.

The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 10 for most nectar production (nectar per unit cover per year) in a UK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative.