Sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella L. has arrow shaped leaves, green flowers.  It is a common garden volunteer.  Considered a cooling, diuretic, the leaf tea is used in Europe to fight scurvy, inflammation, fever. Root tea taken to treat diarrhea, excessive menstrual discharge. Leaves are edible in judicious amounts.  Try in bean soups and mesclun salads.   Eat only occasionally because of high tannin and oxalic acid content.

Sheep sorrel is one of the components of the Essiac compound, a folk treatment for cancer. (More)
Medicinal Parts:  Whole plant, but primarily fresh aerial parts: the leaves, stems and flowers. May be purchased in tablet, made into a tea, eaten in salads.  

Tincture formula:  Ethanol extract is 1:4 weight to volume of fresh aerial parts, blended and separated.

Uses: Diuretic, may improve immune system resistance to infections.  Folk uses include blood purifier, stomachaches, liver and biliary ailments (similar to uses of uva ursi).

Native American Medicinal Uses: Leaves steamed and used as a poultice or compress to sores, wounds, bruises (Aleut, Cherokee).  Mohegans ate leaves to ease stomach problems.  According to Moerman, Squaxin ate leaves to treat tuberculosis. 

Food Uses: Leaves eaten raw, boiled or fried.  Also, stuffed into breads and pies.  Used as a lemony spice with vegetables.  Various tribes ate the leaves to include: alphabetically:  Bella Coola, Chehalis, Cherokess, Delaware, Hanaksiala, Hesquiat, Iroquois, Miwok, Okanagon-Colville, Saanich, Thompson.   The wide spread distribution of the plant is evident by the number of First People who used it.

Chemistry:  Oxalic acid, tannins, flavonoids, anthracene derivatives including physcion, emodin, aloe emodin, rhein, aloe emodin acetate, chryosphanol.