Biology

Herb-Robert occurs as either an annual or biennial herb. The flowers, which are present from June to October are pollinated by a range of insects (6)(2). The flowers are able to self-fertilise if they are not pollinated (2).  This familiar plant has been put to various uses through the centuries. The leaves have been rubbed onto the skin in order to repel biting insects (although the strong scent is highly disagreeable and likely to repel more than insects!). The plant has been used to obtain a brown dye, and in folk medicine it has been used as an anti-rheumatic, a diuretic and and to treat jaundice and stop bleeding. Recent research has shown that the plant may lower blood sugar levels, and so it has potential as a treatment for diabetes (6).