Hierochloe odorata or Anthoxanthum nitens, also known as sweet grass, buffalo grass, bison grass, holy grass (UK), manna grass,

Edible Uses: "Seed - cooked. Small and fiddly to use. It almost certainly does not contain coumarin and should be safe to use. An essential oil from the leaves is used as a food flavouring in sweets and soft drinks. It has a strong vanilla-like flavour. The leaves are added to vodka as a flavouring. The plant is said to be used as a colouring agent but no more details are given."

Medicinal Uses: "A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers, coughs, sore throats, chafing and venereal infections. It is also used to stop vaginal bleeding and to expel afterbirth. The stems can be soaked in water and used to treat windburn and chapping and as an eyewash. Some caution is advised when using this plant internally, see the notes above on toxicity. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use. Smoke from the burning leaves has been inhaled in the treatment of colds."

Other Uses: "The dried leaves are used as an incense, they were formerly also used as a strewing herb and have been used as a stuffing in pillows and mattresses. They have also been used as an insect repellent in the clothes cupboard where they impart a nice smell to the clothes. The leaves are used to make aromatic baskets. The wet leaves can be sewn together, dried until they are tight and then resin used over the stitches to make a waterproof container. The leaves can be soaked in water to make a tonic hair wash. An essential oil distilled from the leaves is used in perfumery where it acts as an excitant and fixative for other aromas. The plant has a very aggressive root system and has been planted to stabilize banks."

Herbal Uses: Unknown