Aegopodium podagraria, commonly called ground elder, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae that grows in shady places.

[9][10] Aegopodium podagraria is distributed widely in the temperate zone of western Asia and the whole of mainland Europe.

Because of its limited seed dispersal ability, short-lived seed bank and seedling recruitment, the primary vector for dispersal to new areas is human plantings as an ornamental, medicinal or vegetable plant, as well as by accidentally spreading rhizomes by dumping of garden waste.

[18] Aegopodium podagraria has been introduced around the world, including in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, most commonly as an ornamental plant.

It is an aggressive invader in the upper Great Lakes region and northeastern North America, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

[15] It can pose an ecological threat owing to its invasive nature, with potential to crowd out native species.

[citation needed] Integrative management strategies that combine herbicide with landscape cloth, bark mulch, and hand weeding to control goutweed in a garden are largely unsuccessful because sprouting occurs from either rhizomes or root fragments left in the soil.

[20] Hand pulling, raking, and digging followed by monitoring to control goutweed may be effective; however, caution must be taken to remove the entire rhizome and root system.

It is thus recommended to plant goutweed only on sites not adjacent to wildlands and in gardens where root spread can be restricted (e.g., between a sidewalk and a house).

It is best picked from when it appears (as early as February in the UK and other parts of northern Europe) to just before it flowers (May to June).

[25] It also had a history as a medicinal herb to treat gout and arthritis,[26] applied in hot wraps externally upon boiling both leaves and roots together.