| Habitats
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Ground Cover; Pond; Bog Garden;
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| Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Root.
Root - raw or cooked[105, 177]. It should be peeled, finely chopped and soaked in several changes of water first[183]. A stronger and more pleasing taste than A. calamus[2, 183]. The root is also used as a ginger substitute[177]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
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| Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anodyne; Antibacterial; Antifungal; Antiperiodic; Antirheumatic; Antispasmodic; Aromatic; Cardiac; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic;
Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Febrifuge; Parasiticide; Sedative; Stimulant; Stomachic; Tonic; Vermifuge.
The root is antifungal, antibacterial, antiperiodic, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, aromatic, cardiac, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenaggue, febrifuge, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge[4, 7, 9, 21, 61, 147, 165, 176, 178, 218, 238, 240, 279]. It is also powdered and applied to bleeding gums[218, 238]. It is used internally in the treatment of digestive problems - particularly gastralgia and diarrhoea[283], cough, bronchial asthma, neurasthenia, depression, epilepsy etc[176, 238, 283]. Externally, it is used to treat body parasites, dermatosis and haemorrhoids[283]. The root can be harvested at any time of the year, except when the plant is in flower[238].
The root contains an essential oil consisting of asarone and asaryl aldehyde, plus a bitter glucoside acorin[176, 283]. Asarone increases the hypnotic effect of barbiturates and ethanol, lowers blood pressure and is antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci and mycobacterium[176].
The whole plant is anodyne, antiperiodic, antispasmodic, digestive, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, sudorific, tonic, vermifuge[218].
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| Other Uses
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Parasiticide; Essential; Ground cover; Insecticide; Repellent.
The dried root repels insects[178]. It is probably also insecticidal[178, 240] and is used in Vietnam to kill lice, bugs and fleas[283].
An essential oil is obtained from the plant[240].
A useful ground cover plant, forming a spreading clump[208].
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| Cultivation details
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Grows well in shallow water margins of ponds etc[1, 2], though it can also succeeds in drier habitats[56]. Requires a sunny position[200].
A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[208, 238]. The cultivar 'Pusillus' can be grown as a submerged aquatic plant[238].
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| Propagation
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Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Stand the pot in about 3cm of water. Pot up young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle, keep them wet by standing the pots in shallow water and overwinter for the first year in a greenhouse or cold frame.
Division in spring just before growth starts[1]. Very easy, the plants can be divided at any time in the growing season and can be planted direct into their permanent positions[K].
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| Botanical References
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| 58200
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| Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
| [1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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| Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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| [2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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| Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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| [4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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| Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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| [7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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| [9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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| [21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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| Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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| [56]Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants.
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| Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.
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| [58]Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation)
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| The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
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| [61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
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| Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
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| [105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
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| The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
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| [147]? A Barefoot Doctors Manual.
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| A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
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| [165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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| An excellent small herbal.
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| [176]Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas.
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| An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.
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| [177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
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| An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
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| [178]Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.
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| A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
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| [183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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| Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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| [200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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| Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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| [208]Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover
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| An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.
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| [218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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| Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
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| [238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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| A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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| [240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
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| Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
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| [279] Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea
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| An excellent book with terse details about the medicinal uses of the plants with references to scientific trials. All plants are described, illustrated and brief details of habitats given.
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| [283]Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu Medicinal Plants in Vietnam
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| An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications.
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