Achyranthes bidentata
| Achyranthes bidentata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Achyranthes bidentata (common name: niu xi)
Propagation: Seed - sow late spring in a greenhouse. Germination should be fairly rapid, prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle. It is probably wise to grow this plant on in the greenhouse for its first winter, planting it out into its permanent position in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: Prefers a rich, sandy, slightly acid soil in partial shade[1].
This species is probably not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to at least -5°c[1].
When grown in a rich soil the roots can be up to 1.2 metres long[1].
Widely cultivated in China, especially in Henan Province, as a medicinal plant[1] and as a food plant[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, India.
Habitat: Forest edges, the sides of streams and shrubberies[3]. Moist shady places at elevations of 1200 - 3000 metres in Nepal[4].
Edibility: Seed - cooked. A good substitute for cereal grains in bread-making, they have often been used for this purpose in famine years[5][6][1].
Leaves - cooked[6][7]. Used as a vegetable in the same manner as spinach[2].
Medicinal: The roots, leaves and stems are widely used in Chinese herbal medicine[1]. They are anodyne, antirheumatic, bitter, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue and vasodilator. They act predominantly on the lower half of the body and are used in the treatment of aching back and knees and asthenia of the lower limbs[8][1][3]. Research suggests that they can cause dilation of the cervix and so this herb should not be used when pregnant[1].
The herb is taken internally to treat hypertension, back pains, urine in the blood, menstrual pain, bleeding etc[1].
The root juice is used in Nepal in the treatment of toothache[4]. This juice is also used in the treatment of indigestion and is considered to be a good treatment for asthma[4].
The stem of the plant is used as a toothbrush that is said to be good for the teeth and is also a treatment for pyorrhoea[4].
The plant can be used fresh or dried. The leaves and stems are harvested in the summer and are usually crushed for their juice or used in tinctures[1]. The roots are harvested from 1 or 2 year old plants in the autumn or winter and usually dried and ground into a powder or used in decoctions[1].
Usage: Two insect-moulting hormones are found in the roots[9]. Can this have a practical application as an insecticide?
The stem of the plant is used as a toothbrush that is said to be good for the teeth and is also a treatment for pyorrhoea[4].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: One report suggests that the root is poisonous[2].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.