Artemisia caruifolia
| Artemisia caruifolia | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Artemisia caruifolia
Propagation: Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Division in spring or autumn.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[2][1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.
Habitat: Moist river banks, floodlands, waysides, outer forest margins, canyons and coastal beaches from low elevations up to 4600 metres[5].
Edibility: Young plants - cooked in the spring[6][7]. They are also used as a flavouring for tea[6].
Medicinal: The whole plant is depurative, febrifuge, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge[8][9][10]. It contains abrotanine which is antiphlogistic and antifebrile[5]. The plant is said to prevent malaria, or to drive away mosquitoes[10]. It inhibits the maturation of malaria parasites in the body[9]. It is also used in the treatment of low-grade fevers, tidal fever, summer heat stroke, chronic diarrhoea, phthisis, purulent scabies and intestinal troubles[9][11].
A decction of the root is used in the treatment of asthma[12].
This plant can be used interchangeably with Artemisia annua[13]. The medicinal virtues of that plant are as follows:-
Qing Ho, better known in the West as sweet wormwood, is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. An aromatic anti-bacterial plant, recent research has shown that it destroys malarial parasites, lowers fevers and checks bleeding[14][13]. It is often used in the Tropics as an affordable and effective anti-malarial[13].
The leaves are antiperiodic, antiseptic, digestive, febrifuge[9][7]. An infusion of the leaves is used internally to treat fevers, colds, diarrhoea etc[15][13]. Externally, the leaves are poulticed onto nose bleeds, boils and abscesses[15][14]. The leaves are harvested in the summer, before the plant comes into flower, and are dried for later use[13].
The plant contains artemisinin, this substance has proved to be a dramatically effective anti-malarial[10][14][13]. Clinical trials have shown it to be 90% effective and more successful than standard drugs[13]. In a trial of 2000 patients, all were cured of the disease[10].
The seeds are used in the treatment of flatulence, indigestion and night sweats[15].
Usage: The plant is burnt to repel insects[7].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people[15].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.