Artemisia indica
| Artemisia indica | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 4' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Artemisia indica
Propagation: Seed - surface sow spring in a greenhouse. Do not allow the compost to dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.
The seed can also be sown in situ in late spring.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[1][2].
Plants are annuals or short-lived perennials[2]. 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, India.
Habitat: Waste ground in central and southern Japan[5]. The sides of paths and tracks, margins of cleared forests at elevations of 300 - 2500 metres in Nepal[6].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked and eaten with barley[7]. The leaves are also pounded with steamed glutinous rice to give a flavour and colouring[8][7].
Medicinal: The leaves and flowering stems are anthelmintic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, expectorant and stomachic[9][6]. An infusion is used in the treatment of nervous and spasmodic affections, in asthma and in diseases of the brain[9][6]. This infusion is also considered to be helpful in improving the appetite[6]. The juice of the plant is used in Nepal to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and abdominal pains[6]. It is used as an eyewash where it is said to relieve the burning sensation in conjunctivitis[6]. A paste of the plant is applied externally to treat wounds[6].
The roots are antiseptic and are a tonic for the kidneys[9][10][6].
Usage: The plant yields about 0.2% essential oil. This is a good larvicide and a feeble insecticide[9].
The dried leaves and flowers are used as an incense[6].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid 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[11].
Also Known As: A. asiatica. (Pampan.)Nakai. A. dubia. non Wallich. A. dubia orientalis. A. vulgaris indica.
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References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.