Asparagus racemosus
| Asparagus racemosus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 23' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Asparagus racemosus (common name: shatavari)
Propagation: Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in early autumn in a greenhouse. It usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 25°c[1]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer[K].
Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.
Cultivation: Easily grown in any good garden soil[2]. Prefers a rich sandy loam[3].
This species is not very frost-hardy and generally needs to be grown in a frost-free or fairly frost-free climate[2][4]. It can be grown as a half-hardy perennial in areas where the winter is too cold for it to survive outdoors. The tubers are harvested in the autumn, stored in a cool frost-free place and replanted in the spring[4].
The rots of this species are commonly collected from the wild for medicinal use. Overcollection in some areas of its range are causing conservation concerns[5].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, India.
Habitat: Found at elevations up to 1,200 metres in the Himalayas, eastwards from Kashmir[6]. Broad-leaved forests along streams or valleys at elevations of 2100 - 2200 metres in western China[7].
Edibility: Tender young shoots - cooked as a vegetable[5]. A preserve prepared from the blanched shoots is said to be very agreeable[8].
The tuber are candied as a sweetmeat[8]. The only flavour is said to be that of the sugar[8]. The roots are 5 - 13cm long[9].
Medicinal: Shatavari (this is an Indian word meaning 'a woman who has a hundred husbands') is the most important herb in Ayurvedic medicine for dealing with problems connected women's fertility[4]. The rhizome is a soothing tonic that acts mainly on the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and female reproductive organs[4].
The root is alterative, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, demulcent, diuretic, galactogogue and refrigerant[6][9]. It is taken internally in the treatment of infertility, loss of libido, threatened miscarriage, menopausal problems, hyperacidity, stomach ulcers and bronchial infections[4]. Externally it is used to treat stiffness in the joints[4]. The root is used fresh in the treatment of dysentery. It is harvested in the autumn and dried for use in treating other complaints[4].
The whole plant is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, rheumatism, diabetes and brain complaints[9].
Usage: The squeezed root is used for washing clothes[5].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.