Polygonum hydropiper
| Polygonum hydropiper | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Polygonum hydropiper (common name: smartweed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a pot standing in water or in situ. Germination is usually free and easy. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have reached sufficient size. If not, overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out the following spring after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: A water plant, growing in shallow water or wet soils. Succeeds in most soils if they are wet and dislikes shade.
Smartweed is cultivated for its edible leaves in Japan[1], the variety 'Fastigiatum' (syn P. maximowiczii) is the form normally used[2][1].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa and temperate Asia.
Habitat: Shallow water in ponds, ditches etc and in wet places on land[4][5].
Edibility: Leaves and stems - raw or cooked. They can also be made into an acid peppery condiment[6]. They are very hot[1]. The leaves contain about 7.5% protein, 1.9% fat, 8% carbohydrate, 2% ash[7]. The leaves are said to contain rutin[8].
Seed - raw or cooked. It is rather small and fiddly to utilize. The seed is used as a condiment - a pepper substitute[9].
The sprouted seeds or young seedlings can be used as a garnish or added to salads, they are commonly sold in Japanese markets[6]. They are very hot[1][7].
Medicinal: Smartweed has a long history of herbal use, both in Eastern and Western herbalism. It is not used very often, and is seen more as a domestic remedy being valued especially for its astringent properties which makes it useful in treating bleeding, skin problems, diarrhoea etc.
The leaves are anti-inflammatory, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, stimulant, stomachic, styptic[10][4][11][12][13]. They contain rutin, which helps strengthen fragile capillaries and thus helps prevent bleeding[14]. Use with caution[11].
The seed is carminative, diuretic and stimulant[8].
The whole plant, either on its own or mixed with other herbs, is decocted and used in the treatment of a wide range of ailments including diarrhoea, dyspepsia, itching skin, excessive menstrual bleeding and haemorrhoids[8][15]. A poultice of the plant is used in treating swollen and inflamed areas[16]. In Chinese tests, the plant was ranked 20th in a survey of 250 potential antifertility drugs[8].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves[4]. It is used in the treatment of piles, menstrual pains and other menstrual complaints[4].
Usage: A yellow-gold dye is obtained from the stalks[17].
Pollinators: Self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no specific mention has been made for this species, there have been reports that some members of this genus can cause photosensitivity in susceptible people._x005F
Many species also contain oxalic acid (the distinctive lemony flavour of sorrel) - whil
Also Known As: P. fastigiatoramosum. Makino. P. maximowiczii. Regel. Persicaria fastigiatoramosa. (Makino.)Nakai. Persicaria hydropiper. (L.)Spach.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.