Herb: Japanese Atractylodes


Latin name: Atractylodes japonica


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of Japanese Atractylodes:

The rhizome is commonly used in Chinese and Korean herbal medicine. It is antiemetic, appetizer, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, stomachic and tonic. The rhizome contains several medically active constituents including an essential oil and sesquiterpenes. It has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels and to exert a protective influence on the liver. It is used in the treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders such as diarrhoea, water retention, mastitis, fistula, rheumatoid arthritis and night blindness.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
80 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
August to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Hills and mountains of central and southern Japan. Forests and forest margins at elevations of 200 - 800 metres in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces of eastern China.

Edible parts of Japanese Atractylodes:

Buds and young leaves. No more details are given. Root - cooked. A famine food used when all else fails.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the following spring or early summer.

Cultivation of Japanese Atractylodes:

Hills and mountains of central and southern Japan. Forests and forest margins at elevations of 200 - 800 metres in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces of eastern China.

Known hazards of Atractylodes japonica:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.