Herb latin name: Callicarpa macrophylla


Family: Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)



Medicinal use of Callicarpa macrophylla:

The leaves are heated and applied as a poultice to ease the pain of rheumatic joints. A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery. A juice made from the leaves mixed with equal portions of Drymaria diandra and Oxalis corniculata is used in the treatment of gastric troubles. The root is chewed to relieve rashes on the tongue. A paste made from the roots is used to treat fevers. The juice of the root is used to treat indigestion. An oil obtained from the roots is aromatic and stomachic. It is assumed that this is an essential oil. The inner bark is pounded and used as a poultice on cuts and wounds. The fruits are chewed to treat boils on the tongue. The juice of ripe fruits is used in the treatment of indigestion and fevers.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2.5 m
(8 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
June to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Swampy localities and ravines. Waste places and roadsides to 1800 metres. Mixed forests at elevations of 100- 2000 metres in China.

Edible parts of Callicarpa macrophylla:

Fruit - raw. The white spongy fruit is sweet and succulent when fully ripe

Other uses of the herb:

Wood - soft. It is used as a fuel.

Propagation of Callicarpa macrophylla:

Seed - sow February in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 18°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood 10cm long, July/August in a frame. High percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth with a heel taken in early spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Swampy localities and ravines. Waste places and roadsides to 1800 metres. Mixed forests at elevations of 100- 2000 metres in China.

Known hazards of Callicarpa macrophylla:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.