Herb latin name: Coriaria sinica


Family: Coriariaceae



Medicinal use of Coriaria sinica:

The leaves are anodyne, antiphlogistic, febrifuge, depurative, poultice and vermifuge.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
5 m
(16 feet)

Flowering:
July to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Grassy hills and river valleys to 1500 metres. Occasionally found at higher elevations in stony and arid areas.

Edible parts of Coriaria sinica:

Fruit - raw or used as a beverage. As pleasant as bilberries. Use with great caution since most parts of the plant, including the seed, are probably very toxic and some reports suggest the fruit should not be used at all. The roots are antirheumatic. The plant is hallucinatory in small quantities.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow February/March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°C. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Fair percentage.

Cultivation of Coriaria sinica:

Grassy hills and river valleys to 1500 metres. Occasionally found at higher elevations in stony and arid areas.

Known hazards of Coriaria sinica:

The seed is poisonous and so are the leaves. Although we have no more information, it is reasonable to assume that all other parts of the plant are also toxic.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.