Herb: Chrysanthemum


Latin name: Dendranthema indicum


Synonyms: Chrysanthemum indicum


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of Chrysanthemum:

The whole plant is antiphlogistic, blood tonic, depurative, febrifuge and vulnerary. The plant is used in China to treat eye ailments. In conjunction with black pepper it is used in the treatment of gonorrhoea. The leaves are depurative. They are used in China in the treatment of migraine. The flowers are aperient, bitter, hypotensive, stomachic and vasodilator. They have an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus, E. coli, streptococcus, C. diphtheriae, Bacillus dysenteriae. The flowers are used in the treatment of furuncle, scrofula, deep-rooted boils, inflammation of the throat, eyes and cervix, eczema, itchiness of the skin and hypertension. An essential oil obtained from the plant contains chrysanthenone, this is active on the brain centre affected by Parkinson's disease.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
August to
October

Scent:
Scented
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Found wild in most habitats. Grasslands on mountain slopes, thickets, wet places by rivers, fields, roadsides, saline places by seashores, under shrubs 100 - 2900 m. Nearly throughout China.

Edible parts of Chrysanthemum:

The flower heads are pickled in vinegar. Young leaves - cooked. An aromatic tea is made from the leaves. Seed. No more details are given but it is very small and would be rather fiddly to use.

Other uses of the herb:

The seed contains about 16% of a semi-drying oil, but no information is given as to its uses. The seed is rather small, commercial extraction is probably not viable.

Propagation of Chrysanthemum:

Seed - sow spring to early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. It usually germinates in 10 - 18 days at 15°C but if it does not germinate within 4 weeks then try chilling the seed for 3 weeks in the salad compartment of a fridge. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Found wild in most habitats. Grasslands on mountain slopes, thickets, wet places by rivers, fields, roadsides, saline places by seashores, under shrubs 100 - 2900 m. Nearly throughout China.

Known hazards of Dendranthema indicum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.