Herb: Himalayan Ash


Latin name: Fraxinus floribunda


Family: Oleaceae (Olive Family)



Medicinal use of Himalayan Ash:

The manna obtained from incisions in the stem is a safe and gentle laxative. The young shoots are abortifacient.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
40 m
(131 feet)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Rich moist soils in forests, 1200 - 2700 metres in the Himalayas. Dense forests, mixed woods of valleys, roadsides, sea level to 2600 metres in western China.

Edible parts of Himalayan Ash:

A manna is obtained by incision of the trunk. It is used as a sweetener but is laxative if used in quantity.

Other uses of the herb:

Wood. Used for oars, ploughs and poles.

Propagation of Himalayan Ash:

The seed is best harvested green - as soon as it is fully developed but before it has fully dried on the tree - and can then be sown immediately in a cold frame. It usually germinates in the spring. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification and is best sown as soon as possible in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions or a nursery bed in late spring or early summer of the following year. If you have sufficient seed then it is possible to sow it directly into an outdoor seedbed, preferably in the autumn. Grow the seedlings on in the seedbed for 2 years before transplanting either to their permanent positions or to nursery beds.

Cultivation of the herb:

Rich moist soils in forests, 1200 - 2700 metres in the Himalayas. Dense forests, mixed woods of valleys, roadsides, sea level to 2600 metres in western China.

Known hazards of Fraxinus floribunda:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.