Herb: Jessamine


Latin name: Jasminum officinale


Family: Oleaceae (Olive Family)



Medicinal use of Jessamine:

The leaf juice is applied to corns and ear discharges. The leaves contain salicylic acid (found also in the bark of Salix species and used as an analgesic, febrifuge etc). The root is used in the treatment of ringworm. The flowers are aphrodisiac, antiseptic, antispasmodic, galactogogue and tonic. They are mainly used in aromatherapy (see below). The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is "Aphrodisiac". It is used in the treatment of depression, nervous tension, impotence, frigidity, menstrual disorders and weak digestion.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Climber

Height:
10 m
(33 feet)

Flowering:
June to
September

Scent:
Scented
Climber

Habitat of the herb:

Shrubberies and forests, usually on humus-rich soils, 1200 - 3000 metres in the Himalayas. Valleys, ravines, thickets, woods, along rivers, meadows, 1800 - 4000 metres in W. China.

Edible parts of Jessamine:

Flowers - fragrant. Eaten or used to flavour or scent tea. The dried flowers are a tea substitute. An essential oil from the flowers is used as a condiment in various foods, especially Maraschino cherries but also baked goods, ice cream, sweets, chewing gum etc. It imparts a bitter-sweet floral tone.

Other uses of the herb:

An essential oil from the flowers is used in perfumery. The flowers are picked soon after opening each morning and used fresh for oil extraction.

Propagation of Jessamine:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. 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, July/August in a frame. Very easy. Cuttings of mature wood in November. Layering.

Cultivation of the herb:

Shrubberies and forests, usually on humus-rich soils, 1200 - 3000 metres in the Himalayas. Valleys, ravines, thickets, woods, along rivers, meadows, 1800 - 4000 metres in W. China.

Known hazards of Jasminum officinale:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.