medicinal herbs
Podocarpium podocarpum japonicum
 

• Medicinal herbs
• Natural herbs
• Latin names
• Common names

Herb latin name: Podocarpium podocarpum japonicum

Synonyms: Desmodium oxyphyllum, Desmodium racemosum, Desmodium thunbergii, Hedysarum racemosum

Family: Leguminosae

Medicinal use of Podocarpium podocarpum japonicum:

A tincture of the plant is a respiratory stimulant. A decoction of the plant is diaphoretic.

Description of the plant:

Habitat of the herb:

Woods and thickets throughout Japan. Oak groves and shrubby thickets, gravelly soils of mountain slopes.

Edible parts of Podocarpium podocarpum japonicum:

Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder or steamed.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Scarify and pre-soak stored seed for 5 hours in warm water then sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 1 - 4 months at 25°C. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from frost in their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame. Division as the plant comes into growth in the 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. Root cuttings in winter.

Cultivation of Podocarpium podocarpum japonicum:

Woods and thickets throughout Japan. Oak groves and shrubby thickets, gravelly soils of mountain slopes.

Known hazards of Podocarpium podocarpum japonicum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.