Herb latin name: Rhamnus virgatus


Synonyms: Rhamnus floridus


Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)



Medicinal use of Rhamnus virgatus:

The fruit is bitter, emetic and purgative. It is used in the treatment of affections of the spleen.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Forest undergrowth to 2700 metres. Open places along the margins of forests at elevations of 1000 - 3000 metres in Nepal.

Edible parts of Rhamnus virgatus:

Leaves - cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails. A tea is made from the leaves.

Other uses of the herb:

Wood - very hard, close grained. Used only for fuel.

Propagation of Rhamnus virgatus:

Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed will require 1 - 2 months cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame or outdoor seedbed. Germination is usually good, at least 80% by late spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame. Layering in early spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Forest undergrowth to 2700 metres. Open places along the margins of forests at elevations of 1000 - 3000 metres in Nepal.

Known hazards of Rhamnus virgatus:

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been found for this species, there is the suggestion that some members of this genus could be mildly poisonous.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.