Herb latin name: Nuphar japonicum


Family: Nymphaeaceae (Water-lily Family)



Medicinal use of Nuphar japonicum:

Digestive, women's complaints. Used before and after childbirth, it treats gynecopathy(menoxenia).

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Ponds, lakes and shallow streams throughout Japan.

Edible parts of Nuphar japonicum:

Root - cooked. Used as a famine food, when baked it tastes like sweet chestnuts. The root probably needs to be steeped in water before use in order to remove a bitter flavour. Seed. No more details are given but the seed is probably rich in starch and can be ground into a powder then used as a thickener in soups etc.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse in pots submerged under 25mm of water. Prick out into individual pots as soon as the first true leaf appears and grow them on in water in a greenhouse for at least two years before planting them out in late spring. The seed is collected by wrapping the developing seed head in a muslin bag to avoid the seed being lost. Harvest it 10 days after it sinks below the soil surface or as soon as it reappears. Division in May. Each portion must have at least one eye. Submerge in pots in shallow water until established.

Cultivation of Nuphar japonicum:

Ponds, lakes and shallow streams throughout Japan.

Known hazards of Nuphar japonicum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.