Herb: Star Jasmine


Latin name: Trachelospermum jasminoides


Synonyms: Rhynchospermum jasminoides


Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family)



Medicinal use of Star Jasmine:

The leaf is restorative and tonic. This plant is especially useful for the aged. The flowering stem is analgesic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, depurative, emmenagogue, febrifuge, resolvent, tonic and vasodilator. A decoction is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, sore throats and various boils and abscesses. The seed is cardiotonic and haemostatic. The whole plant is cooked with other foods and used to treat rheumatism.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Climber

Height:
6 m
(20 feet)

Flowering:
July to
August

Scent:
Scented
Climber

Habitat of the herb:

Found as a weed in Chinese gardens where it grows on walls and trees.

Propagation of Star Jasmine:

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. 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, 6 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame. Ensure that the milky sap, which is excreted from the heel when the cutting is taken, has dried out before the cutting is inserted in the soil. Fair to good percentage. Layering in summer. The plant self-layers, sending out roots from leaf nodes and stem tips wherever they touch the ground.

Cultivation of the herb:

Found as a weed in Chinese gardens where it grows on walls and trees.

Known hazards of Trachelospermum jasminoides:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.