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Rehmannia glutinosa

Common name:	Chinese Foxglove	Family:	Gesneriaceae
Author:	(Gaertn.)Steud.	Botanical references:	109, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Rehmannia chinensis
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - N. China, Korea.
Habitat:	Well-drained stony ground along roadsides and in woods[109]. Mountain slopes and trailsides from near sea level to 1100 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Digitalis glutinosa[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Rehmannia [H], Sheng Di [E], Sheng Ti Huang [E], Shu Ti Huang [E], Ti Huang [E], Ti Huang Chiu [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	glutinosa = very sticky
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Gesneriad family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.25m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in flower from April to June, and the seeds ripen from May to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root.

Leaves[177, 179]. No further details are given.
Root - cooked[177]. Boiled nine times before it is eaten[179]. This suggests that the root is somewhat toxic, or at least has a very bitter flavour. Having boiled it nine times (and presumably throwing the water away each time), there is going to be very little left in the way of vitamins and minerals[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiseptic Cardiac Diuretic Febrifuge Haemostatic Hypoglycaemic Skin Tonic.

This plant, called Di Huang in China, is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, where it is one of the most popular tonic herbs and is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs[218, 238]. The root is the main part used and it can be prepared in four different ways - charcoaled, prepared (but no details of the preparation are given) when it is called Shu Di Huang and fresh or dried when it is called Sheng Di Huang[176].
The roots are antibacterial, antiseptic, cardiac, diuretic, febrifuge, haemostatic, hypoglycaemic and tonic[61, 176, 178, 218, 238, 279]. They are used in the treatment of a wide range of ailments, including anaemia, cancer, bleeding, constipation, coughs, fever and premature ejaculation[174, 176, 218, 238]. The charcoaled root is used to stop bleeding and tonify the spleen and stomach[176]. The fresh root is used to treat thirst, the rash of infectious diseases and bleeding due to pathological heat[176]. The dried root is used to treat bleeding due to blood deficiency and to nourish the vital essence[176]. The prepared root is used to treat dizziness and palpitations due to anaemia or blood deficiency, chronic tidal fever, night sweats, dry mouth, lumbago and nocturnal emissions[176]. The roots of cultivated plants are harvested in the autumn or early winter, whilst wild plants are harvested in early spring[238]. They can be used fresh or dried[238].
The root is an ingredient of 'Four Things Soup', the most widely used woman's tonic in China[254]. The other species used are Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum wallichii and Paeonia lactiflora[254].
The leaves are bruised and used in the treatment of scaly eczema or psoriasis[218].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a light freely-draining humus-rich loam in light shade[200]. Prefers a neutral to acid sandy soil[238]. Requires a warm sunny position[188, 238].
This species is probably hardy to about -25° c if the plants are dry, but the softly hairy leaves are susceptible to rot in warm damp winters and so the plants are often grown in the greenhouse[187]. The plants are prone to fungal infections, especially when grown in damp conditions[238].
The Chinese foxglove is cultivated as a medicinal plant in China[238].

Propagation

Seed - sow autumn or spring in a greenhouse[188]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant them out in late spring or early summer.
Root cuttings in winter[200].
Division in spring[238].
Basal cuttings in late spring or early summer[200]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Gesneriaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[109] Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.
Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader.

[174] Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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