| Menu list goes here |
Herbal Database Search Results
Back
to: Pathways Main Search
Page For Metaphysical uses
visit The Witchs Haven
Trichosanthes kirilowii japonica
| Common name: |
|
Family: |
Cucurbitaceae |
| Author: |
(Miq.)Kitam. |
Botanical references: |
58, 200, 275 |
| Synonyms: |
Trichosanthes japonica (Regel.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
E. Asia - Japan. |
| Habitat: |
Not known |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
1 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Chinese Cucumber [H], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Violales. Cucumber family
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial Climber growing to 6m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 1/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Fruit
Leaves Oil Root.
Fruit. Preserved in salt or made into a gruel[183]. The young fruits
are pickled[177]. The pulp of older fruits is eaten[179]. Mature fruits are
about 10cm long[200].
Leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[177, 183].
An edible starch is obtained from the root[183]. It requires leeching[179].
The root is harvested in the autumn, cut into thick slices, soaked for 4 - 5
days in water, changing the water daily until the root disintegrates and can
be mashed into a fine pulp. It is then steamed into cakes or used for making
dumplings[177, 178, 179]. The starch is mixed with wheat or rice flour and
made into crackers, dumplings, noodles etc[183].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antibacterial
Anticholesterolemic Antifungal Antiinflammatory Antitussive Cancer Depurative Emollient Expectorant Febrifuge Galactogogue Oxytoxic Sialagogue Skin Uterine tonic Vulnerary.
This plant is closely related to T. kirilowii, which is commonly used
in Chinese herbalism. This plant almost certainly has the same properties
which are:-
This plant is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, where it is considered to
be one of the 50 fundamental herbs[218]. Recent research has isolated a
protein called 'trichosanthin' in the roots and this is undergoing trials as
a possible remedy for AIDS[238].
Skin, vulnerary[174, 178].
The leaf and the stem are febrifuge[218].
The fruit is antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, antifungal, depurative,
emollient, expectorant and laxative[147, 174, 176, 178, 238]. It is used in
the treatment of pulmonary infections with yellow and thick sputum, chest
pains, stuffy feelings in the chest, constipation and dry stool[176]. It has
an antibacterial action against E. coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, B. typhi, B.
paratyphi, Pseudomonas, Vibrio cholerae, V. Proteus etc[176]. The fruit is
traditionally prepared as a winter soup to ward off colds and influenza[238].
The fruit is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[238].
The rind of the fruit is used to treat a number of ailments, including
cancer, jaundice, retained placenta, bronchial infections with thick phlegm
and sore throat[176, 218, 238].
The seed is antitussive, emollient and expectorant[218].
The root is antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, febrifuge, galactogogue,
laxative, oxytocic, sialagogue and uterine tonic[147, 174, 176, 178, 218,
238]. The fresh root has been noted for centuries as an abortifacient - a
sponge soaked in its juice was placed in the vagina and induced an abortion
in the second trimester of pregnancy[218]. The root is taken internally in
the treatment of diabetes, dry coughs, and to assist in the second stage of
labour[176, 238]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later
use[238].
The root and/or the seed is powdered and used in the treatment of mammary
cancer[218].
Other Uses
Oil.
An oil from the seed is used for lighting[178].
Cultivation details
Requires a rich well-drained soil and plenty of moisture in the growing
season[1, 200].
Sometimes cultivated in Japan for its edible fruit and medicinal uses, it is
not winter hardy in Britain and usually requires greenhouse cultivation.
However, it may be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual in a very warm
sheltered bed outdoors[1].
Propagation
Seed - sow March in pots in a warm greenhouse in a rich soil. Sow 2 - 3
seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. Grow them on fast and plant
out after the last expected frosts. Give some protection, such as a frame or
cloche, until the plants are growing away well.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
References for Trichosanthes japonica (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
[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.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[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.
Readers Comments
Main Search Page
Help
Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Trichosanthes+kirilowii+japonica
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Trichosanthes+kirilowii+japonica
|
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if
you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.
|
|
& (c) 2007 