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Vitex negundo

Common name:	Huang Ping	Family:	Verbenaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	11, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Vitex incisa (Lam.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Southwest China to the Himalayas.
Habitat:	Wasteland up to 2000 metres in the Himalayas[51]. Mixed thickets on mountain slopes at elevations of 200 - 1400 metres in China[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	V. incisa var. heterophylla[G] V. negundo var. heterophylla[G] V. negundo var. incisa[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Ban Muichi [E], Ch'U [E], Chaste Tree [DEN2,E], Gattilier Incise [E], Huang Ching [E], Indrani [E], Katri [E], Lenggundi [E], Man Ching [E], Negundo Chastetree [B,P], Nirgandi [E], Nirgundi [E], Nisinda [E], Pajan Kusut [E], Sambhalu [E], Taiwan-Ninzin-Boku [E], Vitex [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Verbena family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Britain China Fiji France India India(Santal) Indonesia Iran Malaysia Samoa Sanscrit

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m by 3m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from September to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Condiment Seed Tea.

Seed - occasionally used as a condiment[177, 183], it is a pepper substitute. When washed to remove the bitterness it can be ground into a powder and used as a flour[179], though it is very much a famine food used only when all else fails[177].
A tea is made from the roots and leaves[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial Antitumor Astringent Expectorant Febrifuge Sedative Tonic Vermifuge.

This species is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine, it is the second most important treatment for chronic bronchitis[218]. (The sub-species V. negundo cannabifolia (Sieb.& Zucc.)Hand-Mazz. is used.)
The leaves are astringent, febrifuge, sedative, tonic and vermifuge[146, 147, 178, 218, 240]. They are useful in dispersing swellings of the joints from acute rheumatism, and of the testes from suppressed gonorrhoea[240]. The juice of the leaves is used for removing foetid discharges and worms from ulcers, whilst an oil prepared with the leaf juice is applied to sinuses and scrofulous sores[240].They are harvested in early summer and used fresh or dried[238].
A decoction of the stems is used in the treatment of burns and scalds[218].
The dried fruit is vermifuge[240]. The fruit is also used in the treatment of angina, colds, coughs, rheumatic difficulties etc[218]. The fresh berries are pounded to a pulp and used in the form of a tincture for the relief of paralysis, pains in the limbs, weakness etc[4].
The root is expectorant, febrifuge and tonic[240]. It is used in the treatment of colds and rheumatic ailments[218]. It is harvested in late summer and autumn, and dried for later use[238].
The plant is said to be a malarial preventative and is also used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery - extracts of the leaves have shown bactericidal and antitumor activity[218].

Other Uses

Basketry Hedge Insecticide Repellent Soil stabilization.

Young stems are used in basket making and for making wattles[51, 146, 158, 272].
The leaves are used to repel insects in grain stores[51, 146]. Extracts of the leaves have insecticidal activity[218]. The fresh leaves are burnt with grass as a fumigant against mosquitoes[238].
The plant is grown on slopes to counter land slides[272].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it prefers a light well-drained loamy soil in a warm sunny position sheltered from cold drying winds[1, 200]. Succeeds in poor dry soils[238].
Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -10° c[200]. They are not very hardy in Britain, they succeed outdoors at Kew[K], but in general are best given the protection of a sunny wall outside the milder areas of the country[11]. Plants only flower freely after a warm summer, so they are best grown against a sunny wall even in areas where they are hardy[219]. The flowers are produced so late in the season that they are unlikely to produce viable seed in this country even if they flower properly[K]. The plants require abundant summer sunshine in order to ripen their wood fully, the well-ripened wood is more frost resistant[11, 166].
There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[219].
The leaves and stems are strongly aromatic[182]. The flowers have a most pronounced musk-like perfume[245].

Propagation

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. It does not need any pre-treatment[113]. Germination is usually free and quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage[78].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, November in a cold frame[113].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have a most pronounced musk-like perfume[245].
Leaves: Crushed: The leaves and stems are strongly aromatic.

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

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

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.

References for Vitex negundo var. incisa (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Verbenaceae.

[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.

[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]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. 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.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[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.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[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.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[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.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[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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