What is Asarum? Get to know this medicinal flowering plant

1. Source

It is the Aristolochiaceae plant Asarum heterotropoides Fr. Schm. var. mandshuricum (Maxim.) Kitag., also known as tobacco-pipe flower and xishen. The whole plant is used as medicine. It is mainly produced in Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and other provinces. This herb is the most important among the aromatic orifice-opening medicines and is a commonly used clinical drug. However, there are too few production areas and the yield is not high, so it cannot meet market demand.

2. Botanical characteristics

Perennial herb. The rhizome grows horizontally, with obvious nodes and many slender yellowish-white fibrous roots. The stem is short and inconspicuous; at the base it produces membranous scales and 2-4 large leaves. The petioles are long, and the leaf blades are heart-shaped with ear-shaped sides and entire margins. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils, shaped like a tobacco pipe, and dull purplish-red. The fruit is hemispherical, with many brown seeds. The flowering period is May, and the fruiting period is June.

3. Ecological characteristics

It prefers cool, shady and humid conditions and is cultivated on shaded slopes rich in humus or in sparse woodland; heavy clay soil and low-lying waterlogged land are not suitable for cultivation. It avoids direct strong light. Asarum seeds have an after-ripening process, so they need to be kept moist; dry seeds do not germinate easily.