Introduction to the Botanical Characteristics and Cultivation Techniques of Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum

A species of the genus Asarum in the family Aristolochiaceae, scientific name Asarum heterotropoides Fr. Schmidt var. mandshuricum (Maxim.) Kitagawa. Perennial herbaceous plant. Named for its fine roots and pungent taste. Distributed in China, Korea, and the former Soviet Union. In China, it is mainly produced in Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces.

Plant height 10-25 cm. Rhizome horizontal, densely covered with slender fibrous roots. Stem short, with 2-3 scales at the base. At the end of the stem, 2-3 leaves are produced, entire, green, with long petioles. Flowers solitary in leaf axils, perianth tube pot-shaped, purplish-brown, capsule fleshy, hemispherical.

Wild plants grow under forests with deep humus soil, preferring moist and shady environments, and cultivation in loose, fertile loam or sandy loam is best. Mostly cultivated under forests; open-field cultivation requires appropriate shading, with a canopy density of about 0.5 being suitable.

Mainly propagated by seeds. Generally, sowing and seedling raising are used; on prepared beds, shallow furrows are opened at a row spacing of 15 cm for drilling, covered with 2 cm of soil, then covered with grass and watered. In autumn, when the leaves wither and overwintering buds form, hole sowing is done at a row spacing of 15 x 10 cm, with 3-5 plants sown per hole. When seeds are abundant, direct sowing in beds can also be done, with hole sowing at a row spacing of 15 x 10 cm and 5-10 seeds per hole; division propagation can also be used. The main pests and diseases include sclerotinia disease Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, black hairy caterpillar Luehdorfia puziloi, and cutworms.

The whole plant contains volatile oil, including methyleugenol and safrole. Pungent in taste, warm in nature, slightly toxic. It has the effects of dispelling wind, dispersing cold, promoting water movement, and opening the orifices.