Medicinal Uses of Swertia and How to Care for It So It Grows More Tender the Longer You Keep It
I believe friends who know about Chinese herbal medicine have all heard of Swertia; it is a health-preserving treasure in traditional Chinese medicine, with effects such as clearing heat, strengthening the stomach and draining dampness, and it can also relieve problems such as jaundice and toothache, because Swertia contains substances such as xanthones and flavonoids, and these substances have a good preventive effect for friends whose own digestive systems are not good.
Swertia originates from eastern Asia, including China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula and other places. Its plant height is usually around 40 cm, the flowers are solitary, the leaves are composed of 2-5 lobes, the flower color has purple spots, and the corolla center color is usually yellow or yellow-green. For home care, its growing temperature is between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, it likes a semi-shaded environment, in winter it can survive at around minus 10 degrees Celsius, and it is afraid of hot summers; if the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius it will tend to grow slowly, so it is recommended to provide appropriate shading during high summer temperatures, to prevent strong direct light from scorching the leaves.
Its flowering period is usually July-September, and at this time the principle for watering is to water when dry and stop when wet, keeping the soil moist; in daily care you can touch the potting soil with your hand, and if it is too wet then do not water, because this easily leads to root rot. It is recommended to water once every two days. And after each watering, touch the soil with your hand to check its condition, and do not let it become too dry or too wet. At the same time, in a relatively dry environment you can use a sprayer to spray water on the leaves to increase air humidity.
As for soil, Swertia can be given loose, well-drained acidic or slightly acidic soil; if you want to increase drainage performance you can mix in peat soil and perlite. If you want the plant to have abundant flowering branches, the fertilizing step cannot be omitted; it is recommended to apply additional phosphorus and potassium fertilizer before the flowering period to promote flowering, and in the remaining growing seasons, apply a complete-element fertilizer once a month, which can extend the flowering period and promote flower bud differentiation.
As for pest and disease control, although Swertia is relatively resistant to pests and diseases, problems such as leaf spot disease and aphids cannot be ignored. Once the plant is found to be abnormal, such as leaf yellowing or pests, measures should be taken promptly, and biological pesticides can be used for control.