Practical
Plants

Osbeckia chinensis

a perennial member of the Osbeckia genus in the family Melastomataceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.5 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant is antitussive, expectorant and febrifuge[2]. A decoction is used in the treatment of watery diarrhoea, dysentery and excessive sputum production in coughing[2].

Product or use
Antitussive
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Febrifuge

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan and Malaysia.
Habitat
Grassy places in lowland areas of central and southern Japan[4]. Hilly places, edges of paddy fields and roadsides in China[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed -

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires warm greenhouse treatment in Britain[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  4. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

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