Smilax china
China Root
a deciduous member of the Smilax genus in the family Smilacaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Smilacaceae
- Genus
- Smilax
- Foliage
- deciduous
- Height
- 4.5 m
- Fertility
- self sterile
- Flower type
- dioecious
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Root - cooked[16][2][7]. Rich in starch[11], the large and fleshy roots can be dried and ground into a powder[3]. The root is harvested by severing larger roots near the crown and leaving the smaller roots to grow on[14]. Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked[2][5][7][9]. Used as a potherb[10]. The leaves are said to contain rutin, but no details of quantity were given[13]. Fruit - raw. Eaten to quench the thirst[2][7][10]. The fruit is about 9mm in diameter[12]. A tea is made from the leaves[7][9][10].
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Root
- Product or use
- Rutin
- Product or use
- Tea
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 root is alterative, antiscrophulatic, carminative, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic and tonic[1][16][3][4][6][8][13]. It is considered useful when taken internally in the treatment of old syphilitic cases and is also used for certain skin diseases, including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, enteritis, urinary tract infections, skin ulcers etc[16][14]. Large doses can cause nausea and vomiting, which is valuable in weakened and depraved conditions due to a poisoned state of the blood[16]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use.
- Product or use
- Alterative
- Product or use
- Antiscrophulatic
- Product or use
- Carminative
- Product or use
- Depurative
- Product or use
- Diaphoretic
- Product or use
- Diuretic
- Product or use
- Skin
- Product or use
- Tonic
- Product or use
- VD
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A yellow dye is made from the root and leaves when alum is used as a mordant[16][8]. With iron sulphate, the colour is brown[16].
- Product or use
- Dye
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Climber
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - China, Japan.
- Habitat
- Shrub thickets[4] in hills and mountains[17]. Forests, thickets, hillsides, grassy slopes, shaded places along valleys or streams from near sea level to 2000 metres[15].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6+
- 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 - sow March in a warm greenhouse[1]. This note probably refers to the tropical members of the genus, seeds of plants from cooler areas seem to require a period of cold stratification, some species taking 2 or more years to germinate[K]. We sow the seed of temperate species in a cold frame as soon as we receive it, and would sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if we could obtain it then[K]. When the seedlings eventually germinate, prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first year, though we normally grow them on in pots for 2 years. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in early spring as new growth begins[14]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots, July in a frame[14].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Succeeds in most well-drained soils in sun or semi-shade[12]. Hardy to about -15°c[12]. A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils and thorns as it scrambles through small trees and shrubs. A young plant is growing and thriving close to a west-facing wall at Kew Botanical gardens[K]. This species is not the true 'China root' of medicine, see the record for S. pseudo-china[8]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00