Practical
Plants

Zanthoxylum piperitum

Japanese Pepper · Sansho · Japanese Prickly Ash

a deciduous spice shrub of the Zanthoxylum genus in the family Rutaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rutaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
2 m
Spread
2 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious
Flower colours
yellow, green

Uses

Edible uses

All above ground parts of Z. piperitum are edible and used as a spice. Most commonly it is the fruit or seed husk (pericarp) and young leaves that are utilized but the bark of the plant is also reported to be used as a spice.[28][26][30]

Plant part
Fruit (seed husk, pericarp)
Preparation
Dried, ground
Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Immature fruit
Preparation
Boiled
Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Young leaves, shoots
Preparation
Raw, lightly cooked
Product or use
Vegetable, garnish
Plant part
Flowers
Preparation
Pickled
Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Bark
Product or use
Condiment

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.

Antiperiodic, antitussive, carminative, diuretic, parasiticide, stimulant[7]. The fruit contains a essential oil, flavonoids and isoquinoline alkaloids[16]. It is anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal and stomachic[16]. It inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandin and, in larger doses, is toxic to the central nervous system[16]. It is used in Korea in the treatment of tuberculosis, dyspepsis and internal parasites[16]. The resin contained in the bark, and especially in that of the roots, is powerfully stimulant and tonic[20].

Plant part
Seed husks (pericarp)
Preparation
Dried
Plant part
Resin (bark, roots)
Product or use
Stimulent, Tonic

Material uses

Plant part
Wood
Preparation
Hewed
Product or use
Pestle

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Shrub

Environment

Range
E. Asia - N. China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat
Scrub and hedges in hills and mountains in Japan[18][10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Stored seed may requires up to 3 months cold stratification, though scarification may also help[4]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. Germination should take place in late spring, though it might take another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots in a greenhouse. Good percentage[19]. Suckers, removed in late winter and planted into their permanent positions[4].

Cultivation

Easily grown in loamy soils in most positions, but prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade[25][27][29].

Crops

The green immature fruits and dried fruits/seed husks are grown commercially for their culinary and medicinal uses.[33].

References

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

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

  4. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩1↩2

  5. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986-00-00

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

  7. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  8. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

  9. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

  10. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30258-2

    ↩

  11. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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

  13. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

  14. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

  15. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

  16. Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998-00-00 ISBN 92 9061 120 0

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  17. Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975-00-00

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

    ↩

  19. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  20. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩

  21. Crawford, Martin. Creating a Forest Garden: Working with nature to grow edible crops. Green Books ISBN 978-1-900322-62-1 (2010/03/01)

  22. Facciola, Stephen Cornucopia II: A source book of edible plants. Kampong ISBN 978-0-9628087-2-2 (1998/03/01)

  23. Duke, James. [Zanthoxylum piperitum - Ethnobotanical Uses] Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases (2013/04/02)

  24. Jacke, Dave & Toensmeier, Eric. Edible Forest Gardens: Ecological design and practice for temperate climate permaculture. Volume II. Chelsea Green ISBN 978-1-931498-80-7 (2013/03/01)

  25. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (32202/01/01)

    ↩

  26. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (32202/01/01)

    ↩

  27. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray (32202/01/01)

    ↩

  28. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (32202/01/01)

    ↩

  29. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (32202/01/01)

    ↩

  30. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. ISBN 0-7513-020-31 (32202/01/01)

    ↩

  31. Workman, Dion [May Eat] Shikigami (2013/03/27)

  32. Workman, Dion. [First Fruits] Shikigami (2013/03/28)

  33. [Zanthoxylum piperitum] Wikipedia (2013/03/23)

    ↩

  34. [Schichimi] Wikipedia (2013/03/27)

  35. [Five-spice powder] Wikipedia (2013/03/27)

  36. [Suribachi] Wikipedia (2013/03/30)

  37. [Sichuan pepper] Wikipedia (2013/03/30)

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