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Artemisia laciniata

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Botanical Name: Artemisia laciniata
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribes: Anthemideae
Subtribe: Artemisiinae
Order: Asterales
Genus: Artemisia
Species: Artemisia laciniata
Common Name : Siberian wormwood

Habitat:
Artemisia laciniata is native to Europe to E. Asia. Found at elevations of 2,400 – 3,600 metres in the Himalayas.

Description:
Artemisia laciniata is a perennial herb.Growing 5–15 cm (not cespitose), sometimes mildly aromatic. Stems 1–3, erect, reddish brown, simple, strigillose to spreading-hairy, or glabrous. Leaves basal (in rosettes, petioles to 12 cm) and cauline, greenish; blades (basal) 2. 3-pinnate, relatively deeply lobed (cauline sessile, 1–2-pinnately lobed to entire), faces sparsely hairy to pilose. Heads (10–70, spreading to nodding, peduncles 0 or to 10 mm) in spiciform arrays 2–5 × 0.5–1 or 8–18 × 1–4 cm. Involucres globose, 3–5 × 4–8 mm. Phyllaries (greenish or yellowish) elliptic (margins hyaline, brownish), glabrous or sparsely hairy. Florets: pistillate 6–8; bisexual 20–50; corollas yellowish or yellow to reddish-tinged, 1–2 mm, hairy (hairs tangled). Cypselae oblong, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous.

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The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Cultivation:
Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a warm sunny dry position. Established plants are drought tolerant. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation:
Seed – surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse, making sure that the compost does not dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring or autumn. Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the young shoots when about10 – 15cm long, pot up in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse or cold frame and plant them out when well rooted. Very easy.

Edible Uses: Parboiled and used as a food. No more details are given,it ts assumed that the report refers to the leaves.

Medicinal Uses: Not yet known.

Known Hazards: Although no reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Artemisia_laciniata
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101022
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Artemisia+laciniata

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Allium przewalskianum

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Botanical Name: Allium przewalskianum
Family:    Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:Allioideae
Genus:    Allium
Species:A. przewalskianum
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:    Angiosperms
Clade:    Monocots
Order:    Asparagales

Synonyms:
*Allium jacquemontii Regel
*Allium jacquemontii var. parviflorum (Ledeb.) Aswal
*Allium junceum Jacquem. ex Baker
*Allium przewalskianum var. planifolium Regel
*Allium rubellum var. parviflorum Ledeb.
*Allium stenophyllum Wall.
*Allium stoliczkii Regel

jimbuCommon Names: Jimbu

Habitat :  Allium przewalskianum  is widely distributed, reported from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, and parts of China(Gansu, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan)

Description:
Allium przewalskianum has narrow bulbs up to 10 mm across. Scape is up to 40 cm tall, round in cross-section. Leaves are tubular, about the same length as the scape. Umbel is densely crowded with many red or dark purple flowers.
 CLICK B& SEE THE PICTURES
It is hardy to zone (UK) 8 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, insects.

Cultivation:  
Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. This species is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain, it probably tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Most members of this genus are intolerant of competition from other growing plants. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation: 
Seed – sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle – if you want to produce clumps more quickly then put three plants in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in spring once they are growing vigorously and are large enough. Division in spring. Very easy, the plants divide successfully at any time in the growing season and the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required.

Edible Uses:The herb  Allium przewalskianum  has a taste in between onion and chives, is most commonly used dried. In Mustang it is used to flavor vegetables, pickles, meat. In the rest of Nepal it is most commonly used to flavor urad dal or lentils. The dried leaves are fried in ghee to develop their flavor.

Bulb – raw or cooked. A very pleasant onion flavour[K], though rather on the small size and scarcely exceeding 10mm in diameter. Harvested in the autumn, they will store for at least 6 month. Leaves – raw or cooked. Tender and delicious. The leaves are rather on the small and thin side, but have an excellent onion favour[K]. They make a nice refreshing munch when working in the garden and also go very well in salads. They can be harvested from spring until the autumn. Flowers – raw. A pleasant onion flavour, they are used as a garnish on salads.

Medicinal Uses:

It is estimated that in Asiatic households use jimbu as medicine (mostly as a treatment believed to help flu).Although no specific mention of medicinal uses has been seen for this species, members of this genus are in general very healthy additions to the diet. They contain sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour) and when added to the diet on a regular basis they help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a tonic to the digestive system and also tonify the circulatory system.

Other Uses: The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles.

Known Hazards:Although no individual reports regarding this species have been seen, there have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in large quantities and by some mammals, of certain members of this genus. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resourcs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_przewalskianum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimbu

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Allium+przewalskianum

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Ophiocordyceps sinensis

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Botanical Name : Ophiocordyceps sinensis
Family: Ophiocordycipitaceae
Genus: Ophiocordyceps
Species: O. sinensis
Kngdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales

Synonyms: Cordyceps sinensis
Common Names: Yarsagomba,caterpillar fungus, Yartsa Gunbu, yarshagumba,  The transliteration in Bhutan is Yartsa Guenboob. It is known as keera jhar, keeda jadi, keeda ghas or ‘ghaas fafoond in Nepali. Its name in Chinese D?ng chóng xià cao means “winter worm, summer grass”

Habitat : Yarsagumba or Yarchagumbu is an exceptional and incredible herb that grows in the pastures above 3,300 meters upto 4000 meters in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhutan, India and Tibet.

Description:
Similar to other Cordyceps species,  Ophiocordyceps sinensis consists of two parts, a fungal endosclerotium (caterpillar) and stroma. The stroma is the upper fungal part and is dark brown or black, but can be a yellow color when fresh and, longer than the caterpillar itself, usually 4–10 cm. It grows singly from the larval head, and is clavate, sublanceolate or fusiform and distinct from the stipe. The stipe is slender, glabrous, and longitudinally furrowed or ridged. The fertile part of the stroma is the head. The head is granular due to the ostioles of the embedded perithecia. The perithecia are ordinally arranged and ovoid  The asci are cylindrical or slightly tapering at both ends, and may be straight or curved, with a capitate and hemispheroid apex and may be two to four spored. Similarly, ascospores are hyaline, filiform, multiseptate at a length of 5-12 um and subattenuated on both sides.[8] Perithecial, ascus and ascospore characters in the fruiting bodies are the key identification characteristics of O. sinensis. Ophiocordyceps (Petch) Kobayasi species produce whole ascospores and do not separate into part spores which is different from other Cordyceps species, which produce either immersed or superficial perithecia perpendicular to stromal surface and the ascospores at maturity are disarticulated into part spores. Generally Cordyceps species possess brightly colored and fleshy stromata, but O. sinensis had dark pigments and tough to pliant stromata, a typical characteristic feature of most of the Ophiocordyceps species.

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Chemical constituents:
The chemical constituents of natural Cordyceps include cordycepic acid, glutamic acid, amino acids, polyamines, cyclic dipeptides, saccharides and sugar derivatives, sterols, nucleotides and nucleosides, 28 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid derivatives and other organic acids, vitamins, and inorganic elements. Palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, and ergosterol are the main components of natural and cultured Cordyceps, these fatty acids, as well as 14 investigated compounds, can be used to discriminate the hierarchical cluster, as the palmitic acid and oleic acid contents in natural Cordyceps are significantly higher than those in the cultured Cordyceps.

Medicinal Uses:
Yarsagumba  is used as a reputed curative to many diseases, anti- aging, hypoglycemic, aphrodisiac and also treatment against cancer. Ophiocordyceps sinensis serves against kidney and lung problems and stimulates the immune system; it is used for treatment of fatigue, night sweating, respiratory disease, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, asthenia after severe illness, arrhythmias and other heart diseases and liver disease.

Yarsagumba is also known as the “Himalayan Viagra” or “Himalayan Gold” for its high medicinal   value. It is mainly used as a treatment for impotency in many countries. Numerous scientific studies and research reveals that it has properties of antibiotic in it. Cordycep sinensis is used for lung and respiratory infection, pain, sciatica and backache. It also provides vitality and increases physical stamina of the body. Yarsa gumba is used by the Chinese to cure chronic hepatitis B and immune function such as dysfunctioning of liver.
More research is being carried out worldwide to ascertain its various medical effects.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarsagumba
http://www.jtcm.org/article.asp?issn=2225-4110;year=2013;volume=3;issue=1;spage=16;epage=32;aulast=Lo

Yarsagumba: The Himalayan Viagra

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Anagallis arvensis

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Botanical Name : Anagallis arvensis
Family: Myrsinaceae
Genus:     Anagallis
Species: A. arvensis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order:     Ericales

Synonyms:Scarlet pimpernel, Shepherd’s Barometer. Poor Man’s Weatherglass. Adder’s Eyes.
(Old English) Bipinella.

Common Names: Red pimpernel, Red chickweed, Poorman’s barometer, Poor man’s weather-glass, Shepherd’s weather glass or Shepherd’s clock

Habitat:Anagallis arvensis is native to  Europe and Western and North Africa.  It grows on the roadside in waste places and on the dry sandy edges of corn and other fields; it is widely distributed, not only over Britain, but throughout the world, being found in all the temperate regions in both hemispheres.

Description:
Anagallis arvensis is a low-growing (4″ by 1′-4″) annual plant. It’s creeping, square stems, a foot in length at most, have their eggshaped, stalkless leaves arranged in pairs. The edges of the leaves are entire (i.e. quite free from indentations of any sort), and in whatever direction the stem may run, either along the ground, or at an angle to it, the leaves always keep their faces turned to the light.
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The Pimpernel flowers from May until late into August. The flowers appear singly, each on longish, thin stalks, springing from the junction of each leaf with the stem. The little flower-stalks are erect during flowering, but curved backward when the seed is ripening. The corolla is made up of five petals, joined together at their base into a ring. A purple spot often appears in the centre of the flower. The petals are very sensitive, the flowers closing at once if the sky becomes overcast and threatens rain. Even in bright weather, the flowers are only open for a comparatively short time – never opening until between eight and nine in the morning and shutting up before three o’clock in the afternoon. As the petals are only brilliantly coloured on their upper faces, the flowers when closed disappear from view among the greenness of the leaves.

Cultivation:      
Prefers a sunny position and a good soil. Succeeds in dry or sandy soils. The flowers open at about 8 am and close at 3pm each day, though they close earlier if it rains. The flowers are also said to foretell wet weather if they close early.

Propagation:     
Seed – sow during spring time.

Edible Uses: 
Edible Parts: Leaves.

Leaves – raw or cooked. Used in salads and as a spinach. The tender shoots are cooked as a vegetable.

Medicinal Uses:

Anagallis arvensis was at one time highly regarded as a medicinal herb, especially in the treatment of epilepsy and mental problems, but there is little evidence to support its efficacy and it is no longer recommended for internal use because it contains toxic saponins and cytotoxic cucurbitacins. The whole herb is antitussive, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, nervine, purgative, stimulant and vulnerary. It can be taken internally or applied externally as a poultice. An infusion is used in the treatment of dropsy, skin infections and disorders of the liver and gall bladder. The plant is best harvested in June and can be dried for later use. Use with caution, large doses can cause polyuria and tremor. A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant. It is used internally to treat itchy skins and externally to remove warts.

Other Uses:
Soap…..The squeezed plant is used in Nepal for washing and bathing.

Known Hazards:    The seeds are slightly poisonous to some mammals, but no cases involving people are known. Skin contact with the plant may cause dermatitis in some people.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagallis_arvensis
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Anagallis+arvensis
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/pimper33.html

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Celosia argentea

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Botanical Name : Celosia argentea cristata
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Celosia
Species: C. argentea
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales

Synonyms: Celosia cristata – L.

Common Names:Plumed cockscomb,Common Cockscomb

Bengali  Name : Morog ful   or  morog jhuti

Habitat :Celosia argentea is native to most tropical countries of the world.  It grows in  Open moist places to elevations of 1600 metres in Nepal

Description:
Celosia argentea  is a tender annual that is often grown in gardens. It is propagated by seeds. The seeds are extremely small, up to 43,000 seeds per ounce.

The Century cultivars are usually taller (1–2 feet), and are bright red, yellow, orange, or pink. The Kimono cultivars are generally smaller (4 inches – 1 foot), and have more muted colors, though similar to the Century cultivars. Other colors, such as white, burgundy, orange-red, etc., can be found. Certain varieties will grow to 3–4 feet in height.
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It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation :
Requires a fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered position. Widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, especially in S. Europe. It is often used in summer bedding schemes. There are many named varieties, selected for their ornamental value.

Propagation:
Seed – sow early to mid spring in a warm greenhouse. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts. consider giving them some protection, such as a cloche, until they are growing away strongly.

Edible Uses:…..Edible Parts: Leaves……..Leaves and young shoots – cooked. Used as a vegetable.

Medicinal Uses:
Antibacterial; Astringent; Haemostatic; Hypotensive; Ophthalmic; Parasiticide.

The flower and seed is astringent, haemostatic, ophthalmic, parasiticide and poultice. It is used in the treatment of bloody stool, haemorrhoid bleeding, uterine bleeding, leucorrhoea and diarrhoea. As a parasiticide it is very effective against Trichomonas, a 20% extract can cause the Trichomonas to disappear in 15 minutes. The seed is hypotensive and ophthalmic. It is used in the treatment of bloodshot eyes, blurring of vision, cataracts and hypertension, but should not be used by people with glaucoma because it dilates the pupils. The seed also has an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia_argentea
http://www.visoflora.com/images/original/celosia-argentea-cristata-visoflora-3257.jpg
http://digedibles.com/database/plants.php?Celosia+argentea+cristata

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Celosia_argentea_cristata01_ies.jpg

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