Categories
Herbs & Plants

Allium ramosum

[amazon_link asins=’B016RV9AHY,B00JAF2OIM’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’99b49ab2-f987-11e6-97a1-e954367584ea’]

Botanical Name: Allium ramosum
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Tribe: Allieae
Genus: Allium
Species: A. ramosum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asparagales

Synonyms: A. odoratum. pro parte. A. odorum.

Common Names: Fragrant-flowered Garlic, Chinese chives

Habitat : Allium ramosum is native to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, the Russian Far East, and northern China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Xinjiang). The species is also naturalized in a few places in eastern Europe. In its native range, it grows at elevations of 500–2100 m. It grows on meadows and grassy slopes. Sunny hills and pastures at elevations of 500 – 2100 metres in northern China.

Description:
Allium ramosum is a bulb growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). Leaves are linear, keeled, shorter than the scape. Umbels have many flowers crowded together. Tepals are white or pale red with a red midvein.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

It is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, insects.Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Cultivation:
An easily grown plant, it prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply.  A very ornamental plant, the flowers are especially attractive. Very closely related to A. tuberosum. 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:

Bulb – raw or cooked. The small bulbs are about 10mm in diameter. Leaves – raw or cooked. The flavour is somewhat between that of garlic and chives. An excellent taste, the leaves have a pleasant sweetness mixed with a strong onion flavour. Flowers – raw. Used as a garnish on salads.

Medicinal Uses:
The leaves and bulbs contain sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour), saponins and bitter substances. They possess antibacterial properties and are used in Vietnam in the treatment of haemoptysis, epistaxis, cough, sore throat, asthma, dysentery, dyspepsia etc. 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. The seed contains alkaloids and saponins. It is used in the treatment of spermatorrhoea, haematuria, incontinence, lumbago etc.
Other Uses:
Repellent.

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: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ramosum
http://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Allium+ramosum

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Allium ledebourianum

[amazon_link asins=’B01770182Y,B01N7K1YLE,B01MRZNKR6,B072F93RSK,B06WVLLS77,B00U9NXSW0,B06X6DK96R,B00Z8T8UPU,B06WRTQ9HB’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e5c13e77-4cc3-11e7-ba18-9bfc3d8cb2be’]

Botanival Name : Allium ledebourianum
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Tribe: Allieae
Genus: Allium
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asparagales
Species: A. ledebourianum

Synonyms: A. uliginosum. Ldb. A. schoenoprasum foliosum.

Common Names: Giant Garlic Chives

Habitat : Allium ledebourianum is native to central and northeastern Asia: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia (Altay Krai, Khabarovsk, Primorye, Sakhalin), and China (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang). It occurs in meadows and river valleys in Siberia, Mountains, moist meadows, river banks, gravelly and sandy places at elevations of 100 – 1800 metres in northern China.

Description:
Allium ledebourianum is a bulb growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It has has a cluster of narrow bulbs up to 20 mm across. Scapes are up to 100 cm tall. Leaves are tubular, shorter than the scape. Umbel is hemispheric, densely crowded with many purple flowers; tepals pale purple with darker purple midvein. It is in flower from Jul to August.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES 

The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, insects.Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Cultivation:
Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Cultivated for its edible leaves and bulb in Japan. This species is probably no more than a synonym for A schoenoprasum. 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 or after the plant dies down in late summer. 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:
Bulb – raw or cooked. The small bulbs are formed in clusters on the rhizome and are about 10mm in diameter. Leaves – raw or cooked. The leaves are added to salads or used as a flavouring in soups etc. The flavour resembles wild onions and chives with a hint of garlic. Flowers – raw. Used as a garnish on salads.
Medicinal Uses:
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.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ledebourianum
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Allium+ledebourianum

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Cynanchum glaucescens

[amazon_link asins=’B01N3BYAMS’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7582f9a6-6974-11e7-b5af-bd1618bd3b9e’]

Botanical Name :Cynanchum glaucescens
Family: Asclepiadaceae

Common Name ;

Habitat : Cynanchum glaucescens is native to  E. Asia – China. It grows in  Mountains, riversides; 100-800. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang

Description:
Cynanchum glaucescens is a perennial Climber growing to 0.6m.
It is hardy to zone 0. It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
YOU MAY CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

The Herbs is rhizomatous, roots fibrous, fascicled at nodes. Stems erect, to 60 cm, pubescent along 2 lines. Leaves opposite, subsessile; leaf blade glabrous, elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, or oblong, 1-7 cm × 7-12 mm, base cuneate or rounded, apex rounded to ± acute; lateral veins 3-5 pairs, obscure. Inflorescences umbel-like, sometimes with 2 cymules separated by a short rachis, shorter than leaves, glabrous or puberulent. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, ca. 2.3 × 1 mm, glabrous, basal glands 5. Corolla yellow, rotate, ca. 8 mm in diam.; lobes ovate-oblong, ca. 3.5 × 2.3 mm, obtuse. Corona shallowly cupular, 5-lobed; lobes ovate, fleshy, incurved, slightly shorter than anthers and adnate to them. Pollinia ovoid. Stigma head convex. Follicles fusiform, 4.5-6 cm × 6-10 mm. Seeds oblong, ca. 5 mm; coma ca. 2 cm. Fl. May-Nov, fr. Jul-Dec.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. It probably does not have any special cultivation requirements and will probably succeed in most soils in a sunny position.

Propagation:
Seed – sow spring in the greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.

Medicinal Uses:

Antitussive; Expectorant.

The fragrant root is used in Chinese medicine.  The roots and stems are used to treat coughs, pneumonia, uneasy breathing, and lung diseases.  They are also used in the treatment of asthma with profuse sputum, coughs etc.

The dried root and stem are antitussive and expectorant. They are used in the treatment of asthma with profuse sputum, coughs etc.

Known Hazards:There are some reports of toxins in this genus

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://digedibles.com/database/plants.php?Cynanchum+glaucescens
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm
http://www.showyourplant.com/Cynanchum_glaucescens/

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200018553

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
News on Health & Science

Rotavirus Vaccine Reduces Diarrhea

An oral vaccine for diarrhea reduced hospitalizations of children with rotavirus by 70 percent in Philadelphia, saved money and prevented infections among unvaccinated children, researchers reported.

click & see

Three reports presented to a meeting of infectious disease specialists showed the benefits of the vaccine, which prevents the most common cause of severe diarrhea.

In one report, Irini Daskalaki of Drexel University College of Medicine reported that hospitals in North Philadelphia had seen a 70 percent drop in rotavirus-associated hospitalizations since rotavirus vaccinations began in 2006.

The number of babies aged 6 to 11 months admitted to the hospital with rotavirus plummeted by 94 percent, Daskalaki told a meeting of the American Society of Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“The extent of the decrease in cases … is unprecedented and greater than any variation in numbers previously observed, suggesting that the vaccine played an important role,” researchers wrote in a summary released before the presentation.

Merck and Co’s Rotateq was recommended in 2006 for routine immunization of U.S. infants, while GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Rotarix, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April. Both are considered equally safe.

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis, with vomiting and diarrhea, in infants and young children.

Before routine vaccination, the condition sent 410,000 children to a doctor every year, with more than 200,000 needing emergency care and 20 to 60 dying in the United States.

Globally, rotavirus kills 1,600 children under age 5 every day.

Doctors had been desperate for a vaccine to prevent the highly contagious infection. But the first one, sold by Wyeth, was pulled from the market in 1999 after it was linked to a rare, life-threatening type of bowel obstruction known as intussusception.

The new vaccines do not have that problem. A team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston also found a 94 percent reduction in diarrheal disease after Rotateq was introduced.

Researchers at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, found only 62 children were admitted for rotavirus infection in 2008, compared with more than 300 a year in previous years, saving about $3 million a year in hospitalization costs.

A team at Quest Diagnostics, a company that tests lab samples, said it found evidence the vaccine lowered rotavirus infections in every state by between 18 and 87 percent.

“These data show a marked reduction in rotavirus disease in the U.S. after licensure of a live, oral rotavirus vaccine, although some states experienced greater declines than others,” they wrote in a summary.

“Evidence of herd immunity was also observed.” Herd immunity means even people who are not vaccinated are less likely to become infected because a disease is circulating less.

Sources:
The Times Of India

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
css.php