Elsholtzia ciliata

Elsholtzia ciliata, commonly known as Vietnamese balm, xiang ru (香薷) or kinh giới in Vietnamese, is a plant native to Asia.

Elsholtzia ciliata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Elsholtzia
Species:
E. ciliata
Binomial name
Elsholtzia ciliata
(Thunb.) Hyl.
Synonyms

Elsholtzia cristata, Willd.
Elsholtzia patrinii, Kuntze
Sideritis ciliata, Thunb.

Distribution

The plant is native to Asia. However, the exact extent of its original range is unclear.[1]

Today it is found through much of India, eastern Asia, and Europe. It grows throughout Nepal at elevations of 1500 to 3400 m.

Description

Elsholtzia ciliata is an erect herb that grows to about 60 cm in height. The leaves are long, stalked, and serrated, and reach 2 to 8.5 cm in length and .8 to 2.5 cm in width. In shape they are ovate to lanceolate, with a gland-dotted underside.

Flowers of a purple color bloom in flat spikes in September and October. Seeds propagate within them.

Uses

Elsholtzia ciliata has many cultural uses.

Culinary

It is used in Vietnamese cuisine, where it is called rau kinh giới or lá kinh giới. The seeds are sometimes powdered and used for flavoring food.

Traditional medicine

It is used common in herbal medicine, as it is considered to be carminative and astringent.[2] In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is known as xiang ru (香薷) or aromatic madder and is used for stomach problems, to induce sweating, and also for halitosis.

Cultivation

It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It prefers moist soil, and grows mostly on exposed rocky slopes and other open, gravelly areas.[3]

It was first reported in the Americas as a weed in 1889.

  • Growing in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, China
  • Growing in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, China
  • Growing in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, China

References
  1. Wiersema, John H; Leon, Blanca (February 26, 1999). World Economic Plants. CRC Press. p. 200. ISBN 0-8493-2119-0.
  2. Manandhar, Narayan P; Manandhar, Sanjay (April 1, 2002). Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press. p. 217. ISBN 0-88192-527-6.
  3. Monachino, Joseph (1958). Elsholtzia ciliata in New York. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Torrey Botanical Society.

Bibliography
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