Arisaema amurense
StarArisaema amurense
Synonyms: Arisaema amurense var. purpureum, Arisaema amurense var. robustum, Arisaema amurense subsp. robustum, Arisaema amurense f. purpureum, Arisaema robustum var. purpureum, Arisaema robustum var. sachalinense, Arisaema robustum, Arisaema robustum f. atropurpureum, Arisaema amurense var. denticulatum, Arisaema amurense var. magnidens, Arisaema robustum f. variegatum, Arisaema amurense var. serratum, Arisaema amurense f. serratum, Arisaema komarovii, Arisaema amurense var. violaceum, Arisaema amurense f. violaceum
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the dried corm of Arisaema amurense is one of the botanical sources of the drug "Tian Nan Xing" (Arisaematis Rhizoma), used after careful processing to dry dampness and dissolve phlegm, dispel wind and relieve spasms and convulsions, and applied externally to swellings (Chinese Pharmacopoeia; Bensky, Materia Medica). The raw corm is strongly toxic and acrid because of calcium oxalate raphides, so it is never used untreated: it must be detoxified by prolonged processing ("zhi", e.g. boiling with ginger and alum) before internal use.
Botanical Description
Arisaema amurense (Amur jack-in-the-pulpit) is a perennial herb of the arum family arising from a flattened, rounded underground corm. It usually produces a single long-stalked leaf that is palmately divided into five (sometimes three) elliptic, pointed leaflets radiating from a central point. The characteristic inflorescence is a spathe-and-spadix structure: a green to purplish, hooded spathe striped with pale lines wraps around a slender club-shaped spadix bearing the minute unisexual flowers at its base, the plant often changing sex with size and age. The fruit is a dense cylindrical cluster of bright red berries that ripens in late summer. Native to north-eastern Asia, including north-eastern China, Korea, the Russian Far East (Amur region) and Japan, it grows in moist deciduous and mixed forests, shaded slopes and forest margins. The whole plant, especially the corm, is highly toxic when raw owing to needle-like calcium oxalate crystals (raphides) that cause intense irritation.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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