Japanese-horseradish
StarEutrema japonicum
Synonyms: Wasabia tenuis var. okinosimense, Alliaria wasabi, Eutrema okinosimense, Eutrema japonicum var. sachalinensis, Cochlearia wasabi, Eutrema japonicum f. terrestris, Wasabia wasabi, Wasabia pungens, Eutrema wasabi, Wasabia okinosimensis, Eutrema wasabi var. sachalinensis, Wasabia japonica, Lunaria japonica, Eutrema wasabi f. terrestris
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Japan, wasabi has a long medicinal as well as culinary tradition: the rhizome is recorded in the tenth-century Honzo Wamyo as a folk remedy for food poisoning, and grated wasabi was traditionally eaten with raw fish and applied to fresh fish as a detoxifying, spoilage-reducing antidote (Honzo Wamyo, c. 918; reviewed in modern phytomedical overviews). It was also used as a digestive stimulant.
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Botanical Description
Eutrema japonicum, Japanese horseradish or wasabi, is a perennial herb of the Brassicaceae growing from a thick, knobby, upright rhizome. The long-stalked basal leaves are large, heart-shaped to kidney-shaped with finely toothed margins, forming a low rosette of glossy green foliage. In spring it sends up branched stems bearing small, four-petalled white flowers in the cruciform arrangement typical of the mustard family, followed by slender seed pods. The whole plant, and especially the grated rhizome, releases the sharp, pungent aroma produced when its glucosinolates are enzymatically converted to volatile isothiocyanates on cell damage. Native to Japan, it grows wild along cool, shaded mountain streambeds and is cultivated in flowing-water beds; it favours clean running water, high humidity and cool temperatures.
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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