Polygonatum acuminatifolium

Kom.

AsparagaceaeRootsShootsPotential hazards — see below
Caution — Parts of this plant may be toxic or require specific preparation. Verify with multiple sources before consuming.
Polygonatum acuminatifolium
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) V.S. Volkotrub, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by V.S. Volkotrub
Polygonatum acuminatifolium
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) V.S. Volkotrub, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Root, Shoot

The roots or rhizome are steamed or roasted and eaten as a snack. The shoots are eaten raw in salads, pickled, cooked in soups, or fried.

Known Hazards

P. odoratum and P. prattii, among others, have been demonstrated to contain raphides, at least in their rhizomes. P. odoratum rhizomes only have scattered raphides in their cortex, whereas in P. prattii they are present more densely and throughout the rhizome. The rhizomes are housed in mucilage cells.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests in north China between 1,100-1,400 m above sea level.

Asia, China, Korea, Russia,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A herb. It has a rhizome 4 mm thick. The stem is erect and 20-30 cm tall. There are 4-5 leaves. They are alternate. The leaves are oval and 5-9 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. There are 2 flowers on a flowering stalk. The flowers hang down.

Medicinal Uses

The berries may be poisonous to humans. The traditional use of Polygonatum in the treatment of diabetes was first observed in 1930 by Hedwig Langecker. After experiments, she concluded that it was effective in fighting nutritional hyperglycemia, though not that caused by adrenaline release, probably due to its glucokinin content. P. verticillatum is used in Ayurveda as an aphrodisiac. It is also used to treat pain, fever, inflammation, allergy, and weakness. An herbal remedy called rhizoma polygonati is a mix of Polygonatum species used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called huangjing or huangqing (simplified Chinese: 黄精; traditional Chinese: 黃精; pinyin: huángjīng). It is supposed to strengthen various organs and enhance the qi. Polygonatum is believed to be restorative to mental vitality, especially when the mind has been overworked, overstressed, or is in a state of exhaustion. P. cyrtonema is a compound that is often used in Traditional Chinese Theory as a treatment for depression, which is thought to originate from problems in the liver and the kidney. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is considered by TCT to be a form of depression is also sometimes treated with P. cyrtonema. There is some evidence that P. cyrtonema can inhibit Post Traumatic Stress by regulating oxidative stress and inflammation associated with the NLRP3 gene.

References (1)
  • Wujisguleng, W., et al, 2012, Ethnobotanical review of food uses of Polygonatum (Convallariaceae) in China. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81(4):239-244

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