Asparagus racemosus
Common Name: Shatavari
Family: Asparagaceae
Known Hazards: None known
Habitats: Found at elevations up to 1,200 metres in the Himalayas, eastwards from Kashmir. Broad-leaved forests along streams or valleys at elevations of 2100 - 2200 metres in western China.
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, India.
Physical Characteristics
Asparagus racemosus is a PERENNIAL growing to 7 m (23ft).
It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees. The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Root; Stem.
Tender young shoots - cooked as a vegetable. A preserve prepared from the blanched shoots is said to be very agreeable. The tuber are candied as a sweetmeat. The only flavour is said to be that of the sugar. The roots are 5 - 13cm long.
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future cannot take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Medical uses: Alterative; Antispasmodic; Aphrodisiac; Demulcent; Digestive; Diuretic; Galactogogue; Infertility; Women’s complaints.
Shatavari (this is an Indian word meaning ‘a woman who has a hundred husbands’) is the most important herb in Ayurvedic medicine for dealing with problems connected women’s fertility. The rhizome is a soothing tonic that acts mainly on the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and female reproductive organs.
The root is alterative, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, demulcent, diuretic, galactogogue and refrigerant. It is taken internally in the treatment of infertility, loss of libido, threatened miscarriage, menopausal problems, hyperacidity, stomach ulcers and bronchial infections. Externally it is used to treat stiffness in the joints. The root is used fresh in the treatment of dysentery. It is harvested in the autumn and dried for use in treating other complaints. The whole plant is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, rheumatism, diabetes and brain complaints.
Other Uses
The squeezed root is used for washing clothes.
Cultivation
Easily grown in any good garden soil. Prefers a rich sandy loam. This species is not very frost-hardy and generally needs to be grown in a frost-free or fairly frost-free climate. It can be grown as a half-hardy perennial in areas where the winter is too cold for it to survive outdoors. The tubers are harvested in the autumn, stored in a cool frost-free place and replanted in the spring. The rots of this species are commonly collected from the wild for medicinal use. Over-collection in some areas of its range are causing conservation concerns. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in early autumn in a greenhouse. It usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 25°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.
Author: Willd. On Plants for a Future.
References available from source website.
