Asarabacca, European Wild Ginger
Asarum europaeum
Family: Aristolochiaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Purple. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Spreading or horizontal.
Asarum europaeum is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Flies. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.1
Where it is found
Open woodland and waterside thickets, especially in beech woodlands.
Central and southern Europe, east to W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
Asarabacca has a long history of herbal use dating back at least to the time of the ancient Greeks, though it is little used in modern herbalism. The root, leaves and stems are cathartic, diaphoretic, emetic, errhine, sternutatory, stimulant and tonic. The plant has a strong peppery taste and smell. It is used in the treatment of affections of the brain, eyes, throat and mouth. When taken as a snuff, it produces a copious flow of mucous. The root is harvested in the spring and dried for later use. Use with caution, see the notes above on toxicity. An essential oil in the root contains 50% asarone and is 65% more toxic than peppermint oil. This essential oil is the emetic and expectorant principle of the plant and is of value in the treatment of digestive tract lesions, silicosis, dry pharyngeal and laryngeal catarrh etc.
Cathartic: A strong laxative but less violent than a purgative.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Errhine: Produces sneezing.
Sternutatory: Promotes sneezing and nasal discharges.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 3
A vibrant apple-green dye is obtained from plant. A useful ground cover for a shady position so long as it is not dry, spreading by its roots.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Ground cover, Massing, Rock garden, Woodland garden. Prefers a rich moist neutral to acid soil in woodland or a shady position in the rock garden. Other reports say that this plant prefers a calcareous soil. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c. The flowers are malodorous and are pollinated by flies. The root has a pungent, aromatic smell like mild pepper and ginger mixed, but more strongly aromatic. Plants often self-sow when growing in a suitable position. This plant was at one time commonly cultivated as a medicinal herb. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Naturalizing, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer. Stored seed will require 3 weeks cold stratification and should be sown in late winter. The seed usually germinates in the spring in 1 - 4 or more weeks at 18°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out when large enough in late spring. Division in spring or autumn. Plants are slow to increase. It is best to pot the divisions up and keep them in light shade in the greenhouse until they are growing away strongly.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Full shade, semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The plant is poisonous in large doses, the toxin is neutralized by drying.