China Root
Smilax china
Family: Smilacaceae
What it is like
Smilax china is a deciduous Climber growing to 4.5 m (14ft 9in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 4.5
Where it is found
Shrub thickets in hills and mountains. Forests, thickets, hillsides, grassy slopes, shaded places along valleys or streams from near sea level to 2000 metres.
E. Asia - China, Japan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Root - cooked. Rich in starch, the large and fleshy roots can be dried and ground into a powder. The root is harvested by severing larger roots near the crown and leaving the smaller roots to grow on. Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked. Used as a potherb. The leaves are said to contain rutin, but no details of quantity were given. Fruit - raw. Eaten to quench the thirst. The fruit is about 9mm in diameter. A tea is made from the leaves.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Rutin: often used as a food supplement.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 3
The root is alterative, antiscrophulatic, carminative, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic and tonic. It is considered useful when taken internally in the treatment of old syphilitic cases and is also used for certain skin diseases, including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, enteritis, urinary tract infections, skin ulcers etc. Large doses can cause nausea and vomiting, which is valuable in weakened and depraved conditions due to a poisoned state of the blood. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use.
Alterative: Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.
Antipsoriatic: Used to treat psoriasis (an autoimmune disease that affects the skin).
Antiscrophulatic: Counteracts scrofula. (TB, especially of the lymph glands)
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Urinary: Treats urinary problems, including urinary tract infection (UTI).
VD: Used in the treatment of venereal disease
Other
Rating: 1
A yellow dye is made from the root and leaves when alum is used as a mordant. With iron sulphate, the colour is brown.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
How it is grown
Succeeds in most well-drained soils in sun or semi-shade. Hardy to about -15°c. A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils and thorns as it scrambles through small trees and shrubs. A young plant is growing and thriving close to a west-facing wall at Kew Botanical gardens. This species is not the true 'China root' of medicine, see the record for S. pseudo-china. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagating it: Seed - sow March in a warm greenhouse. This note probably refers to the tropical members of the genus, seeds of plants from cooler areas seem to require a period of cold stratification, some species taking 2 or more years to germinate. We sow the seed of temperate species in a cold frame as soon as we receive it, and would sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if we could obtain it then. When the seedlings eventually germinate, prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first year, though we normally grow them on in pots for 2 years. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in early spring as new growth begins. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots, July in a frame.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Climber
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist