Cang Zhu

Atractylodes lancea

Physical Characteristics

Atractylodes lancea is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to 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).. 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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

E. Asia - Central China.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Root - raw or cooked. Exceedingly rich in vitamin A, it also contains 1.5% essential oils[179].

Medicinal Uses

Antidiarrhoeal Antiemetic Antirheumatic Appetizer Digestive Diuretic Expectorant Stomachic Tonic This plant is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine[238]. The root is a bitter-sweet tonic herb that acts mainly upon the digestive system[238]. The root is antibacterial, antiemetic, appetizer, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic, sedative, stomachic and tonic[174, 176, 178, 238]. It is often used in conjunction with other herbs such as Codonopsis tangshen and Glycyrrhiza uralensis[238]. It is used in the treatment of poor appetite, digestive disorders such as dyspepsia, abdominal distension and chronic diarrhoea, rheumatoid arthritis, oedema, spontaneous sweating and night blindness[176]. The roots are harvested in the autumn and baked for use in tonics[238].

Known Hazards

None known