Tien Ma

Gastrodia elata

Physical Characteristics

Gastrodia elata is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. 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.

Distribution

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.

Habitats

Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Root - raw or roasted[61, 178]. Large[178].

Medicinal Uses

Analgesic Antispasmodic Aphrodisiac Carminative Cholagogue Epilepsy Sedative Tonic This species has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for over 1,500 years[238]. The root contains a number of phenolic compounds with medicinal actions[279]. It is a sweet, acrid, herb that is analgesic, anticonvulsive, antispasmodic, carminative, cholagogue, sedative and tonic[147, 174, 176, 238, 279]. It is used internally in the treatment of convulsive illnesses (such as epilepsy and tetanus), rheumatoid arthritis, vertigo and numbness associated with liver disharmony[238]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[238]. The stem is aphrodisiac and tonic[218].

Known Hazards

None known