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Common Name: Fringed Pink

General Information

Dianthus superbus is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

The plant contains saponins but apparently in quantities too low to cause harm[].
Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans.
Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe to N. Asia.

Habitat

Woody hills and dry meadows[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers an alkaline soil but tolerates slightly acid soils[]. Succeeds in any well-drained peaty soil in sun or light shade[]. Plants succeed when grown on the top of a broad or retaining wall[].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[].
The flowers have a soft sweet perfume[].

Edible Uses

The leaves, stems and tops are boiled, steeped in water and eaten as a potherb[, , , ]. Young plants are also eaten[]. One report says that they contain saponins but that the leaves are apparently not toxic[]. Probably this is because the content of saponins is too low to be harmful[].
Children suck the flowers for their sweet edible nectar[, , ].

Medicinal

The fringed pink, called Qu Mai in Chinese herbalism, has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for over 2,000 years. The whole plant is a bitter tonic herb that stimulates the digestive and urinary system, and also the bowels[]. It also lowers blood pressure, reduces fevers and controls bacterial infections[, ]. Little used on its own, it is often taken with Dan Shen (Salvia multiorrhiza) to induce menstruation[]. The closely related D. chinensis has the same uses as Qu Mai and is more commonly used[].
The plant is abortifacient, contraceptive, diuretic, emmenagogue, ophthalmic, tonic and vulnerary[, , , ]. It is said to promote hair growth[, , ]. It is ranked 9th in a list of 250 potential antifertility Chinese plants[]. The plant is taken internally in the treatment of acute urinary tract infections (especially cystitis), urinary stones, constipation and failure to menstruate[]. Externally, it is applied to skin inflammations and swellings[].
The leaves are used in the treatment of haemorrhoids, lumbricoid worms, venereal sores etc[].
The flowers are astringent, diuretic, haemostatic, resolvent and vulnerary[]. Research has shown that the flowers are the most markedly diuretic part of the plant[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow mid spring/early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the autumn.