Common Name:

General Information

Elsholtzia ciliata is an erect, annual plant that can grow 30 - 50cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental.
The plant is often grown as an ornamental. It can escape from cultivation and has become naturalized in many areas outside its native range[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Asia - Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, northern India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia

Habitat

Roadsides, old fields etc in Eastern N. America[]. Grassy areas in mountains in Korea[]. Hills, waste areas, sunny terraces, riverbanks, forests; at elevations from near sea level to 3,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of the temperate zone, entering into the tropics in southeast Asia.
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils.
Cultivated for ornament in N. and E. Europe[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[, ]. Finely cut then added to salads or used as a potherb[].
The leaves can be used as an aromatic condiment for vegetable dishes[].

The powdered seeds are used as a condiment for flavouring foodstuffs[, ].

Medicinal

The whole plant, preferably when in flower, is analgesic, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, antiviral, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic and stomachic[, , , , ]. An infusion is drunk, or the vapour from the boiling decoction can be inhaled, in the treatment of common colds, fevers, headaches, diarrhoea, oedema and oliguria[, , ]. Its use is said to relieve the effects of excess alcohol[, ]..
The plant is harvested when in flower and dried for later use[].

The plant contains an essential oil[].
The plant has a broad-spectrum antibacterial action[]

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow late spring in situ[].