Common Name: Yin Yang Huo

General Information

Epimedium sagittatum is a perennial plant growing from a short, stout, rhizomatous rootstock; the plant forns a compact cluster of growth around 30 - 70cm tall[].
This is one of several species known as Yin Yang Huo in China and widely used in Chinese herbalism.to treat bone diseases and problems connected with the reproductive system. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The popularity of this species in herbal treatment has led to a major overexploitation of the plant in the wild and it is now being cultivated on a large scale in order to satisfy the demand. The plant is also grown as an ornamental, where it makes an effective ground cover[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - southern and eastern China.

Habitat

Hillsides in damp shady bamboo groves or in cliff crevices[]. Moist woodlands[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Epimedium sagittatum is a fairly cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to at least -15°c when fully dormant, although the young growth in spring is much more tender and can be killed by frosts[].
Succeeds in any fertile humus-rich soil[], preferring a moist but well-drained peaty loam[, ]. Grows best in the light dappled shade of a woodland[, ]. Plants can succeed in the dry shade of trees[]. A shallow-rooting plant, the rhizomes creeping just below the soil and the finer roots occupying the top 30cm of the soil[].
Grows well in the rock garden or wild garden[].
Plants are self-sterile and so more than one clone is required for cross-fertilization in order for seed to be produced. Plants will often hybridise with other species growing nearby[].
Cultivated as a medicinal plant in Japan[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].

Edible Uses

Young plant and young leaves - cooked[]. Soaked and then boiled[]. The leaves are highly valued in China for their medicinal actions and so are added to foods such as soups in order to add their positive properties to the food[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is antirheumatic, aphrodisiac, carminative, expectorant, ophthalmic and vasodilator. Used as a kidney tonic, it also treats sterility and barrenness[, , ]. It is taken internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, cold or numb extremities, arthritis, lumbago, impotence, involuntary and premature ejaculation, high blood pressure and absentmindedness[].
The plant is harvested in the growing season and dried for later use[].
This remedy should be used with some caution since in excess it can cause vomiting, dizziness, thirst and nosebleeds[].

This is one of several species known as Yin Yang Huo and commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of bone diseases, pregnancy, and gonad dysfunction[, ]. It is often used on its own, and is also a component in many traditional multi-herbal preparations[].

The aerial parts of the plant are antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antitussive, aphrodisiac, hypoglycaemic, tonic and vasodilator. Its use lowers blood sugar levels[, ]. The plant is used in the treatment of impotence, seminal emissions, lumbago, arthritis, numbness and weakness of the limbs, hypertension and chronic bronchitis[].

The leaves are harvested summer and early autumn, when the vegetation at its greatest abundance, then cleaned and dried in the sun[].

The plant has an action on the genitals similar to testosterone, and can increase the weight of the prostate gland and seminal vesicle - it has increased copulation in animals and increases the secretion of semen[].
The plant has been shown to have a positive action upon postmenopausal symptoms and inhibit osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases, while few hyperplastic effects on the uterus were found[, ]. These antiosteoporotic effects may be related with the oestrogenic properties by the intrinsic phytoestrogens including some of the flavonoids, lignans, sterols, etc[]
In the systems pharmacology study, there are 77 components in Epimedium possessing the analogous structure to oestrogen. Many of these phytoestrogenic compounds have the beneficial effects to inhibit osteoporosis, including icariin, epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariside II and icaritin, epimedoside C, baohuoside I, baohuoside II, etc[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A good ground cover plant[].

Other Uses

An extract of the whole plant is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].
An extract of the leaves and stems is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an antioxidant and flavouring[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in late summer[, ]. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in the cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter[]. Plant them out in mid to late summer[].
Division is best carried out in late summer according to one report[], in late spring according to another[]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cuttings in late summer[].