Common Name:

General Information

Lithospermum erythrorhizon is a herbaceous perennial plant, usually producing 1 - 3 erect stems from a perennial rootstock; it can grow around 50 - 80cm tall, occasionally to 100cm[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Eastern Siberia, Russian Far East, eastern China, Japan and Korea.

Habitat

Grassy slopes in mountains and hills all over Japan[]. Dry stony slopes among shrubby thickets[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.70 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[].
Requires a warm sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained soil[, ]. Prefers a neutral to alkaline soil and also succeeds in partial shade[].
This species is cultivated in Japan[] (as a dye plant?).

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

All parts of the plant are antitumor, cardiotonic, contraceptive, depurative and febrifuge[, , , , ]. The plant is used internally in the treatment of irritant skin conditions, measles, chicken pox, boils, carbuncles, hepatitis and skin cancer[].
Externally it is used to treat nappy rash, burns, cuts, wounds, abscesses, eczema and haemorrhoids[, , , , ].
The plants are harvested when in flower, the roots in the autumn[]. They are dried for later use[].

Other Uses

A purple dye is obtained from the root[, , ]. It is harvested in the spring[]. It is much liked but the colour is fugitive and production costs high[].

The plant is an ingredient of commercial skin care creams[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings.
Division in the autumn[].