Common Name: Huang Ping

General Information

Vitex negundo is a much branched shrub or sometimes a small slender tree growing up to 8 metres tall[, ].
A multipurpose shrub, it is a popular traditional medicine, yields an edible seed and provides various other commodities[]. It is cultivated as a hedge and medicinal plant, and is also sometimes grown as an ornamental[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Widespread in the tropics and subtropics from east Africa, through Asia to Indonesia, the Philippines and Mariana Islands.

Habitat

Wasteland up to 2,000 metres in the Himalayas[]. Mixed thickets on mountain slopes at elevations of 200 - 1,400 metres in China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Vitex negundo can be grown in warm temperate to tropical areas, succeeding at elevations from sea level to around 2,000 metres[, ]. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range of 600 - 2,000mm[]. It can tolerate short-lived temperatures falling down to about -10°c[]. Plants only flower freely after a warm summer, so in cooler regions they are best grown against a sunny wall even in areas where they are inter hardy[].
An easily grown plant, it prefers a light well-drained loamy soil in a warm sunny position sheltered from cold drying winds[, ]. Succeeds in poor dry soils[]. Tolerates alkaline and saline soils[].
Moderately to fairly fast growing, it can be managed by coppicing, with a rotation of 2 years[].
The plants require abundant summer sunshine in order to ripen their wood fully, the well-ripened wood is more frost resistant[, ].
The flowers are produced so late in the season that they are unlikely to produce viable seed in most temperate regions, even if they flower properly[].
Plants produce root suckers[].
Yields of about 0.3 tonnes/hectare of air-dry fuel wood can be obtained when planted on contours 5 metres apart[].
There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[].
The leaves and stems are strongly aromatic[]. The flowers have a most pronounced musk-like perfume[].

Edible Uses

Seed - occasionally used as a condiment[, ], it is a pepper substitute. When washed to remove the bitterness it can be ground into a powder and used as a flour[], though it is very much a famine food used only when all else fails[].

A tea is made from the roots and leaves[, ].

Medicinal

This species is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine, it is the second most important treatment for chronic bronchitis[]. (The sub-species V. negundo cannabifolia is used.)

The aromatic leaves are astringent, febrifuge, diuretic, sedative, tonic and vermifuge[, , , , ]. They are useful in dispersing swellings of the joints from acute rheumatism, and of the testes from suppressed gonorrhoea[]. The juice of the leaves is used for removing foetid discharges and worms from ulcers, whilst an oil prepared with the leaf juice is applied to sinuses and scrofulous sores[].
The leaves are stuffed into pillows, which are then used to relieve headache[].
The leaves are harvested in early summer and used fresh or dried[].

A decoction of the stems is used in the treatment of burns and scalds[].

The dried fruit is vermifuge[]. The fruit is also used in the treatment of angina, colds, coughs, rheumatic difficulties etc[]. The fresh berries are pounded to a pulp and used in the form of a tincture for the relief of paralysis, pains in the limbs, weakness etc[].

The root is expectorant, febrifuge and tonic[]. It is used in the treatment of colds and rheumatic ailments[].
The root is harvested in late summer and autumn, and dried for later use[].

The flowers are astringent and tonic[].

The plant is said to be a malarial preventative and is also used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery - extracts of the leaves have shown bactericidal and antitumor activity[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and other uses[].
The roots of huang ping are strong and deep, suckering profusely[]. The plant can be used as a contour hedge in sandy arid areas for soil retention and moisture conservation[, ].
The plant has been found suitable for shelterbelts and windbreaks[]. It is also used as a live hedge[].
It can be used for reforestation, especially for the reclamation of forestlands which are affected by floods, and in arid areas[].

Other Uses

The young stems are used in basket making and for making wattles[, , , , ].

The leaves yield an essential oil[].

The leaves have insecticidal properties and are used to repel insects in grain stores[, , ]. Extracts of the leaves have insecticidal activity[]. The fresh leaves are burnt with grass as a fumigant against mosquitoes[].

The stems are used as firewood[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. It does not need any pre-treatment[]. Germination is usually free and quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Good percentage[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, late autumn in a cold frame[].