Epilobium angustifolium L.

Epilobium angustifolium L.

Photo Aleksandr Prokopenko

Latin Name: Epilobium angustifolium L.

Family: Onagraceae; Genus: Epilobium

Synonym Name: Chamaenerion angustifolium (Linn.) Scop.; Chamaenerion angustifolium subsp. circumvagum (Mosquin) Moldenke; Chamaenerion angustifolium var. platyphyllum Daniels; Epilobium angustifolium L.; Epilobium angustifolium subsp. circumvagum Mosquin; Epilobium brachycarpum Leight; Epilobium gesneri Vill.; Epilobium gracile Brügger; Epilobium leiostylon Peterm.; Epilobium macrocarpum Stephan; Epilobium neriifolium H. Lév.; Epilobium rubrum Lucé; Epilobium salicifolium Stokes; Epilobium spicatum Lam.; Epilobium spicatum var. substenophyllum Rouy & E. G. Camus; Epilobium variabile Lucé; Epilobium verticillatum Ten.; Pyrogennema angustifolium (L.) Lunell

English Name: Great Willowherb Willowweed, Great Willow Herb, Fireweed, Wickup, Willow Herb, Rose bay, Fireweed, Willow Herb, Great willowherb, French willow, Almaruat, Kaporuski, Vrbolika

Chinese name: 柳兰

Description: Perennial herbs, 1-1.5m tall. Rhizomes slender, cylindrical, nodes slightly larger, crab shaped, skin reddish-brown, nodes with fibrous roots. Stem erect, cylindrical, hollow, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; usually unbranched, base and upper part purple red. Leaves alternate, with short petioles; blades lanceolate, 7-15cm long, 1-3cm wide, apex gradually narrow, base cuneate, margin serrulate or nearly entire, upper part green, lower part white, both sides pubescent. Racemes acrogenous or solitary in leaf axils, rachis purple red, pubescent; bracts bar-shaped lanceolate; flowers large, bisexual, purple red, with 1-2cm long stalks; base of calyx slightly linked, apex 4 lobed, lobes linear-lanceolate, pubescent outside; petals 4, obovate, about 1.5cm long, apex obtuse, base with claws; stamens 8, varying in length, bent to one side; ovary inferior, 4 chambers, pubescent, apex of style 4 lobed. Capsules narrowly cylindrical, purple red, 7-10cm long, pubescent, 4 lobed when ripe; Seeds numerous. Flowering: June to September.

Distribution:  Growing on hill-slopes, forest-margins, river banks, or marshlands in valleys. Distributed in Northeast, North and Southwest China and etc.

Part Used: Medical part: whole plant. Chinese name: Hongkuaizi.

Harvest & Processing: Harvested in summer and autumn, sun-dried and used fresh.

Chemistry: Mainly contains ceryl alcohol, ursolic acid, sitosterylpalmitate, oleanolic acid and maslinic acid.

Pharmacology: Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, antibacterial, and anti-aging properties.

Properties & Actions: Bitter, neutral. Clearing dampness and promoting diuresis, rectifying qi and dispersing distention, quickening the blood and regulating menstruation.

Indications & Usage: Edema, diarrhea, dyspepsia and feeling of fullness, irregular menstrual period, improper lactation. Oral administration: decocting, 15-30g. External application: appropriate amount, smashed for application.

Edible Uses:

Leaves and young shoot tips - raw or cooked. They can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable. When boiled they make a wholesome vegetable and are a good source of vitamins A and C. Only use the leaves when they are young. Although they are said to be edible, another report says that an infusion of them can stupefy. Young shoots - cooked. They make a good asparagus substitute. Root - raw, cooked or dried and ground into a powder. Used in spring, it has a sweet taste. Flower stalks - raw or cooked. Added to salads, they are used when the flowers are in bud. The pith of young or older stems - raw or cooked. Slightly sweet, tender and pleasing to eat, though there is not much of it. Gelatinous, it can be used as a flavouring in soups. The stems are said to be a good laxative, but are best not eaten on an empty stomach. A tea is made from the dried leaves, it is sweet and pleasant. Called 'kaporie' tea in Russia, it contains 10% tannin. The leaves are also used as an adulterant of China tea.

Other Uses:

A fibre obtained from the outer stems is used to make cordage. The 'cottony' seed hairs are used as a stuffing material or as a tinder. The powdered inner cortex is applied to the hands and face to give protection from the cold.

References

- Chinese Medicinal Material Images Database

- efloras.org

- Theplantlist

- Igor A. Schepetkin, Andrew G. Ramstead, Liliya N. Kirpotina, Jovanka M. Voyich, Mark A. Jutila, and Mark T. Quinn; Therapeutic Potential of Polyphenols from Epilobium angustifolium (Fireweed); Phytother Res. 2016 Aug; 30(8): 1287–1297.