Ligusticum

Ligusticum
Ligusticum mutellinoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Tribe: Selineae
Genus: Ligusticum
L.
Species

See text

Ligusticum is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its name is believed to derive from the Italian region of Liguria.[1]

They are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Mouse Moth which has been recorded on L. scoticum.

Species

Uses

The roots of two species are used as medicinal herbs. L. wallichii is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in Chinese herbology, where it is called chuānxiōng (川芎); in English, Szechwan Lovage.[2] L. porteri (Osha) is used in Western herbal medicine.

Both Ligusticum sinense and L. jeholens Essntial Oils contain natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. [3]

Ligusticum wallichii (Ligusticum) root or L. porteri (Osha) root can be soaked in ethanol (whisky, vodka, etc.) for at least a month. The resulting tincture is an effective, though pungent, liniment for sore muscles that can be stored (in a cool place) indefinitely.

References

  1. ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
  2. ^ Page about use in Chinese medicine
  3. ^ Jihua Wang 1 , Liang Xu , Ling Yang , Zhilong Liu and Ligang Zhou "Composition, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils from Ligusticum sinense and L. jeholense (Umbelliferae) from China" Rec. Nat. Prod. 5:4 (2011) 314-318 http://acgpubs.org/RNP/2011/Volume%205/Issue%201/41-RNP-1008-293.pdf