Asparagus racemosus

Asparagus racemosus (shatavari, asparagus fern) is a species of asparagus native from Africa through southern Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, to northern Australia. It grows 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) tall and prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky soils high up in piedmont plains, at 1,300–1,400 m (4,300–4,600 ft) elevation. It was botanically described in 1799.

Description

A creeping or climbing herb or shrub. It has woody stems. It grows 2 m high. It spreads 2 m wide. The stems are slender and trailing. The leaves are light green and narrow. They are 5 cm long. The flowers are very small. The fruit are small round red berries.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root Shoots Stem Edible Uses: Tender young shoots - cooked as a vegetable. A preserve prepared from the blanched shoots is said to be very agreeable. The tuber are candied as a sweetmeat. The only flavour is said to be that of the sugar. The roots are 5 - 13cm long.

Traditional Uses

The tubers (rhizome) are cooked and eaten. They are boiled and dried. The outer skin is removed and cut into small pieces then pounded. It is also used for pickles. The young leaves are used as a green vegetable. They are eaten cooked or raw. They are often mixed with other vegetables. They are also used for pickles. The leaves are also fermented and used for tea. The fruit are eaten as a dessert fruit. The flowering shoots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The harvested shoots can be stored for 10 days.

Medicinal Uses

Alterative Antispasmodic Aphrodisiac Demulcent Digestive Diuretic Dysentery Galactogogue Infertility Women's complaints Shatavari (this is an Indian word meaning 'a woman who has a hundred husbands') is the most important herb in Ayurvedic medicine for dealing with problems connected women's fertility. The rhizome is a soothing tonic that acts mainly on the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and female reproductive organs. The root is alterative, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, demulcent, diuretic, galactogogue and refrigerant. It is taken internally in the treatment of infertility, loss of libido, threatened miscarriage, menopausal problems, hyperacidity, stomach ulcers and bronchial infections. Externally it is used to treat stiffness in the joints. The root is used fresh in the treatment of dysentery. It is harvested in the autumn and dried for use in treating other complaints. The whole plant is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, rheumatism, diabetes and brain complaints.

Known Hazards

None listed.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in thickets in drier parts of West Africa. It is best in rich moist soils and filtered sunlight. It is damaged by frost and drought. It can grow in arid places. It grows in limestone areas. It grows on rocky soils up to 1,400 m above sea level. In the Himalayas in India it grows between 700-2,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, China, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Marquesas, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tibet, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Easily grown in any good garden soil. Prefers a rich sandy loam. This species is not very frost-hardy and generally needs to be grown in a frost-free or fairly frost-free climate. It can be grown as a half-hardy perennial in areas where the winter is too cold for it to survive outdoors. The tubers are harvested in the autumn, stored in a cool frost-free place and replanted in the spring. The rots of this species are commonly collected from the wild for medicinal use. Overcollection in some areas of its range are causing conservation concerns. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in early autumn in a greenhouse. It usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 25°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.

Other Uses

Soap The squeezed root is used for washing clothes. Special Uses

Production

Yields can be 5-10 kg of roots per plant.

Other Information

It is commonly eaten in Bhutan. Leaves are sold in local markets.

Notes

The boiled tuber is claimed to improve milk supply for lactating women.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Aipah, Aipak, Arke-bawk, Asparagus India, Atrang, Chan din, Gaisira, Hathawariya, Hundred roots, Jhijhirkani, Jhinjhelkandi, Kanyut, Kedar nani, Kilavari, Kizhangu, Kobi, Kurila, Kurilo, Kurla, Makuri, Ngakhagchu, Neevalli, Neer vekkaea, Ngalangma, Nirmittan, Nungarei, Nye shing, Nye sugpa, Phak shi shang, Puchu touru, Pujotoro, Rai su we, Sadamulam, Sam sib, Sansarpali, Santawar, Satabari, Satawari, Sataweri, Satmul, Seriti, Shatavari, Shatawari, Shin-matet, Sparrow grass, Wedegisankha-la

References (73)

• Acharya K. P. and Acharya, R., 2010, Eating from the Wild: Indigenous knowledge on wild edible plants in Parroha VDC of Rupandehi District, Central Nepal. International Journal of Social Forestry. 3(1):28-48
• Arinathan, V., et al, 2007, Wild edibles used by Palliyars of the western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 6(1) pp 163-168
• Arinathan, V., et al, 2009, Nutritional and Anti-nutritional attributes of some under-utilized tubers. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 10: 273-278
• Aryal, K. P. et al, 2009, Uncultivated Plants and Livehood Support - A case study from the Cheopang people of Nepal. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 7:409-422
• Aryal, K. P., et al, 2018, Diversity and use of wild and non-cultivated edible plants in the Western Himalaya. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2018) 14:10

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