Elsholtzia ciliata

(Thunburg) Hylander

Crested Late-summer-mint, Vietnamese balm

Lamiaceae Edible: Seeds, Leaves - spice, Flowers 1,953 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Elsholtzia ciliata, commonly known as Vietnamese balm, comb mint, xiang ru (香薷) or kinh giới in Vietnamese, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae native to Asia. In the US, it is commonly known as crested late summer mint. In US Vietnamese grocery stores, it is called kinh gioi, Vietnamese lemon balm, or Vietnamese lemon mint.

Description

An erect herb. It grows to 60 cm high. The leaves have long stalks. The leaves are 2-8.5 cm long by 0.8-2.5 cm wide. They are oval to sword shaped. They have teeth along the edge. Underneath there are gland dots. The flowers are purple. They occur in flat spikes.

Edible Uses

Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked — finely cut and added to salads or used as a potherb. They also serve as an aromatic condiment for vegetable dishes. The powdered seeds are used as a condiment for flavouring foodstuffs.

Traditional Uses

Powdered seeds are used to flavour foodstuffs. The young plants are eaten raw in salads. They are also finely cut and boiled as a potherb. It is used to flavour vegetable dishes. The leaves and young flowers are dried and used as flavouring.

Medicinal Uses

The plant contains an essential oil and has antibacterial, antipyretic, antiviral, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, and stomachic properties. It is said to relieve the effects of excess alcohol and is used to treat common colds, fevers, headaches, diarrhoea, oedema, and oliguria. The plant has a broad-spectrum antibacterial action. It is harvested when in flower and dried for later use.

Distribution

It is a cool temperate plant. In Nepal plants grow from 1500-3400 m altitude. In China it grows in waste areas and sunny terraces. It suits plant hardiness zone 5. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Asia, Cambodia, China, Europe, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Russia, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, USA, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed.

Propagation

Seed should be sown directly in situ in late spring.

Other Uses

None known

Other Information

It is a cultivated plant.

Notes

There are about 40 Elsholtzia species. It is used in medicine.

Synonyms

Elsholtzia cristata Thunb.Elsholtzia patrinii (Lep.) GarckeMentha patrinii LepechinPerilla polystachya D.DonSideritis ciliata Thunb.

Also Known As

Aromatic madder, Ban silam, Beng ji go, Bhotepaati, Bong ga da namg, Hsiang-ju, Kinh gioi ta, Naginata-koju, Rau kinh gioi, Vietnamese-perilla

References (19)

Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 102 (As Elsholtzia cristata)
Bot. Not. 1941:129. 1941
Cheng, Z., et al, 2022, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by Dulong people in northwestern Yunnan, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2022) 18:3
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 126
Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org

Show all 19 references

Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 645
Lawton, B.P., 2002, Mints. A Family of Herbs and Ornamentals. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. p 130
Li, F., et al, 2015, Ethnobotanical study on wild plants used by Lhoba people in Milin County, Tibet. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 11:23
Liu, Yi-tao, & Long, Chun-Lin, 2002, Studies on Edible Flowers Consumed by Ethnic Groups in Yunnan. Acta Botanica Yunnanica. 24(1):41-56
Manandhar, N.P., 2002, Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press. Portland, Oregon. p 217
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Seidemann J., 2005, World Spice Plants. Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer. p 145
Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 364
Tanaka,
Urgamal, M., Oyuntsetseg, B., Nyambayar, D. & Dulamsuren, Ch. 2014. Conspectus of the vascular plants of Mongolia. (Editors: Sanchir, Ch. & Jamsran, Ts.). Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. “Admon“ Press. 334pp. (p. 79-90).
Williams, D., 2017, Ainu Ethnobiology. Contributions in Ethnobiology. Society of Ethnobiology.
Woodward, P., 2000, Asian Herbs and Vegetables. Hyland House. p 70
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Zeven, A. C. & de West, J. M. J., 1982, Dictionary of cultivated plants and their regions of diversity. Wageningen. p 39 (As Elsholtzia cristata)