Jiaogulan Xiancao
Gynostemma Pentaphyllum, The herb of longevity!
Jiaogulan belongs to the genus Gynostemma, in the cucurbit family, which includes cucumbers, squash and melons. Its fruit is a small, inedible purple gourd. It is a climbing vine that attaches to the supports with the help of tendrils. Serrated leaflets usually grow in groups of five (as in G. pentaphyllum) although some species may have groups of three or seven leaflets. The plant is dioecious, which means that every plant exists as either male or female. Therefore, if seeds are desired, a male and female plant should be cultivated.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum is known as Jiaogulan in China. The plant was first described in 1406 by Zhu Xiao, who presented a description and sketch in the book "Materia Medica for Famine" as a survival food rather than a medicinal herb. The first record of the use of jiaogulan as a medicine comes from the book "Compendium of Materia Medica" by herbalist Li Shizhen published in 1578, identifying jiaogulan to treat various ailments such as hematuria, edema in the pharynx and neck, tumors and trauma. While Li Shizhen confused jiaogulan with a similar herb Wulianmei, in 1848 Wu Qi-Jun rectified this confusion in Textual Investigation of Herbal Plants.
Modern recognition outside of China has arisen from research on sugar substitutes. In the 1970s, while analyzing the sweet component of the jiaogulan plant (known as amachazuru in Japan), Masahiro Nagai discovered saponins identical to those of Panax ginseng. Ongoing research has described several saponins (gypenosides) comparable or identical to those found in ginseng. Panax ginseng contains ginsenosides while gypenoside saponins have been found in jiaogulan.
Description
Gynostemma Pentaphyllum, The herb of longevity!
Jiaogulan belongs to the genus Gynostemma, in the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes cucumbers, squash and melons. Its fruit is a small, inedible purple gourd. It is a climbing vine that attaches to supports using tendrils. The serrated leaflets usually grow in groups of five (as in G. pentaphyllum) although some species may have groups of three or seven leaflets. The plant is dioecious, which means that each plant exists as either male or female. Therefore, if seeds are desired, a male and female plant should be grown.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum is known as Jiaogulan in China. The plant was first described in 1406 by Zhu Xiao, who presented a description and sketch in the book "Materia Medica for Famine" as a food of survival rather than as a medicinal herb. The first record of the use of jiaogulan as a medicine comes from the book "Compendium of Materia Medica" by herbalist Li Shizhen published in 1578, identifying jiaogulan to treat various conditions such as hematuria, edema in the pharynx and neck, tumors and trauma. While Li Shizhen had confused jiaogulan with an analogous herb Wulianmei, in 1848 Wu Qi-Jun rectified this confusion in Textual Investigation of Herbal Plants.
Modern recognition outside China arose from research into sugar substitutes. In the 1970s, while analyzing the sweet component of the jiaogulan plant (known as amachazuru in Japan), Masahiro Nagai discovered saponins identical to those of Panax ginseng . Continuing research has described several saponins (gypenosides) comparable or identical to those found in ginseng. Panax ginseng contains ginsenosides while gypenoside saponins have been found in jiaogulan.
Information
Presentation: Our Jiaogulan arrives from the province of Shaanxi in China. It grows on mountain slopes, near a family owned, organic tea garden farm. Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also called jiaogulan, Xiancao or "herb of immortality", is a Chinese climbing plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. Jiaogulan has been known for a long time in Asia, its use is mentioned in the time of the Ming dynasty in a book on "Medicine against Famine".
It is used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a sweetener in Japan. This hardy plant, which resists intense cold (down to -15°C), is present in India, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan and Korea. It is said of this plant that those who drink it regularly as an infusion have an above-average life expectancy. Related saponins similar to those found in ginseng are also found in jiaogulan.
This is why it is also called blue ginger. Jiaogulan leaves contain many glycosides from the chemical family of dammarans such as gypenoside, gylongiposide I, gypenoside and vitexin, plus a carbamide, allantoin.
The sweet taste of its leaves allows its use to sweeten coffee or tea, to make a sweet tea called Amachazuru or an alcoholic drink, it's up to you.
