Peg SchaferForeword by Steven Foster

The chineSe Medicinal herb farMa cultivator’s guide to Small-Scale Organic herb Production

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Chelsea Green

Longtime grower Peg Schafer is leading the move-ment for the transition to organic, domestic culti-vation of Chinese medicinal herbs. Due to raised concerns about the quality of imported products, and a renewed interest in locally sourced medicine, domestic and ecologically grown herbs are increas-ingly in demand. But until now, there has been little information available for growers.

The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm is the first guide of its kind, complete with cultivation and harvest tips for seventy-nine herb profiles—all test-

ed and trialed on Schafer’s certified organic farm. Readers will find information on growing efficacious, wild-simulated herbs; crop-integration strategies for gardens; cultivating with an eye toward species con-servation; traditional medicinal and culinary uses; and more.

For market farmers interested in adding val-ue-added crops to their repertoire, and home-scale growers looking to incorporate medicinals into their gardens, this book is an invaluable resource to grow-ing your own medicine.

$34.95 USD

Chelsea Green PublishingWhite River Junction, Vermont802-295-6300www.chelseagreen.com

Cover design by Kelly BlairCover photos by Peg SchaferCover images from top to bottom: Saposhnikovia divaricata, fáng feng, Siler; Scutellaria baicalensis, huáng qín, Baikal Skullcap; and Pinellia ternata, bàn xià.

The definiTive guide TO grOwing Organic chineSe herbS, cOMPleTe wiTh Medicinal and culinary uSeS.

“There is no other book that takes on organic Chinese herb production in such an in-depth way.”—STeVen FoSTeR, from the foreword

“For the practitioner of Chinese medicine, this book is a teacher, drawing us closer to the herbs we use; for the casual gardener , . . . a new reason to look forward to spring.”

—AnDReW eLLiS, author of Notes from South Mountain: A Guide to Concentrated Herb Granules

“Peg Schafer—the most experienced Chinese medicinal herb grower in north America—charts a new course in Chinese medicinal plant cultivation . . .with the lowest carbon footprint possible.”

—Roy UPTon, executive director of American Herbal Pharmacopoeia

“i can’t stress enough how valuable and rare this information is . . . and highly recommend it for all TCM herbalists . . . . This book will have a profound effect

on a field that is expanding rapidly around the world.”—BiLL SCHoenBART, LAc, DAoM

“Herbs from the Chinese tradition perfectly complement more familiar healing plants. . . . every plant person will instantly recognize the gift waiting within this book!”—MiCHAeL PHiLLiPS, coauthor with nancy Phillips of The Herbalist’s Way

PART TWO — HERB PROFILES 237

Plant DescriptionLooking very much like the ubiquitous Western weed commonly called broad-leaved plantain (Plantago major), this Asian species has bright green, paral-lel, seven-veined, broadly ovate leaves. Leaf margins have small teeth that can be felt more than seen. A perennial with exclusively basal leaves and petioles eight to ten inches long, the whole leaf reaches 1¼

feet tall. Rigid flowering stalks rise above the foliage to a total height of 2½ feet. These stalks are densely packed with small white flowers ascending the flow-ering stem to 1½ feet. Flowering takes place over a long summer season, maturing on the stem from the bottom up. Each fruiting capsule contains many brown seeds, which reseed readily in moist to wet areas in gardens and nurseries; in fact this plant may

Plantago asiatica (L.)Common Name: Plantain Pinyin: Chē qián zĭFamily: PlantaginaceaePart Used: Seed

These three-foot-tall row cropped plants of Plantago asiatica are moving from flower into seed.

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238 PART TWO — HERB PROFILES

be weedy in regions with summer rainfall. Plantago asiatica is hardy in all USDA zones.

PropagationThe small seeds are light-dependent germinators; sow on the surface of the soil in situ or in nursery medium. Germination is at twenty-eight days and ongoing in cool soils. Plants hold very well in pots and make a surprisingly handsome, if informal, potted winter specimen in mild winter regions.

Garden and Polyculture Planting Plaintain prefers full sun to part shade in average soils that are not well drained; moist to wet soils are favored. Transplant or directly surface sow toward the front of the garden or border. Due to plantain’s invasive inclinations, do not plant in naturally occur-ring wetlands or riparian areas.

Suitable Companions Alisma plantago-aquatica subsp. orientale, zé xièBacopa monnieri, BrahmiCoix lacryma-jobi, Job’s Tears, yì yĭ rénEclipta prostrata, Eclipta, mò hàn liánGynostemma pentaphyllum, Sweet Tea Vine, jiǎo

gŭ lánHouttuynia cordata, yú xīng cǎoMentha haplocalyx, Field Mint, bò hé

Pinellia ternata, bàn xiàPrunella vulgaris, Heal All, xià kū cǎoScrophularia buergeriana, Figwort, běi xuán shēn

Field Production Transplant on one-foot spacing in beds that are well irrigated. For best growth and yields, keep well watered. These plants are durable and can manage some drought stress.

Pests and DiseasesSlugs, snails, and earwigs riddle the leaves with holes. If damage becomes too great use baits, traps, or exclusionary techniques such as iron phosphate baits for snails or wet, rolled-up newspapers. A few holes are acceptable; shredded leaves indicate action is needed.

Chē qián zĭ is the dry seed of Plantago asiatica.

Medicinal Uses of Chē qián zĭ

Chē qián zĭ is the seed of Plantago asiatica. Sweet and cold, it clears damp heat, drains dampness, stops diarrhea, clears liver heat, benefits the eyes, clears the lung, and trans-forms phlegm. It is used to address issues such as painful urination, burning urination, urgency with inability to urinate, diarrhea, eye redness and swelling, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, and cough.

Chē qián zĭ is used by itself and in combination with other herbs. Common methods of administration include powders, decoctions, concentrated granules, tablets, and pills. It is in important formulas including Ba Zheng San (Eight Rectifications Powder), Qing Xin Lian Zi Yin (Heart Clearing Lotus Seed Decoction), and Long Dan Xie Gan Tang (Gentiana Decoction to Drain the Liver).

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PART TWO — HERB PROFILES 239

Harvest and YieldPlantain will bloom in the first season if sown in early spring; chē qián zĭ is the ripe seed. The summer and fall seed ripens to a loose rattle in the fruiting capsule; collect several times per season by stripping just the mature seed capsules off the standing fruit-ing stem. Or if you’ve grown a sufficient quantity to collect enough seed in just one harvest, cut the stems off completely (for a harvest of roughly a third of the plant’s potential seed production capacity). Invert the seed capsules over a clean vessel and the ripe seed will tumble out easily. Blow off the chaff or any extra-neous matter, and use or sell the seed fresh or dry. Good quality is said to be “full, hard, brownish black

seeds.”152 Seed yield for first season plants is 0.08 pounds per plant. Seed when harvested is almost dry, so the difference between the fresh to dry weight is negligible.

Notes• In addition to the market for Plantago

asiatica seed, there is an active Western market for the leaf; conduct a trial for economic feasibility.

• Plantago depressa is also a standard species in the Chinese materia medica; however, it is a much smaller plant and seed produc-tion is minimal.

Platycodon grandiflorus ([Jacq.] A. DC.)Common Name: Balloon FlowerPinyin: Jié gěngFamily: CampanulaceaePart Used: Root

Plant Description Platycodon grandiflorus has bright blue-purple, two-inch, terminal blooming flowers exhibiting the characteristic bell shape of the Campanulaceae family. The buds swell before opening, giving the plant its

common name of balloon flower. The species form of this popular garden flower grows up to two feet tall and is a prolific summer bloomer. Perennial and herbaceous, erect plants form clumps of foliage with simple, two-inch, ovate, serrate, alternately arranged leaves. When bruised, the stems exude a white sticky latex. The range of Platycodon grandiflorus is “Siberia (southern and western regions, the Far East), northeastern China, Korea and Japan. Dry meadows, rocky places among shrubs or in forest clearings.”153 Balloon flower is cold hardy to at least minus thirty degrees. USDA hardiness zones 3–10.

PropagationSow seeds in the nursery or indoors very early in the spring, or in the fall for planting out the following summer. Germination is two to three weeks in the heated greenhouse. Seed is small but reliably easy to propagate; there are no special requirements for The very gardenworthy Platycodon grandiflorus.

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