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Jiaogulan

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Plants

           iGynostemma pentaphyllum
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:   Plantae
   Division:  Magnoliophyta
   Class:     Magnoliopsida
   Order:     Cucurbitales
   Family:    Cucurbitaceae
   Subfamily: Zanonioideae
   Subtribe:  Gomphogyninae
   Genus:     Gynostemma
   Species:   G. pentaphyllum

                                Binomial name

   Gynostemma pentaphyllum
   ( Thunb.) Makino 1902
   Baby Jiaogulan plants
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   Baby Jiaogulan plants

   Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also called Jiaogulan (Chinese: 绞 股 蓝; pinyin:
   jiǎogǔlán) or Southern ginseng, is an herbaceous vine of the family
   Cucurbitaceae ( cucumber or gourd family) indigenous to the southern
   reaches of China.

   The plant is best known for its use as an herbal medicine in
   traditional Chinese medicine. It is described by the local people as
   the immortality herb, because people within the Guizhou Province, where
   jiaogulan tea is drunk regularly, have a history of living to a very
   old age.

   It was used as a natural sweetener in Japan and is known as an
   adaptogen and antioxidant. Due to its adaptogenic effects it is
   frequently referred to as "Southern Ginseng." Its adaptogenic
   constituents are gypenosides which are closely structurally related to
   the ginsenosides from the well known medicinal plant ginseng. It is
   also purported to lower cholesterol levels.

   Jiaogulan is a vine hardy to USDA zone 8 in which it may grow as a
   short lived perennial plant; in lower zones it can be grown as an
   annual. The plant is dioecious, meaning each plant exists either as
   male or female, thus if seeds are desired both a male and female plant
   must be grown.

   Other names for jiaogulan include amachazuru, Gynostemma pentaphyllum,
   Miracle Grass, Southern Ginseng, Vitis pentaphyllum, and Xianxao. One
   U.S.-based company markets jiaogulan under the name "Panta," but this
   name does not seem to be derived from any Asian language; instead, the
   name most likely comes from the plant's Latin name.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaogulan"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
