This document contains information on the identifying features and medicinal uses of several plants, including Arctium, Artemisia princeps, kudzu, common chickweed, and Shepherd's purse. It describes their scientific classifications, distinguishing physical traits, traditional herbal applications, and in some cases modern research on medicinal compounds and properties. Key uses include as diuretics, to treat migraines, inflammation, skin conditions, and hemorrhaging.

1. Herbarium of Japan

2. Arctium
Scientific
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Asterids
Family: Asterales
Subfamily: Asteraceae
Genus:
Arctium
L.
Identifying Features
1. 1. Plants of the genus Arctium have dark green leaves that
can grow up to 28" (71 cm) long.
2. 2. They are generally large, coarse and ovate, with the lower
ones being heart-shaped.
3. 3. They are woolly underneath. The leafstalks are generally
hollow.
4. 4. Arctium species generally flower from July through to
October.
Medicinal Uses
1. 1. Folk herbalists considered dried burdock to be a diuretic, diaphoretic, and a
bloodpurifying agent.
2. The seeds of A. lappa are used in traditional Chinese medicine, under the name niubangzi
(Chinese: 牛蒡子; pinyin: niúbángzi; Some dictionaries list the Chinese as just 牛蒡niúbàng

3. Artemisia princeps
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Asterids
Family: Asterales
Subfamily: Asteraceae
Genus: Artemisia
Species: A. princeps
Identifying Features
1. Artemisia princeps, or Japanese mugwort, is
a perennial, very vigorous plant that grows to 1.2
meters and is known as yomogi (ヨモギ) in
Japanese.
2. The leaves are feather shaped, scalloped and light
green, with white dense fuzz on the underside.
Medicinal Uses
1. A.princeps is one of the varieties of mugwort used as moxa in Moxibustion, a
traditional medical practice of China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia,
Tibet, Nepal and Vietnam.
2. An evaluation of the efficacy of the smoke and water extracts of the herb found that
both preparations inhibited the growth of a specific line of breast cancer cells in vitro.
3. Phenolics from A. princeps, 1,5-diCQA, 3,4-diCQA, 3,5-diCQA and 4,5-diCQA)
alleviated the oxidative stress and enhanced the viability of certain neuronal cells in
vitro.
1.
Scientific
Classification

4. Kudzu
Identifying Features
1. Kudzu is a group of plants in the genus Pueraria, in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily
Faboideae.
2. They are climbing, coiling, and trailing perennial vines native to much of eastern Asia,
southeast Asia, and some Pacific Islands. The name comes from the Japanese name for the
plants, kuzu (クズ or 葛?), which was written "kudzu" in historical romanizations.
3. Where these plants are naturalized, they can be invasive and are considered noxious weeds.
The plant climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so rapidly that it kills them by heavy shading.
The plant is edible but often sprayed with herbicides.
Medicinal Uses
1. 1. Kudzu contains a number of useful isoflavones, including puerarin, approximately 60% of the
total isoflavones, and also daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent) and daidzin
(structurally related to genistein).
2. 2. It has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headaches. It is recommended by somefor
allergies and diarrhea.
3. 3. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), where it is known as gégēn (Chinese: 葛根), kudzu is
considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus, vertigo, and Wei
syndrome (superficial heat).
4. 4. Kudzu has been used as a remedy for alcoholism and hangover.

5. Common Chickweed
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Core eudicots
Family: Caryophyllales
subfamily: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Stellaria
Species: S. media
Medicinal Uses
1. 1. The plant has medicinal purposes and is used in folk medicine.
2. It has been used as a remedy to treat itchy skin conditions and pulmonary diseases. 17th
century herbalist John Gerard recommended it as a remedy for mange.
3. Modern herbalists mainly prescribe it for skin diseases, and also for bronchitis, rheumatic
pains, arthritis and period pain. A poultice of chickweed can be applied to cuts, burns and bruises.

6. Shepherd’s Purse
Scientific
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
lass: Eudicots
Order: Rosids
Family: Brassicales
Subfamily: Brassicaceae
Genus: Capsella
Species: C. bursa-pastoris
Identifying Features
1. 1. Capsella bursa-pastoris, known by its common name shepherd's-purse because of its
triangular, purse-like pods, is a small (up to 0.5 m) annual and ruderal species, and a member of
the Brassicaceae or mustard family.
2. 2. It is native to eastern Europe and Asia minor but is naturalized and considered a common weed
in many parts of the world, especially in colder climates, including Britain, where it is regarded as
an archaeophyte, North America and China but also in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
Medicinal Uses
1. 1. C. bursa-pastoris is gathered from the wild or grown for food, to supplement animal feed, for
cosmetics, and for medicinal purposes. It is commonly used as food in Shanghai and the
surrounding Jiangnan region. It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the
Japanese spring-time festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku. In Korea it is known as naengi and its roots
are one of the ingredients of the characteristic Korean dish, namul.
2. 2. Fumaric acid is one chemical substance that has been isolated from C. bursa-pastoris.