''Angelica keiskei'', commonly known under the Japanese name of , literally "tomorrow's leaf", is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family. It is native to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, where it is found on the Pacific Coast. It is native to the area of the

Bōsō Peninsula The is a peninsula that encompasses the entirety of Chiba Prefecture on Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula covers ...

Miura Peninsula is a peninsula located in Kanagawa, Japan. It lies south of Yokohama and Tokyo and divides Tokyo Bay, to the east, from Sagami Bay, to the west. Cities and towns on the Miura Peninsula include Yokosuka, Miura, Hayama, Zushi, and Kamak ...

Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...

, and the

Izu Islands The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo Prefecture. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōsh ...

. It has been widely cultivated outside its natural range.

Description

It is a perennial, with a typical growth height of 50–120 cm. Like most other members of the carrot family, it produces large umbels of white flowers and has dissected leaves. ''Angelica keiskei'' closely resembles ''Angelica japonica'', but can be distinguished by its blooming period, which lasts from May to October, whereas ''A. japonica's'' blooming period lasts only between May and July. Another indicator is the characteristic color of its sap.

Taxonomy

This species is named in honor of Keisuke Ito, a Japanese physician and biologist. A named cultivar of this species, "Koidzumi", refers to botanist Gen'ichi Koizumi. The Japanese name of ''Angelica keiskei'', "ashitaba", stems from the above-average regenerative capabilities it exhibits after injury.

Cultivation

Many Japanese plant ashitaba in herb gardens, flower pots, and backyards. This is due to the modest conditions for cultivation and fast rate of growth. This is a cold hardy plant, with optimal temperatures ranging between 12 and 22 °C. Harvesting a leaf at the break of day often results in a new sprout growing overnight, being visible the following morning, hence the name "tomorrow's leaf". Image:Angelica keiskei leaves.jpg, ''Angelica keiskei'' leaves in cultivation File:Angelica keiskei flowers.jpg, Flowers

Uses

As food

The main use of their stipes, leaves, and

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...

s is in regional cuisine, where they are used to prepare ''

soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. It has an ashen brown color, and a slightly grainy texture. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sau ...

tempura is a typical Japanese dish that usually consists of seafood and vegetables that have been coated in a thin batter and deep-fried. Tempura originated in the 16th century, when Portuguese Jesuits brought the Western-style cooking method of ...

shōchū is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. Typ ...

'', tea, ice cream, pasta, etc.. The ''Mikura-jima'' variety might excel in this regard, as it is reputed to be less bitter than others.Mikura-jima variety
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Historical use

Traditionally, it is seen as a major contributor to the supposedly healthier, extended lives of the local residents, possibly due to the

chalconoid Chalconoids ( Greek: χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper", due to its color), also known as chalcones, are natural phenols In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of one or more hy ...

s that are unique to this species of ''Angelica''. At one point in

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the haulm's yellow sap was effectively used in the external treatment of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

, which prompted Kaibara Ekken to describe the herb in his ''Yamato honzō'' (大和本草), under the name of ''ashitagusa'' (鹹草), as "a powerful tonic drug". In folk medicine, it is claimed to be a diuretic, tonic, to improve digestion, and to speed wound healing and prevent infection when applied topically. Also, its nutritive qualities are said to be the factor behind the internal exiles and their families' never waning stamina in the face of their arduous, compulsory labor. For similar reasons, it very widely serves as pasture for cattle, reckoned to improve the quality of milk, as well as the yield, and to maintain cattle health at the same time. Most of these claims have yet to be proven in trials, while studies have substantiated the presence of

furocoumarin The furanocoumarins, or furocoumarins, are a class of organic chemical compounds produced by a variety of plants. Most of the plant species found to contain furanocoumarins belong to a handful of plant families. The families Apiaceae and Rutacea ...

s in several of these plants' components. Furanocumarin is known to increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause

dermatitis Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

References

External links

*http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Angelica%20keiskei {{Authority control Angelica Japanese vegetables