''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'', bleeding heart, fallopian buds or Asian bleeding-heart,
is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
belonging to the fumitory subfamily (
fumarioideae
Fumarioideae is a subfamily of the family Papaveraceae (the poppy family). It was formerly treated as a separate family, the Fumariaceae (the fumitory, fumewort or bleeding-heart family). It consists of about 575 species of herbaceous plants in 20 ...
) of the poppy
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Papaveraceae, and is native to
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...
, northern
China, Korea, and Japan. It is the sole species in the
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus ''Lamprocapnos'', but is still widely referenced under its old name ''Dicentra spectabilis'' (now listed as a
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...
), not to be confused with the North American native bleeding heart plants also classified under
Dicentra. It is valued in gardens and in floristry for its heart-shaped pink and white flowers, borne in spring.
[Tebbit, Mark, Lidén, Magnus and Zetterlund, Henrik, ''Bleeding Hearts, Corydalis and their relatives'', pub. Timber Press in association with the ]Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is a botanical garden in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1910 using land from Mount Prospect Park in central Brooklyn, adjacent to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. The garden hold ...
2008 , pps. 75-78
Other
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...
s include lyre flower, heart flower, and lady-in-a-bath.
[Coats, Alice M. ''Flowers and their Histories'', first pub. Hulton Press, London EC4 1956, pps. 79-80.]
Description

The Asian bleeding-heart grows to 120 cm (47 in) tall by 45 cm (18 in) wide. It is a
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow h ...
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition ...
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
with 3-lobed compound leaves on fleshy green to pink stems. The arching horizontal
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...
s of up to 20
pendent flowers are borne in spring and early summer. The outer petals are bright fuchsia-pink, while the inner ones are white. The flowers strikingly resemble the conventional heart shape, with a droplet beneath – hence the common name.
The plant sometimes behaves as a
spring ephemeral
An ephemeral plant is one marked by short life cycles. The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading. In regard to plants, it refers to several distinct growth strategies. The first, spring ephemeral, refers to perennial plants that emerge ...
, becoming
dormant
Dormant, "sleeping", may refer to:
Science
*Dormancy
Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps ...
in summer.
">/sup>
Habitat
In Korea ''L. spectabilis'' behaves as a shade-loving chasmophyte, growing in rock crevices at low altitudes in the mountains of the central and southern parts of the country.
[https://jdm0777-com.translate.goog/a-yakchotxt/geumnanghwa.htm_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=ko&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Retrieved at 9.13 on Thursday 17/3/22.]
Distribution
''L. spectabilis'' has been cultivated as an ornamental species for so long in its native Northeast Asia
Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical subregion of Asia; its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean.
The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by American historian and political scient ...
that it has become hard to determine in which regions it is native and in which introduced. In China the plant grows wild in the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin
Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (P ...
and Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...
. Within Korea, ''L. formosa'' occurs in the foothills of Jeonnam, Gyeongnam Mount Jirisan
Jirisan is a mountain located in the southern region of South Korea. It is the second-tallest mountain in South Korea after Jeju Island's Hallasan, and the tallest mountain in mainland South Korea.
The 1915m-high mountain is located in Jiri ...
, Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the ...
, Gangwon Province (South Korea)
Gangwon Province is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. It is bound on the east by the Sea of Japan, and borders Gyeonggi Province to its west, North Gyeongsang Province and North Chungcheong Province to its south, and the ...
, and Hambuk (North Korea) and the plant occurs also in (Greater) Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym "Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East ( Outer ...
.
History
It is one of those plants of which the Chinese Mandarins in the north of China are so fond and which they cultivate with so much pride in their little fairy gardens.
Robert Fortune
personal communication May 20, 1847
''Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society
''The Garden'' is the monthly magazine of the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), circulated to all the society's members as a benefit of membership; it is also sold to the public.
History
''The Garden'' magazine has gone under this title ...
''
The plant was first introduced to England from Asia in the year 1810 and, unfortunately, was lost, but was subsequently reintroduced in 1846 by the Scottish botanist and plant hunter Robert Fortune
Robert Fortune (16 September 1812 – 13 April 1880) was a Scottish botanist, plant hunter and traveller, best known for introducing around 250 new ornamental plants, mainly from China, but also Japan, into the gardens of Britain, Australia, and ...
, who sent specimens to the RHS, having found the plant already in cultivation "in the Grotto Garden on the Island of Chusan, growing among artificial rocks near the beautiful Weigela rosea".
Cultivation
In a moist and cool climate, it will grow in full sun, but in warmer and drier climates it requires some shade.
Aphids, slugs and snails sometimes feed on the leaves.
Clumps remain compact for many years and do not need dividing. They have brittle roots which are easily damaged when disturbed. Root cuttings should be taken in spring.
Seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
s with whitish elaiosome
Elaiosomes ( grc, ἔλαιον ''élaion'' "oil" + ''sóma'' "body") are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaio ...
s are borne in long pod
Pod or POD may refer to:
Biology
* Pod (fruit), a type of fruit of a flowering plant
* Husk or pod of a legume
* Pod of whales or other marine mammals
* "-pod", a suffix meaning "foot" used in taxonomy
Electronics and computing
* Proper ort ...
s. They must be sown while fresh. Division should be done in the late fall (autumn) or early spring.
Cultivars
The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...
's Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
:-
*''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'' (pink and white)
*'Alba' (white)
*"Valentine" ('Hordival') (red and white)
'Gold Heart', introduced from Hadspen Garden, England, in 1997,[University of Vermont: Perry's Perennial Pages](_blank)
/ref> has yellow leaves.
In Chinese culture and traditional medicine
玲珑奇巧涎欲滴,''Delicate and quaint, with pendent drop of yearning unashamed''
色彩绚丽若紫云;''Bright as rosy clouds of eventide.''
传言古时 洛阳镇,''‘Tis said that, long ago, near ancient Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
town,
镇上 玉女慧且纯;''There dwelt a jade-bright maiden, wise and pure,''
无奈情郎充军去,''Whose secret love was called away to war'',
只得寄情绣包存;''Each month a wondrous purse embroidered she to hang upon the bough'',
荷包香美已成串,''Drawstring pulled tight upon sweet fragrance pent within''.
可惜思君不见君。''Pity the girl who pictured daily thus her pining heart''.
王文英 (Wáng Wényīng)
''Poems of a Hundred Flowers'': number 70 - ''Purse Peony''
Jade Maiden Si Jun and the "Purse Peony"
In China, the plant has the common name of 荷包牡丹 (''hébāo mǔdān'') meaning "purse peony", in reference to the resemblance of the individual flowers to an (upside down) hébāo ("propitious pouch" - a type of traditional Chinese "good luck" purse) and of the foliage to that of tree peonies (mǔdān/moutan).[9.0 9.1 (中文)佚名. 《荷包牡丹的莳养》. 科学大观园. 2005, (7) 009-02-01 (原始内容存档于2009-01-09.] The short poem by modern Chinese poet Wáng Wényīng presented above alludes to a traditional tale concerning the etiology
Etiology (pronounced ; alternatively: aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek (''aitiología'') "giving a reason for" (, ''aitía'', "cause"); and ('' -logía''). More completely, e ...
of the "purse peony". The goddess/fairy name Yunü employed in line four refers specifically to 玉女思君 (''Yùnǚ sī jūn'') Jade Maiden Si Jun, a literary inflection of a character originally a minor deity, although the name Yunü here designates, in a familiar trope, a virtuous and faithful young woman. The name 思君 (''sī jūn'') translates as "thinks-of-her-lord", reflecting the behaviour of the young woman in the legend. The legend of Si Jun relates that in ancient times, some 200 miles to the southeast of Luoyang City in the province of Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
, there was a prefecture called Rǔzhōu, in the West of which lay Miaoxia, a small town nestled in a paradisal valley hemmed in by mountains. Here there lived Si Jun, a girl so beautiful, virtuous and wise that she was besieged by legions of eager suitors, whom she nonetheless rebuffed, because she had a secret love. This handsome young man had enlisted as a soldier and had been encamped far away beyond ''Wànlǐ Chángchéng'' (the "Ten-Thousand Mile Long Wall") for two years, forbidden to communicate with his beloved. Despite the fact that he could not reply to the letters that she sent him or receive her gifts, she waited patiently for his return, easing her yearning for him by embroidering once a month a purse dedicated to him and hanging it upon a branch of the tree peony that grew outside her window. Such was her talent for embroidery
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...
that the beautiful flowers that she created so skilfully with her needle fooled the very butterflies and bees, who would try to pollinate them, believing them to be real. This state of affairs continued for so long that the peony bush, though not actually in flower, appeared to have burst forth in strange, purse-shaped blooms, so many were the little embroidered pouches that Si Jun had created in honour of her absent lover. At last the immortals rewarded her patience by transmuting the purse-decked peony into a new kind of plant with foliage like that of a peony but with curious little flowers shaped like lucky, bridal purses - the ''hébāo mǔdān'' (purse peony). To this very day a gift of purse peonies is considered in China the quintessential love token or proposal of marriage in the language of flowers, with much the same connotations as the red rose in Europe.[本篇文章来源于ZHIWUWANG.COM 原文出处: https://www-zhiwuwang-com.translate.goog/news/58728.html?_x_tr_sl=zh-CN&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Retrieved at 23.27 on Monday 28/3/22.]
Traditional Chinese medicine
In Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logica ...
the root is employed for detoxification, to improve blood circulation, and as an analgesic
An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...
. It is recorded in the "Lingnan Medicine Collection" (1949) that Lamprocapnos root can disperse blood, eliminate sores
Sores is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Jacques de Sores
Jacques de Sores was a French pirate and corsair who attacked and burnt Havana, Cuba in 1555.
Other than his attack on Havana, little is known of de Sores. ...
, eliminate "wind" (风; fēng), and "harmonize the blood". The medicinal qualities are described as pungent, bitter
Bitter may refer to:
Common uses
* Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience
* Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes
Books
* ''Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 novel ...
and warm, and are believed to replenish jing in the liver. Oral administration is used to treat sores and abdominal pain
Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom associated with both non-serious and serious medical issues.
Common causes of pain in the abdomen include gastroenteritis and irritable bowel syndrome. About 15% of people have a m ...
, while topical application is used to treat bruise
A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur clo ...
s and swellings.
Caution is, however urged regarding overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. : the juice of the plant can cause tingling paresthesia
Paresthesia is an abnormal sensation of the skin (tingling, pricking, chilling, burning, numbness) with no apparent physical cause. Paresthesia may be transient or chronic, and may have any of dozens of possible underlying causes. Paresthesias ar ...
s after contact with exposed skin and oral overdose can give rise to vomiting, diarrhea and, in serious cases of poisoning, even respiratory failure
Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...
, and cardiac paralysis.
Related, descriptive Korean and Japanese common names
The Korean common name for the plant, 금낭화 (''geum nang hwa'') "gold bag flower",
makes the same comparison between the shape of the flower and that of an old-fashioned drawstring purse as does the Chinese.
Japanese common names for the plant include ケマンソウ (''kemansō'', derived from the Japanese common name for Corydalis
''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eas ...
, which is ''keman'') and the quaint and evocative タイツリソウ (''taitsurisō'' i.e. "sea bream fishing rod
A fishing rod is a long, thin rod used by anglers to catch fish by manipulating a line ending in a hook (formerly known as an ''angle'', hence the term "angling"). At its most basic form, a fishing rod is a straight rigid stick/pole with ...
") given in recognition of the similarity in appearance of the inflorescence to a number of little fish (specifically the much-loved Japanese food fish, ''tai'' a.k.a. ''madai'') hanging by their tails from a rod, while clasping yet smaller fish in their jaws. Both the Chinese and Korean purse and the Japanese sea bream referenced in names for Lamprocapnos are not only considered auspicious, but also associated specifically with the New Year celebrations of their respective countries.
Toxicity
Contact with the plant can cause skin irritation in certain individuals, due to its containing isoquinoline alkaloids
Isoquinoline alkaloids are natural products of the group of alkaloids, which are chemically derived from isoquinoline. They form the largest group among the alkaloids.
Isoquinoline alkaloids can be further classified based on their different che ...
, including protopine, while consumption of the leaves can give rise to neurological symptoms, including confusion and irritability.[Tae Oh Jeong, Jae Baek Lee, Young Ho Jin & Jae Chol Yoon (2015)Anticholinergic syndrome following ingestion of ''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'' (Bleeding Heart), ''Clinical Toxicology'', 53:8, 842-843, DOI: 10.3109/15563650.2015.1066506
]
Case of accidental poisoning in Korea
Jeong et al. reported a case of (non-fatal) poisoning in Korea in 2015: a party of four dining out at a local restaurant suffered symptoms of varying severity after consuming a dish of crucian carp
The crucian carp (''Carassius carassius'') is a medium-sized member of the common carp family Cyprinidae. It occurs widely in northern European regions. Its name derives from the Low German ''karusse'' or ''karutze'', possibly from Medieval Lati ...
and radish greens
The radish ('' Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times.
Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten ...
to which a (possibly) careless or inexperienced chef had added leaves of ''L. spectabilis'', which he may have mistaken for radish leaves, while gathering pot-herbs to cook with the fish. They note that the severity of poisoning could be correlated with the amount of the poisoned dish consumed; the only individual with symptoms requiring hospitalisation being a middle-aged man, already in poor health, who had eaten the most. All those poisoned complained of lethargy
Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overwor ...
, dizziness
Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness. It can also refer to disequilibrium or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness.
Dizziness is a common medical ...
, palpitation
Palpitations are perceived abnormalities of the heartbeat characterized by awareness of cardiac muscle contractions in the chest, which is further characterized by the hard, fast and/or irregular beatings of the heart.
Symptoms include a rap ...
, and dry mouth
Xerostomia, also known as dry mouth, is dryness in the mouth, which may be associated with a change in the composition of saliva, or reduced salivary flow, or have no identifiable cause.
This symptom is very common and is often seen as a side e ...
half an hour after consuming the meal.
The authors conclude that the clinical manifestations in this poisoning case suggest anticholinergic syndrome and speculate that the mental changes in the victims were attributable to the effects on the CNS of the alkaloids scoulerine (which can act as a GABAA receptor
The GABAA receptor (GABAAR) is an ionotropic receptor and ligand-gated ion channel. Its endogenous ligand is γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Upon opening, the GABAA receptor o ...
agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...
) and corydine which can evoke narcotic effects. They note also that the neurologic effects of the alkaloid protopine are qualitatively comparable to those of the well-known delirient tropane alkaloid
Tropane alkaloids are a class of bicyclic .2.1alkaloids and secondary metabolites that contain a tropane ring in their chemical structure. Tropane alkaloids occur naturally in many members of the plant family Solanaceae. Certain tropane alkaloid ...
atropine
Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically giv ...
.
The A 45-year-old male admitted to A&E suffering from Lamprocapnos poisoning had a history of hypertension and chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease in which a gradual loss of kidney function occurs over a period of months to years. Initially generally no symptoms are seen, but later symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, ...
and presented with a confused mental state, elevated blood pressure, tachycardia
Tachycardia, also called tachyarrhythmia, is a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate. In general, a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute is accepted as tachycardia in adults. Heart rates above the resting rate may be normal ( ...
, mild fever
Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...
, dry mouth and facial flushing. Neurological examination revealed his confusion to be intermittent and associated with irritability
Irritability (also called as crankiness) is the excitatory ability that living organisms have to respond to changes in their environment. The term is used for both the physiological reaction to stimuli and for the pathological, abnormal or excess ...
, and an inability to comprehend and obey commands. His motor function, however was normal and he showed no abnormal reflex
In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus.
Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...
es. Furthermore, his pupil
The pupil is a black hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to strike the retina.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. (1990) ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company. It appears black ...
s were not anisochoric (i.e. were of the same size) and (as would not be so in a case of atropine poisoning) were responsive to light. The patient’s mental state began to return to normal 19 hours after admission to A&E, although his intermittent confusion persisted. He finally regained alert (normal) mentation 28 hours after admission.
Suspect Korean wild vegetable
In regard to the poisoning case described above, the chef involved may have been neither careless nor inexperienced, but simply preparing a traditional namul
Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...
, since at least one work on the edible wild plants of Korea maintains ''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'' to be edible, provided that it has first been subjected to certain treatments. Lee stipulates that the young leaves should be blanched slightly and then placed in cold water which is then brought to the boil; after which treatment they may be eaten with other vegetables or used in the preparation of miso soup. He further states that the flowers may be dried in the shade and used as tea.[Jae-myung Lee (March 18, 2009). 421 Wild Namul (alternative translation: 421 Easy and Naturally Wild Vegetables), first edition, pub. Hwan Creative Company Seoul,page 75. .] It is clear that, in the light of the findings of Jeong et. al. regarding the restaurant poisoning incident, the plant is alkaloidal and, at best, a suspect foodstuff requiring pre-treatment in order to render it safe for human consumption (compare preparation of ''poke sallet'' from ''Phytolacca americana
''Phytolacca americana'', also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, dragonberries, and inkberry, is a poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae. This pokeweed grows . It has simple leaves on gre ...
''). Other factors influencing potential toxicity include variations in alkaloid content depending on the strain of plant involved, the stage of development/time of year at which the leaves were gathered and the pre-existing state of health of the consumer.
Chemistry
''L. spectabilis'' has yielded ,by methanol extraction, 0.17% of combined alkaloids from above-ground parts and 0.25% from the roots. The alkaloids present are dihydrosanguinarine
Dihydrosanguinarine is an alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version w ...
, sanguinarine
Sanguinarine is a polycyclic quaternary alkaloid. It is extracted from some plants, including the bloodroot plant, from whose taxonomic name, ''Sanguinaria canadensis,'' its name is drawn; the Mexican prickly poppy (''Argemone mexicana''); '' Che ...
, scoulerine, cheilanthifoline
(''S'')-Cheilanthifoline is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) which has been isolated from '' Corydalis dubia'' and '' Argemone mexicana''. (''S'')-Cheilanthifoline is metabolically derived from (''S'')-reticuline
Reticuline is a chemical c ...
, corydine, and protopine.[Israilov I, Melikov F, Murav'eva D. Alkaloids of Dicentra. ''Chem Nat Compd'' 1984; 20:74–76.] a Korean source lists also cryptopine, coptisine
Coptisine is an alkaloid found in Chinese goldthread ('' Coptis chinensis''), greater celandine, and opium. Famous for the bitter taste that it produces, it is used in Chinese herbal medicine along with the related compound berberine
Berberin ...
, chelerythrine
Chelerythrine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid present in the plant '' Chelidonium majus'' (greater celandine). It is a potent, selective, and cell-permeable protein kinase C inhibitor ''in vitro''. And an efficacious antagonist of G-protein-c ...
, chelirubine, chelilutine and reticuline
Reticuline is a chemical compound found in a variety of plants including '' Lindera aggregata'', ''Annona squamosa'', and ''Ocotea fasciculata'' (also known as ''Ocotea duckei''). It is based on the benzylisoquinoline structure.
Reticuline is o ...
.
The alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine - named for Sanguinaria canadensis
''Sanguinaria canadensis'', bloodroot, is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America. It is the only species in the genus ''Sanguinaria'', included in the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is most closely related to ...
(family Papaveraceae
The Papaveraceae are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species of flowering plants in the order Ranunculales, informally known as the poppy family. The family is cosmopolitan, occurring in tempera ...
) - are also present in the seeds of ''Argemone mexicana
''Argemone mexicana'' (Mexican poppy, Mexican prickly poppy, flowering thistle, cardo or cardosanto) is a species of poppy found in Mexico and now widely naturalized in many parts of the world. An extremely hardy pioneer plant, it is tolerant ...
'' (family Papaveraceae), the oil from which is a dangerous contaminant of mustard oil
Mustard oil can mean either the pressed oil used for cooking, or a pungent essential oil also known as volatile oil of mustard. The essential oil results from grinding mustard seed, mixing the grounds with water, and extracting the resulting vol ...
, responsible for the potentially fatal condition of epidemic dropsy.
Gallery
File:Lamprocapnos spectabilis 001.JPG, Foliage and buds
File:GoldenDicentra.jpg, Cultivar 'Goldheart'
File:Bleeding heart.jpg, Cultivar 'Alba'
File:Lamprocapnos.jpg, Close-up of inflorescence of pink form
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q10316172, from2=Q161171, from3=Q50828764
Fumarioideae
Monotypic Papaveraceae genera
Flora of Asia
Garden plants