How to Use Ashitaba Plants Ashitaba (scientifica name: Angelica keiskei), was discovered in Japan in the Longevity Islands.

his Asian herb is a type of Angelica and belongs to the celery family. It is also known as !hinese Angelica, or "ong #$ai. he $se of the Ashitaba plant dates back to the %ing "ynasty (circa &'&()&'*+). It is easy to identify the Ashitaba plant by its yellow sap. Instructions Things You'll Need Ashitaba plant ,tring -ook ea)ball %$g o & "ry yo$r Ashitaba plants to make tea and caps$les. .$ll the entire plant from the soil or take clippings and allow the plant to contin$e growing. -old the Ashitaba $pside down and tie the stems together with any kind of string. /se a foot of string or more so yo$ can hang the b$nch $p to dry. -ang the Ashitaba $pside down on a nail or hook away from the s$nlight. he time it takes to dry is dependent on h$midity conditions. 0ne week or less is $s$ally s$fficient o 1 /se the stems and leaves of yo$r dried Ashitaba plant to make a tea. 2reak $p the Ashitaba into pieces s$itable for tea. .$t the dry leaves and stems in a plastic bag s$itable for food, place a thin dish towel over the bag and roll a rolling pin back and forth abo$t &3 times. 4o$ want the consistency to be like loose green tea, not a powder b$t pieces that are small eno$gh that yo$ can easily meas$re them with a scoop. 4o$ may need to c$t the stems with a scissors. %eas$re o$t appro5imately one teaspoon and p$t it into eight to &1 o$nces of freshly boiled water. Allow the Ashitaba to steep for three min$tes or more. 4o$ can eat the Ashtitaba or make the tea $sing a tea ball. o + /se yo$r Ashitaba plants as a healthy ingredient in so$ps. Add one fresh Ashitaba leaf or shoot for every two c$ps of so$p. 6emove the leaves from the plant by pinching them with yo$r fingernails or $sing scissors. 7ash the leaves thoro$ghly in cold water and then dry them by laying them o$t on a towel for abo$t five min$tes. /sing a knife or scissors, dice the leaves into small pieces. ,tir the Ashitaba leaves into the so$p at the end of the cooking process so they do not impart a bitter taste to yo$r dish. Another idea is to add them as garnish before the so$p goes to the table. o 8 If yo$r Ashitaba plant is small, yo$ can harvest the leaves individ$ally rather than clipping an entire stalk. o harvest yo$r Ashitaba plant leaf by leaf, choose mat$re leaves from the base of the stem or shoot. he mat$re leaves contain more of the active ingredients than the new shoots. Tips & Warnings 4o$ can eat Ashitabe raw or steamed if yo$ like the taste. 2efore beginning a daily regimen of Ashitaba, cons$lt with yo$r health care professional.

Ashitaba Benefits he website 0rganic Ashitaba categori9es ashitaba as a :s$perfood: and claims that it contains :&& vitamins, &+ minerals, chlorophyll, en9ymes, carotene, germani$m, saponins, proteins, plant fibers, glycosides, co$marins and ... chalcones: among its many n$tritional components. ho$gh this variety of garden angelica has been $sed in traditional !hinese medicine for many cent$ries,

information p$blished by 7eb%" states that in most cases there is not eno$gh scientific information on ashitaba to confirm its benefits. Digestive Health According to ashitaba proponents, d$e to its bitter principles, the herb improves the appetite and benefits digestive health by speeding the process of elimination, removing to5ins from the body and acting as a general tonic on the digestive system. Wound Healing 7hen $sed topically, the ;$ice of the ashitaba is said to assist the healing of cysts, p$st$les, f$ngal infections s$ch as athlete<s foot and boils d$e to its reported anti) bacterial and anti)viral properties. Advocates of ashitaba also say that the plant speeds wo$nd healing by preventing infection and that it gives the skin a generally smooth te5t$re. Pain Reducer Ashitaba is tho$ght to prevent m$scle spasms and prevent pain in ;oints and m$scles beca$se it is believed to have anti)spasmodic and anti)inflammatory =$alities. Blood Cleaner Ashitaba is said to lower blood press$re, cholesterol and blood s$gar levels and act as a general tonic to remove to5ins from the blood and strengthen the imm$ne system.