Lobelia chinensis
Lobelia chinensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is sometimes referred to by the common names Asian lobelia, Chinese lobelia, and Herba Lobellae Chinensis. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name.
Description
Lobelia chinensis is a small perennial herb that grows in tangled clumps from to long. It has a long, thin, branching stem that is olive green and green-brown crumpled narrow leaves. It has little to no odor and a sweet and pungent taste. When harvesting herbs for medical use, the ones with the greenest stems and yellower roots are preferred.
Distribution
It is native to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Lobelia chinensis is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese herbology. Historically, L. chinensis has been used in herbal medicine to help stop smoking, however the Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of herbs containing lobeline due to its lack of acceptable clinical efficacy data.
Lobelia chinensis contains 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, fraxinol, 5-hydroxy-7-methoxycoumarin, tomentin, 3'-hydroxygenkwanin, apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, linarin, luteolin 3',4'-dimethylether-7-O-beta-D-glucoside, isoferulic acid, and ethyl rosmarinate.
Lobelia chinensis is considered mildly toxic due to its adverse effects, including vomiting, heartburn, anxiety, vibrating, eclampsia, increased heart-rate, and severe stomach aches.