- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Europe, North Africa and western Asia; now grown worldwide. Asparagus officinalis
- Traditions
- Ayurveda, Greco-Roman medicine, Western herbal medicine
Europe · Food · № 65
Asparagus officinalis en A. racemosus
Food · Europe
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis en A. racemosus
A nutritious vegetable; root and shoots were traditionally used as a diuretic. There is no good evidence for a medicinal effect.
Safety notes
As a vegetable it is safe for most people. People with gout are sometimes advised not to eat large amounts because of purines.
Preparation
Boiled or steamed as a vegetable; the root formerly as a decoction. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Roman writers already gave advice on growing asparagus. Ody discusses European asparagus alongside Indian shatavari, a related species with its own role in Ayurveda.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Common asparagus diuretic, mildly laxative, source of folic acid; shatavari tonic, soothing, antibacterial, cough-suppressing, expectorant.
Preparation and amount
Shatavari powder up to 3 g a day in warm milk as a tonic for the female reproductive organs; tian men dong as a decoction for a lingering cough after flu; asparagus root juice 10 ml 3 times a day as a diuretic; 3–4 young shoots 1–2 times a day for cystitis or swollen ankles.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Decoction