Mitsuba is a Japanese culinary herb, spice and remedy that contains essential oils. The terpenes it contains have mainly antimicrobial effects and thus can serve as a natural substitute for antibiotics. In Japan, the medicinal plant is prepared as a salad, used as a soup seasoning, or rolled into sushi.
Occurrence and cultivation of mitsuba
Mitsuba is a Japanese culinary herb, spice and remedy that contains essential oils. The literal translation of the Japanese word mitsuba is “trefoil”. This is a plant from the umbellifer family. The plant belongs to the genus Cryptotaenia and is essentially the same as a culinary herb. The name Cryptotaenia japonica is used synonymously with the name Mitsuba and corresponds to the botanically correct term. Both the foliage and inflorescences of the plant are variable. Cryptotaenia japonica is usually quite glabrous and corresponds to a perennial herbaceous plant with growth heights between 20 and 100 centimeters. Its tripartite stem leaves are long-stalked and rhombic in shape to broadly oval in shape. At the edge the leaves appear double serrated. Flowering time of the plant is in early summer. The flowers of the Mitsuba stand together in loosely double-deciduous stands. Due to the unequal length of the flower stalks, Mitsuba does not have a strict geometry in the inflorescence, unlike other umbellifers. In addition, the plant lacks bracts. Below the individual partial umbels are bracts. As a rule, the petals bear white color. Cryptotaenia japonica occur as wild growth within Japan, Korea, and China, where they prefer to colonize moist shady locations in forests or ditches of the mountainous region. Justus Carl Hasskarl is considered the first describer of the plant. Mitsuba are difficult to distinguish from other Cryptotaenia species. The plant is nicknamed Japanese parsley.
Effect and application
Mitsuba plant is used as a culinary herb and medicinal plant in Japan and surrounding countries. In Japanese latitudes, people mainly pick fresh mitsuba leaves, which they process along with the stems. The individual stems and leaves of the plant are most often used in soups, i.e. they are brewed. Various other dishes are cooked with mitsuba. In particular, the plant adds spice to the dishes. In Japan, for example, mitsuba leaves are rolled into sushi rolls or fried with vegetables to make tempura. To prevent them from losing their spice, neither the leaves nor the stems of the plant are exposed to heat for long periods of time. If the plant is overcooked, it not only loses its spicy flavor, but becomes unpleasantly bitter. Teas are relatively unsuitable preparations of the herbaceous plant for this reason. Because of the heat intolerance, the plant is sometimes best suited for salads. The plant components are also only added to soups towards the end of preparation in order to prevent a bitter taste as far as possible. The mitsuba leaves available in Japan are not yet available in Germany. Since the beginning of the millennium, however, German vegetable growers have been offered various Japanese vegetable varieties that can also thrive in Germany. Mitsuba is one of these varieties. Therefore, nursery seeds are now available in garden wholesalers. As a medicinal plant, mitsuba is used mainly in East Asia. Although mitsuba is also called Japanese parsley, the plant is milder and not as intense in flavor compared to European parsley. Umbelliferous plants such as mitsuba are not only used as spices and medicinal plants, but are also used by agriculture. In this context, they serve as pheromones and are said to keep pests away with their aromatic smell.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Main constituents of umbelliferous plants like Mitsuba are essential oils of terpenes and phenylpropanoids. Terpenes are of pharmacological and biological interest. On the one hand, the oils are suitable as an environmentally friendly alternative to insecticides, and on the other hand, they exhibit antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial action of terpenes makes mitsuba a suitable antibiotic substitute. In this context, the plant acquires relatively high relevance medically. In the 21st century, antibiotic resistance is a widespread disease, especially in the Western world.Since until now only antibiotics have been used to combat and treat infections with microorganisms, antibiotic-resistant people have to resort to natural alternatives. One such alternative can be various umbelliferous plants, including Mitsuba. Apart from this effect, terpenes have an expectorant effect and can therefore also be used for coughs and flu. Triterpenes are also currently being tested as chemotherapeutic agents in cancer therapies. The phenylpropanoids of essential oils are also said to have health-promoting effects. The substances are said to be able to counteract stress, for example. According to speculation, phenylpropanoids also help against depression and also increase performance. Apart from these healing effects, mitsuba is said to have similar effects to parsley. For example, the essential oil of the plant is said to stimulate urination. The phenylpropanes in the essential oils of the plant have a stimulating effect on the parenchyma of the kidneys. For this reason, the plants support the kidneys in the filtration of the blood and can accordingly be used against mild poisoning. Stimulation of the kidneys is also a helpful means of eliminating pathogens in many diseases. Mitsuba can thus be used against many clinical pictures and with its essential oils apparently provides relief for both psychological complaints and physical symptoms. Although the plant is one of the well-known medicinal plants in Japan, it is not yet used as a medicinal herb in Germany.
