Kingdom Plantae Family Acanthaceae Scientific name Peristrophe roxburghiana Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Peristrophe Higher classification Peristrophe | |
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Similar Peristrophe, Gac, Screwpine, Acanthaceae, Vascular plant | ||
All natural food coloring diy magenta plant peristrophe roxburghiana l c m
Peristrophe roxburghiana (syn. Peristrophe tinctoria Nees, Peristrophe baphica (Spreng) Bremek.; also called magenta plant, or lá cẩm in Vietnamese) is a flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to southeastern Asia from Assam south to Sri Lanka and east to mainland Southeast Asia, Java, southern China, and Taiwan.
Contents
- All natural food coloring diy magenta plant peristrophe roxburghiana l c m
- Description
- Culinary use
- Medicinal use
- Links
- References
Description
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 50–100 cm tall. The leaves are lanceolate to ovoid-acute, 2–7.5 cm long and 1–3.5 cm wide. The flowers are two-lobed, the long axis up to 5 cm long; they are magenta to reddish-violet.
Culinary use
An extract of its leaves is used as a food dye, and imparts a magenta tone to some Vietnamese foods, particularly in a taro-filled cake called bánh da lợn and glutinous rice dishes such as xôi lá cẩm, a sweet dessert.
Medicinal use
The plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The leaves have been used in water extract decoctions for the treatment of ailments including cough, dysentery, diarrhoea and bronchitis.
Links
