Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Species P. japonicus | Order Asterales Genus Petasites | |
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Similar Japanese angelica tree, Farfugium japonicum, Pteridium aquilinum var latius, Aralia cordata, Osmunda japonica | ||
Growing giant petasites japonicus
Petasites japonicus, also known as fuki (フキ（蕗、苳、款冬、菜蕗）?), bog rhubarb, Japanese sweet coltsfoot or giant butterbur, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It exists not only in Japan, but many places in Europe. It is especially commonly found around Swiss alps. It has also been introduced to southern British Columbia by Japanese immigrants.
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Uses
The traditional preparation method for this vegetable involves pre-treating with ash or baking soda and soaking in water to remove harshness (astringency), which is a technique known as aku-nuki (灰汁抜き, literally "harshness removal"). The shoot can be chopped and stir fried with miso to make Fuki-miso which is eaten as a relish thinly spread over hot rice at meals. The bulb-like shoots are also picked fresh and fried as tempura. In Korea, it is steamed or boiled and then pressed to remove water. Sesame oil or perilla oil is added in order to make namul.
Toxicity
Like other Petasites species, fuki contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) which have been associated with cumulative damage to the liver and tumor formation. It also contains the carcinogenic PA petasitenine. The concentration of hepatotoxic PAs can be reduced to a concentration below detection limits with a proper extraction process. Since many alkaloids are bitter, traditional methods of preparation may have evolved to remove them.
Animal studies
Certain extracts of Petasites japonicus have found to be anti-inflammatory in a study of asthma in mice. Based on additional studies in mice, the plant may contain blood plasma and hepatic lipid-lowering and antioxidant compounds.
