''Houttuynia cordata'', also known as fish mint, fish leaf, rainbow plant, chameleon plant, heart leaf, fish wort, or Chinese lizard tail, is one of two species in the genus '' Houttuynia'' (the other being ''H. emeiensis''). It is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. It grows in moist, shady locations. It was named after

Martinus Houttuyn Maarten Houttuyn or Houttuijn (1720 – 2 May 1798; Latinised as Martinus Houttuyn) was a Dutch naturalist. Houttuyn was born in Hoorn, studied medicine in Leiden and moved to Amsterdam in 1753. He published many books on natural history, e.g. ...

Growth

''Houttuynia cordata'' is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

that can grow to , spreading up to . The proximal part of the stem is trailing and produces adventitious roots, while the distal part of the stem grows vertically. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are alternate, broadly heart-shaped, long and broad. Its

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are greenish-yellow and borne on a terminal spike long with four to six large white basal

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s. It normally blooms in the summer. It is considered an invasive plant because of its ability to regrow rhizomes from any segment of its foliage.

Distribution

It is native to Nepal, Taiwan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sikkim, India, Indonesia, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea. In South Korea, it is found in

Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

Ulleungdo Ulleungdo (), also spelled Ulreungdo, is a South Korean island east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan. It was formerly known as Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky steep-sided island is the top o ...

, and the Southern region.

Cultivation

''Houttuynia cordata'' grows in moist to wet soil or slightly submerged in water, as long as it is exposed partially or fully to the sun. It can become invasive in gardens and difficult to eradicate as its roots run deep and actively spread. It propagates by division. It is usually found in one of its cultivated forms in temperate gardens. The 'Chameleon' variety (synonymous with ''H.cordata'' 'Court Jester', 'Tricolour', and 'Variegata') is slightly less vigorous than the parent species, with stubbier leaves mottled in both yellow and red. Another common variety, 'Flore Pleno', has masses of white bracts and retains the vigor of the parent species. ''Houttuynia cordata'' has been naturalized in North America.

Usage

Culinary use

It is commonly grown as a

leaf vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by their petioles and shoots, if tender. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

, and is used as a fresh herbal garnish. The leaf has an unusual taste from its volatile oil decanoyl acetaldehyde (3-oxododecanal), a taste that is often described as "fishy", earning it the nickname "fish mint". In northeastern India, the leaves are commonly used in salads, salsas, or cooked with other vegetables, and as a garnish over side dishes. The tender roots can also be ground into

chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

s along with dry meat or fish, chilies, and

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

. It is used raw as a salad and cooked along with fish as fish curry. In Japan and Korea, the dried leaves may be used as an

herbal tea Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...

. It is called ''dokudami-cha'' () in Japan and ''eoseongcho cha'' () in Korea. In Vietnamese cuisine, the plant is called ''diếp cá'' and is used with grilled meat and noodle salad dishes.Vietnamese Herbs: Fish Mint
Accessed 9 October 2018. Fish mint may be used as a garnish with several Vietnamese dishes, such as ''

gỏi cuốn ''Gỏi cuốn'', () nem cuốn, salad roll, summer roll, fresh spring roll, cold roll or rice paper roll is a Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, Shrimp and prawn as food, prawn, vegetables, ''bún'' (rice vermi ...

,'' stir-fried beef with fish mint salad, and ''

bánh xèo ''Bánh xèo'' (, ) is a crispy, stuffed rice pancake popular in Vietnam. The name refers to the sound (from ''xèo'' – 'sizzling') a thin layer of rice batter makes when it is poured into the hot skillet. It is a savoury fried pancake made of ...

''.

''Zhé'ěrgēn'' ( Chinese: , "broken ear-root") is the edible rhizome of ''Houttuynia cordata'' (''yúxīngcǎo''; ; "fish-smelling grass") with a fresh, spicy, peppery flavour that is used in southwestern Chinese cuisine, i.e. that of

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

and western

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

. Typically the leaves are eaten in Sichuan and the root in Guizhou. ''Zhé'ěrgēn'' fried with larou (cured

pork belly Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless, fatty Primal cut, cut of pork from the Abdomen, belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in American cuisine, American, British cuisine, British, Swedish cuisine, Swedish, Danish cuisine, Danish, ...

) is one of the staple dishes of Guizhou. uses: *part of the extensive fried rice cuisine of

*a condiment to '' migan'' and '' mixian'' noodles when served in broth *as a component of dipping sauces used with the Shiping and Jianshui tradition of barbecued tofu *raw consumption as part of cold-tossed salads, when it is most frequently combined with

coriander Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the ...

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

, fresh chilli, and

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

Traditional medicine

''Houttuynia cordata'' was used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

, including by Chinese scientists in an attempt to treat

SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the ...

and various other disorders, although there is no high-quality

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of medical research that involves people and aims to determine the effectiveness (efficacy) and safety of medications, devices, diagnostic products, and treatment regimens intended for improving human health. The ...

to confirm such uses are safe or effective, as of 2018. When administered via injection, ''H. cordata'' can cause severe allergic reactions.

Skincare

Extracts of this plant are a major ingredient in Korean skincare products.

Aroma profile

Chemical compounds that contribute to the aroma of ''H. cordata'' include β-myrcene and 2-undecanone.

References

External links

* *''Flora, The Gardener's Bible'', ABC Publishing, Ultimo, NSW, Australia, 2006 {{Taxonbar, from=Q164091 Saururaceae Leaf vegetables Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine