Asarum europaeum AGM

Wild Ginger, Asarabacca Aristolochiaceae

A quietly magnificent woodland plant, Asarum europaeum makes low, evergreen carpets of glossy, kidney-shaped leaves, bringing a welcome touch of polish to even the darkest corner. Its curious little greenish-purple flowers are tucked beneath the foliage at ground level, where they are more likely to be discovered by a determined botanist than a casual visitor. The rhizomes have the spicy aroma of ginger — hence “wild ginger” — although it is entirely unrelated to culinary ginger. 

Its ethnobotanical history is considerably more dramatic than its appearance. Known as asarabacca, the rhizome was an important medicinal herb in European herbal traditions and has been used since at least the medieval period as an emetic, purgative and treatment for respiratory and digestive complaints. It also became an established remedy in Unani medicine, where preparations of the rhizome were traditionally employed for ailments including headache, rheumatism, respiratory disorders and various digestive complaints. 

There is an important modern footnote: Asarum species can contain aristolochic acids, compounds associated with serious kidney toxicity and carcinogenicity. Consequently, despite its fascinating medicinal history, A. europaeum should not be used medicinally or eaten. The RHS consequently lists it as toxic if eaten. 

In cultivation it is far more agreeable. Give it full or partial shade, moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil, and let it quietly knit itself into a handsome evergreen carpet.

Height: 10–15cm
Spread: 30–50cm
Flowering: April–June
Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)
Best conditions: Full to partial shade; moist, humus-rich, well-drained, acid to neutral soil.