stenophyllum Polygonatum stewartianum Polygonatum × tamaense Polygonatum tessellatum Polygonatum tsinlingense Polygonatum undulatifolium Polygonatum urceolatum Polygonatum verticillatum – whorled Solomon's seal – Europe Polygonatum wardii Polygonatum yunnanense Polygonatum zanlanscianense Polygonatum zhejiangensis Uses Gardening Several species are valued as ornamental plants, including: Polygonatum biflorum Polygonatum hirtum Polygonatum hookeri Polygonatum humile Polygonatum × hybridumPolygonatum multiflorumPolygonatum odoratumPolygonatum stewartianumPolygonatum verticillatumFood Many species have long been used as food in China, such as Polygonatum sibiricum. Leaves, stems, and rhizomes are used raw or cooked and served as a side dish with meat and rice. The rhizomes of two local species are eaten with chicken's or pig's feet during festivals. The rhizomes are used to make tea or soaked in wine or liquor to flavor the beverages. They are also fried with sugar and honey to make sweet snacks. The starchy rhizomes can be dried, ground, and added to flour to supplement food staples. The rhizome of P. sibiricum is pulped, boiled, strained, and thickened with barley flour to make a sweet liquid seasoning agent called tangxi. At times, people in China have relied on P. megaphyllum as a famine food. The shoots of some Polygonatum can be boiled and used like asparagus. P. cirrifolium and P. verticillatum are used as leafy vegetables in India. The American species P. biflorum has a starchy root that was eaten like the potato and used as flour for bread.P. sibiricum is used for a tea called dungulle in Korea. Traditional medicine The traditional use of Polygonatum in the treatment of diabetes was first observed in 1930 by Hedwig Langecker. After experiments, she concluded that it was effective in fighting nutritional hyperglycemia, though not that caused by adrenaline release, probably due to its glucokinin content.P. verticillatum is used in Ayurveda as an aphrodisiac. It is also used to treat pain, fever, inflammation, allergy, and weakness. An herbal remedy called rhizoma polygonati is a mix of Polygonatum species used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is supposed to strengthen various organs and enhance the qi. Polygonatum is believed to be restorative to mental vitality, especially when the mind has been overworked, overstressed, or is in a state of exhaustion. See also Maianthemum'' References Asparagaceae genera Edible plants Medicinal plants Dietary supplements Taxa named by Philip Miller