A weed refers to a plant that grows in an unwanted location. Usually, plants, especially in the city, grow in a controlled environment like lawns, parks, and gardens. Weeds, on the other hand, grows differently. Weeds grow in places where it shouldn’t be. Aside from that, weeds grow faster than the average plant does.
Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) refers to a group of herbaceous perennial plants that are part of the buckwheat and knotweed family. As you have already figured out, its largely present in Asian countries like Japan, Korea, China and some parts of Europe and North America. The plant doesn’t really need anything aside from the necessities. As long as there are food sources it’s going to grow anywhere.
Its benefits: Contrary to what most countries think the Japanese knotweed is actually cultural in nature. This is because there are certain cultures in Asia that has been utilizing it as herbal medicine. You might find this shocking but its actually true and it actually has some pretty solid medicinal properties that you might want to explore. So the next time you see Japanese knotweed in your lawn. Think again before you even try to mow it.
- Rich in an antioxidant called resveratrol
- It can help aid in bowel movement
- It can be used as a laxative
- It promotes vascular health
- It’s good for the heart
There are even some ongoing studies over it because experts are still looking for other things where it can be applied medically.
Why you should still maintain it: Sure, the medicinal properties might have made you a believer that the jap knotweed isn’t all that bad, the fact is that it still needs to be maintained. If the jap knotweed is a local in your area, you shouldn’t worry about it not existing anywhere because it can be anywhere. It grows faster than any plants and the wind and the bees will always work to make sure that the Japanese knotweed will grow everywhere.
How would you know if its a jap knotweed anyway? You probably don’t really notice nor care what a weed is called but if you pan to use it medicinally you might want to stop with the confusion. The process is called Japanese knotweed identification and this is a very specific way of identification, used by experts to really be sure if they are indeed getting a jap knotweed. The usual characteristics are:
- Large green oval-shaped leaves
- Bamboo-type stem
Those are even still a general description and it does take an expert to rule it out.
Most people from all over the world will treat the jap knotweed as any other weed. They will try to cut, pluck or mow it. But you might stop there for a moment because there are actually some medicinal properties these types of weed can offer you like the ones mentioned above. Still, at the end of the day, a weed is still a weed. You might plan to use some for medicinal uses, but because these types of weeds can be out of control, plus, it’s not that good having it all around your place. The jap knotweed can be tough to manage especially if you don’t know anything about.
