Petasites japonicus, also known as Fuki, bog rhubarb, or giant butterbur, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae

Asteraceae

The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...

. It is native to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, where the spring growth is relished as a vegetable. It has also been introduced to southern British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 by Japanese immigrants.

Uses

The traditional preparation method for this vegetable involves pre-treating with ash or baking soda and soaking in water to remove harshness, which is a technique known as Aku-nuki. 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

Tempura

], is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried.-Batter:A light batter is made of cold water and soft wheat flour . Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added...

.

Toxicity

Like other Petasites, fuki contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which have been associated with cumulative damage to the liver

Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...

 and tumor

Tumor

A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...

 formation.,

Medicinal use

Petasites japonicus has activity in a mouse model of asthma. Based on additional studies in mice, the plant may contain plasma

Blood plasma

Blood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...

and hepatic lipid-lowering and antioxidant compounds.

External links

• Recipes from Yasuko-san's Home Cooking
• Traditional itazuri technique
• Journal of the National Cancer Institute abstract on the P. japonicus alkaloid, petasitenine