Background

• Asarum is known commonly as wild ginger and is in the Asarum genus, which consists of about 60 species of perennial woodland herbs. Asarum is a member of the Aristolochiaceae (birthwort) family.
• Asarum has been administered by those trained in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for centuries as a pain relieving, anesthetic, fever inducing, antitussive, sweat promoting, diuretic (increasing urine flow), and hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) herb. Asarum has been applied on the skin to reduce premature ejaculation; however, more research is needed to assess asarum's effect on sexual dysfunction. Asarum europaeum has been used homeopathically for anxiety, excitability, nervousness, or melancholy.
• Asarum does not seem well tolerated in humans, except as a homeopathic agent. Aristolochic acid found in asarum has been reported to cause severe kidney failure resulting in dialysis, transplant, and death. Aristolochic acid may also be carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

References

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