Łódź, Rudzka Góra

The butterfly is Papilio machaon in its lair. It is native to northern China, but now is widely spread in Poland. Edible plant - fruits raw or cooked in soups etc or dried for later use, only the fully ripe fruits should be eaten; leaves and young shoots raw or cooked; the roasted seed stands for a coffee substitute; dried leaves are a tea substitute; an oil obtained from the seeds is used for cooking. Herbal plant - both the berries and the root are used and in Chinese medicine, traditionally the plant is believed to promote long life; seeds are used as a haemostat for the control of bleeding, with a special action on the kidneys and sex organs; the root bark is antibacterial, antipyretic, hepatic, hypoglycaemic and vasodilator, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions such as digestive secretions. Useful plant - can be grown as an informal hedge, succeeding in maritime exposure.