A Bit of Intro
Sometimes referred to as the Japanese dong quai, ashitaba comes from a unique strain of celery-like vegetable family. It has been part of the local diet of indigenous people of China and Japan for thousands of years. Tomorrow leaves can be eaten as a vegetable in meals and/or drunk as tea. It provides many health benefits.
This medicinal herb is often sold singly in pots. It grows as a rosette plant with a height of 20 to 30 cm. Its large, much divided leaves confer a rather lush look to the entire plant. If you have bought one or have one yourself at home, here are tips that can be useful to you to take good care of your ashitaba baby:
Keep the tomorrow plant moist at all time.The tomorrow plant grows well when it is sheltered in a hot and humid tropical climate. This is why the Philippines is a good location to plant and harvest tomorrow plant. If there are torrential and heavy rains, you can always bring the pot indoors.
When the pot of ashitaba plant is placed outdoors, it will be exposed to the sun directly. When it receives excessive direct rays from the sun, it will wilt faster and dry out. The leaves’ color will turn a sickly shade of yellow—which is unhealthy for the ashitaba plant. Therefore, you must make sure to water it or sprinkle it with water at all times. Its soil must remain fertile and free-draining.
Avoid excessive wind.
Ashitaba is a good and attractive houseplant in your garden, patio or yard. It grows better when there’s not much wind that dries the plant out. A good suggestion is to place the plant on a bright windowsill indoors for about four hours daily. In this way, it still receives adequate sunshine either filtered or reflected.
Wait for leaves to mature.
If you don’t want to look into the calendar of how many days have passed since today, watch just how many leaves your tomorrow plant grows. One leaf is one day. But if you are growing a small plant, you may choose to harvest the leaves every other day or once a week. Patience is a good virtue practiced here. Mature leaves tend to have more active ingredients than the new shoots. So if you can patiently wait for some time, even if the tomorrow leaves are readily harvestable, wait.
Harvest properly.
If you are growing a small ashitaba plant, try harvesting leaf by leaf instead of clipping an entire stalk. This is to ensure that you are harvesting the leaf completely—from the base of the stem or shoot. This is where you can get more nutrients from chalcones, which contain potency six times than that of antioxidants found in citrus fruits, four times as potent as those in soy and two times more potent than those of green tea!
Get an additional 10% off your order of Kenko Ashitaba when we refer you.
Use the coupon: ashitabaplant.com
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I have not seen that plant being sold hereabouts yet. Might take note of buying one when I see one 🙂
Yeah, it's quite uncommon in the Philippines. Better ring me a bell if you have really seen the real one.
If you goto the Landmark Edsa mall in Quezon City they sell the plants and tea inside the entrance, there is a vender stand. I believe it’s 150 for a seedling plant
http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/26369303/Anti-Diabetic+Ashitaba+Angelica+Keiskei?referralKeywords=ashitaba&event=Search+Ranking,Position,1-10,10#advertisementDetails
how about this one. but its too expensive i think
Yeah it's expensive.
EDSA Garden House in QC sells ashitaba seedlings. Also in Landmark Trinoma.
True. I got mine last year in Landmark, Trinoma. One on the kiosk outside the grocery under the escalators. They also sell the tea version. Not very hard to propagate.
I got mine in Landmark, Trinoma too. 100 pesos for 1 small seedling 🙂
Oh dong quai is quite familiar with me I think I remembered my mom used to give me this before when I was having painful dysmenorrhea but due to scarcity of the herb it was discontinued and the production of the capsules that contains dong quai was also discontinued here in the Phils.
Oh yes supplies are very limited. But we can always import them from the US or Japan. 🙂
Hi i got ashitaba in Mahogany place tagaytay city for 35 pesos only!
Maybe it's not the real one because I know the real one is sold at PHp 1500-1800.
Thanks for these info. I bought yesterday an authentic ashitaba in manila, sampaloc area just before it rained hard. Just in the nick of time too, because there were 2 left, and one has been reserved but I haven't. It was also on sale so I'm really thankful I got one. I forgot to ask them how to take care of this plant, but you have answered one my questions here.
You're welcome! I hope you can grow the plants well.
First time Ive heard about this plant. Will read your articles about this. Interesting! 🙂
Thanks, Reich. Have fun reading and also at the same time get to know more about the human body.
Hello, I really wanted to have this plant. please can you help me where to buy it? I have gynura precumbens which everybody online claim it as Ahshitaba, but looking online I find it as only gynura precumbens, though it has health beneficial I still wanted to try the real or Japanese ashitaba, small plant or seeds will be ok for me. Hoping to your reply.thanks.
Hi Smple Amity, you can buy the seeds from Horizon Herbs or Amazon. Shipping from US to the Philippines can be done through Forex Cargo, Johnny Air or POBOX.ph. Just search for the keywords "Horizon Herbs ashitaba seeds" and you will land correctly at the selling page. Each pack contains 20 seeds enough to plant several. 🙂
You can get Ashitaba at EDSA Garden House & Green 2000 Garden Center, Manila Seedling. It's the real deal. You can get it for 1,500 Php.
Thanks for sharing it here, Lance. I know the readers will appreciate it.
I am fortunate to have bought 2 angelica gigas plants, reputed to be biannuals that grow 5-6 feet tall in sun or part shade in moist soil (in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA). Do you know if this is similar to angelica keiskei? Do the leaves of angelica gigas have health properties also? Wikipedia says that a chemical from the root of the plant, a coumarin derivative called decursin, may have anti-androgenic properties in vitro, but says nothing about the leaves.
Hi Annie. I have just read about angelica gigas now. The plants look purple and grow in summer. I don't think this plant has similar health benefits with the angelica keiskei, although both plants are found mostly in Japan. The leaves are far different.
dame ko sa bahay nyan.benta ko lang ng mura.mabilis lang tumubo at dumami
Ah that's good to hear that many Filipinos are now having the ashtiaba plant in their own homes. Please make sure what you get is the real ashitaba and not gynura procumbens though.
hello again Ms. Rochkirstin. i'm starting an urban Ashitaba Farming here in Quezon City, meaning i'll be having around 200 to 500 potted Ashitaba plants for production purposes of tea, powder and etc. You seem to be knowledgeable about this plant. Would you be interested to be my adviser as well maybe we can work out something for both our benefit. can u email me huangjinlai168@gmail.com or text me 0932-1883553 for more details if you are interested? thank you
Email sent.
i have encountered people selling gynura procumnbens and each time argued with them coz they insist that it is ashitaba. my advise to them is to look and search the internet to see the real ashitaba plants most importantly the shape of the leaves. i have plenty of gynura plants that i ususally give to friends who have high level of sugar and very effective in lowering it.
Pat yourself at the back for a job well done. It's good to spread the right info to everyone. Thanks.
SOMETHING IS EATING MY ASHITABA PLANTS . WHAT IS GOOD FOR THAT. THANK YOU !
You may trying mixing chili and water and putting the mixture to an atomizer then spray it to the plants. This is a natural pesticide that won't harm the plants but will keep away those pests.
Do I harvest the leaves from the bottom of the stalk to assure regrowth? How tall will my plant grow?
Hello, i just bought 5 plantlets of ashitaba at Edsa Garden House at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, use the gate infrint of DAR (depat. Of aggriculture), after Commonwelht. They are on sales this summer at 50 pesos each and 3 for 100 pesos bulk order of 100 plantlets. This are genuine ashitable.
I bought ashitaba plantlets twice from Edsa gardens . Not so successful . But there is ashitaba capsules now available at mercury drugstore and selling fast. It is the real thing too based on its scientific name. One box contains 60 capsules and costs P600. Each capsule is 500 mg. have not tried it yet coz I am taking an anti- cholesterol medicine. Is it ok o take ashi taba too? I hate taking medicines.