|  Botany
Plant is a kind of leek, ranked-scented,
green, growing 20 to 40 cm high. Bulbs are small, white and clustered.
Leaves are green, grasslike, narrowly linear, flattish, 15 to 30 cm
long, 3 to 6 mm wide. Umbel has a few to many flowers. The perianth
is bell-shaped. Fruits are on pedicels of 2 to 3 cm long, obovoid, 3-lobed,
5 to 7 mm in diameter. Seeds are black, depressed, globose or reniform,
2.5 to 3 mm in diameter. In the Philippines, the plant seldom flowers.
Distribution
Cultivated in the Manila area by the
Chinese.
Uses
Culinary
Used like onion or
food flavoring spice.
Folkloric
• Externally, the fresh leaves
and bulbs are used as antiseptic and vulnerary.
• Leaves taken internally, act as a cordial.
• In Indo-Chiina,
whole plant used as a diuretic.
• In Manipur, used
for hemolytic anemia and insomnia.
Studies
• Antoxidant: Study
showed part of the Allium family possess antioxidant capability. Heat
treatments reduced the antioxidant activity for most foods.
• Antifungal: Study
of extracts of 7 Allium plants, including Chinese chive, were examined for antifungal activity against three Aspergillus species: A niger, A flavus and A fumigatus. All the plants possessed antifungal activity, the inhibitory activity decreased with increasing incubation and heating temperature. Acetic acid plus heat treatment of the extracts resulted in greater inhibition.
• Hypotensive / Antihypertensive: Study
of ethanol extract of Chinese chives (Allium odorum) showed hypotensive and antihypertensive effect.
Availability
Cultivated.
Extracts and seeds in the cybermarket.
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