Aesculus turbinata Japanese horse chestnut (Hippocastanaceae) Deciduous tree

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Aesculus turbinata
Japanese horse chestnut
Deciduous tree
(1 Page of 5)

The Aesculus turbinata plant species is found in E. Asia - China, Japan It is a member of the Hippocastanaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Japanese horse chestnut. Some home gardeners know the variety as Ae dissimilis.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Aesculus turbinata
Common Name:  Japanese horse chestnut
Family:  Hippocastanaceae
Author:  Bl.

Known Hazards:  The seed is rich in saponins[169]. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching the seed or flour in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisible to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].

Mature Height:  20   Mature Width:  12

Habitat:  Mountains, especially in ravines, all over Japan[58].

Edible Uses: Young leaves cooked[177]. Some caution is advised on this entry since the leaves are likely to contain toxic saponins (see notes above on toxicity). Seed - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel. The starch is extracted and eaten[177]. The seed is quite large, about 25 - 30mm in diameter, and is easily harvested. Unfortunately it is also rich in saponins and these need to be removed before the seed can be eaten. See also the notes above on toxicity. The following notes apply to A. californica, but are probably also relevant here:- The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 - 5 days[213]. Most of the minerals etc would also have been leached out by this treatment[K].

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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