- Type
- Herbs & Aromatics
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Season
- Spring
- Sowing
- Transplant
Saposhnikovia
Saposhnikovia divaricata
Coumarin-type aromatics · an umbellifer blanched and dressed in spring
Bangpung-namul is the young leaf of a perennial umbellifer, blanched and dressed or steeped in soy sauce. Buy a seedling in spring and it holds the same spot for years, sending up fresh leaves each season. The leaves are thick with deeply cut margins, and the aroma typical of the carrot family lingers after chewing. Several plants carry the same name: what markets sell in bundles as bangpung-namul is mostly Peucedanum japonicum, while the bangpung traded as a herbal material is a separate species. The Donguibogam lists Bangpung (the drug name, "wind guard") in its Herb section and records the old Korean name as byeongpung-namul bulhwi, "root of the byeongpung herb". It gives the plant a warm nature, a sweet and pungent taste and no toxicity, adding that it grows across hills and fields everywhere. The root, it says, is dug in the second and tenth lunar months and dried in the sun, with the crown removed and any root forked at the head or the tail discarded. Squeeze the blanched leaves dry before dressing them, and when a flush comes all at once, pack the surplus into soy sauce and vinegar as jangajji.
Year-Round Calendar
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Where It Grows
- Main producer Most of the medicinal herb fangfeng comes from the steppes and sandy ground of Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin.
- Wild population Wild plants are widely distributed across the eastern steppes.
- Wild population It grows wild from Transbaikalia in southern Siberia across to Primorye.
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Major producer
Cultivation of Saposhnikovia is limited, and what is sold in markets as bangpungnamul is usually coastal hog fennel (Peucedanum japonicum), a different species. It is grown around Namhae and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang and around Yeosu in South Jeolla. Harvest May, June, July
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The original home and main producing region of Saposhnikovia are the dry steppes of northern East Asia, stretching from northeastern China through Mongolia to southern Siberia. Korea has virtually no wild plants, and the medicinal material is mostly imported. By contrast, the bangpungnamul ("windbreak greens") that Koreans eat as a vegetable is coastal hog fennel, native to the seashores of the south coast and Jeju; the two plants share only a name and grow in different climates.
- Optimum
- 15~22℃
- Range
- 5~28℃
- Hardiness
- Hardy
Saposhnikovia (Saposhnikovia divaricata) is a plant of steppes and sandy ground where winters are bitterly cold and rain is scarce, so it stands up well to both cold and drought but cannot tolerate spots where water collects. Coastal hog fennel (Peucedanum japonicum), sold in markets under the same name, prefers seashores along the mild-wintered south coast and is almost the opposite in character.
Harvested 2–3 years after planting. Because it is a perennial, it puts out few leaves in the year it is planted, so pick only a little and let the plant grow on. Proper harvests begin the following year, and to use the root you leave the plant for two or three years.
In Korea Southern Korea
Coastal hog fennel grown for greens does best on seashores along the warm-wintered south coast and on Jeju. Namhae and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang, and Yeosu and Wando in South Jeolla, are the best-known areas. Saposhnikovia is grown in small quantities in the cool interior for medicinal use.
How to grow
- Light
- A sunny spot. Half a day of sun or more keeps the leaves thick
- Soil and depth
- Free-draining sandy loam at least 30cm deep. The root goes straight down, so a shallow pot will not do
- Spacing
- 25 to 30cm between plants. As a perennial it takes far more room in its second year
- Watering
- Soak it when the surface dries. Standing water rots the root first
- Feeding
- Compost at planting, then one weak feed in June after several pickings
- Harvest
- May to July. Cut the leaf with its stalk before it grows to palm size. Take the outer leaves and leave the heart to build the plant
What makes the difference. Blanch picked leaves for about thirty seconds, rinse in cold water and wring them dry. The aroma is strong, so keep the seasoning light
Why this one is harder. As a perennial it gives little in its first year. Pick sparingly that season and let the crown build, and from the second year it yields properly
Common problems
- Aphids You will see Colonies on the underside of new leaves and on the flower stalk What to do Wash off with a jet of water; if it recurs, use an egg-yolk oil spray. Observe pre-harvest intervals where leaves are to be picked
- Swallowtail caterpillars You will see They feed only on carrot-family leaves, stripping them to the veins What to do Move them by hand as you find them. With several plants, leaving a few costs little of the harvest
- Root rot You will see After the rainy season the crown yellows and collapses; lifted, the root is soft What to do Raise the bed and avoid spots where water sits. Dig out rotted crowns and do not replant in the same place
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
The old record — bangpung (防風). The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as Bangpung and records the old Korean name as byeongpung-namul bulhwi. It gives a warm nature, a sweet and pungent taste and no toxicity. It notes that the plant grows across hills and fields everywhere, and that the root is dug in the second and tenth lunar months and dried in the sun. For choosing, it points to roots that are solid and oily, with knots as firm as an earthworm's head; the crown is removed, and any root forked at the head or the tail is discarded. What an old medical text wrote differs from how it is judged today.
Coumarin-type compounds in the carrot family. Coumarin-type compounds have been isolated from plants of the carrot family in repeated analyses, and they are treated as part of the aromatic profile of the bangpung group as well. These are compositional analyses and have no bearing on disease.
A name that splits three ways. The name bangpung attaches to three plants: Saposhnikovia divaricata, Glehnia littoralis and Peucedanum japonicum. Korean market data record that the bangpung-namul sold as food is mostly the last of these. This concerns how the name is used, not any ranking of the plants.
Nutrition
- Coumarin-type compounds (widely reported across the carrot family) — the compound group behind the aroma of leaf and root
- Beta-carotene (in the deep green leaves) — the carotenoid that colours the leaf
- Dietary fibre (leaves and leaf stalks) — the basis of the substantial bite that survives blanching
- Potassium (a mineral common in leaf vegetables) — a mineral found widely in vegetables
A green that wants blanching The leaf is thick and strongly scented, so it goes into boiling water for about thirty seconds and then straight into cold. Blanch it longer and the aroma leaches away; skip the step and the tough veins stay. Wring it out firmly and dress it lightly with perilla oil and salt.
Aroma compounds of the carrot family Coumarin-type aromatics are widely reported across the carrot family, which includes water dropwort, carrot and fennel. The scent that catches at the nose in bangpung-namul is discussed alongside that group of compounds. This entry stays with the compositional record.
Where it sits as a leaf vegetable The deep green leaves carry beta-carotene, and the firm bite of the stalk comes from dietary fibre. Potassium is discussed as a mineral common in leaf vegetables. Part of the mineral content leaches into the water during blanching.
When it is kept as jangajji Steeped in soy sauce and vinegar it keeps for months, but the salt and soy in the steeping liquid are sodium on the plate. Take smaller helpings and treat it as a side dish to rice. Boiling the liquid once and cooling it before pouring makes the jar last longer.
Pairings
○ Perilla oil and toasted sesame — Dress the blanched leaves with perilla oil, toasted sesame and a little salt, nothing more. Gochujang or doenjang cover the aroma, so keep the seasoning shallow. Eat it soon after dressing, before the leaves weep.
○ Soy sauce jangajji — Wash unblanched leaves, dry them off, then pour over a cooled boil-up of soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. After three days, boil the liquid again, cool it and pour it back; the leaves stay firm. Weight them so they do not float.
○ Namul rice with a soy dressing — Chop the blanched leaves, cook them on top of the rice and stir through a soy dressing. The aroma runs into the grains, so few other side dishes are needed. Split the thick part of the stalk beforehand and it cooks evenly.
△ Foraging umbellifers — name the hazard: water hemlock — Do not gather wild plants of the carrot family on hillsides or at the water's edge. Cowbane, Cicuta virosa, grows in wet ground; cut its thick rootstock and a yellow sap runs from chambered hollows. It is a poisonous plant with recorded poisonings in Korea. Take bangpung-namul only from nursery seedlings or market bundles, and leave any wild umbellifer whose name you cannot confirm.
△ Three plants, one name — check what you bought — Bangpung, gaetbangpung and gaetgireum-namul all travel under the name bangpung. What is sold as a vegetable is mostly gaetgireum-namul; the herbal bangpung is a different species used for its root. Do not boil a root bought as a herbal material and serve it as a side dish. Decoctions are outside what this guide covers, and anyone on prescribed medicine should not layer them on unsupervised.
△ Sap and sunlight while trimming — Several species in the carrot family are reported to carry furanocoumarins, which redden skin that has sap on it and then meets sunlight. Wear gloves when trimming a large batch, wash the sap off, and stay out of long sun afterwards. Treat a child who has handled the leaves the same way.
Varieties
- Bangpung (Saposhnikovia divaricata) (seedling) — The species traded as a herbal root. Its leaves rarely reach the market
- Gaetgireum-namul (Peucedanum japonicum) (seedling) — What is sold as bangpung-namul is mostly this one. Thick, glossy leaves
- Gaetbangpung (Glehnia littoralis) (seedling) — A third species, of coastal sand. Its leaves spread flat along the ground
Source: Donguibogam, Herb Section 防風 · Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro)