Magnolia officinalis Seeds | Rajaniana Plant Flower
LATIN NAME: Magnolia officinalis
COMMON NAME: Houpu Magnolia, Medicinal Magnolia, Hou Po
Plant Profile
Houpu magnolia is a deciduous tree, 10-20 m in the ground, with large obovate leaves, creamy-white flowers in early summer and a cone-like fruit that turns red as it opens. The bark is the crop: thick, grey-brown and intensely aromatic, and it is one of the most important medicinal barks in Chinese practice.
The flowers are large and scented but they appear after the leaves, which makes the tree less ornamental than the spring-flowering magnolias. The habit is broad and pyramidal when young and rounded with age, and the tree grows quickly in deep moist soil.
Magnolia officinalis comes from the mountains of central and western China, where it grows in mixed forest at altitude. It has been cultivated for its bark for centuries, and wild populations are now scarce enough that plantations supply most of the trade.
Science & Biotechnology
The bark contains two biphenol compounds, magnolol and honokiol, which are the basis of most of the pharmacological work on the species. Both have shown activity in laboratory studies on anxiety, inflammation and bacterial growth, and honokiol in particular has been studied for its effects on several cancer cell lines in vitro.
The traditional preparation is a decoction of the bark, and the chemistry changes with processing: the raw bark is considered harsher, while the stir-fried or ginger-processed bark is used for digestive formulas. That processing is a pharmacological step, not a culinary one, and it alters the ratio of the active compounds.
Magnolia bark also contains alkaloids, including magnocurarine, which contributes a muscle-relaxant effect. That is part of the reason the herb is used in formulas for abdominal distension, and part of the reason it should not be combined casually with sedatives.
Uses & Benefits
In Chinese practice the bark is used for abdominal distension, digestive sluggishness and anxiety-related symptoms, usually in combination with other herbs rather than alone. It is also used in Japanese kampo formulas, where it appears under the name kouboku.
In the garden the tree is grown as a specimen in a large garden, a park or a plantation, and it is one of the few magnolias grown for a crop rather than for flowers. Commercially the bark is a traded commodity, and the seed is sold to growers in mild climates. The wood is soft and used for small items.
Growing from Seed
Sow in autumn or stratify for twelve weeks at 3-5°C. Clean the seed from the red aril before sowing, since the flesh inhibits germination, and sow 1.5 cm deep at 18-22°C. Germination is slow and uneven, often two to three months.
Plant out in full sun or light shade in deep, moist, well-drained soil, and shelter from strong wind, which tears the large leaves. Water through the first three summers. The tree can be coppiced to encourage the production of young bark, which is the part harvested, and the bark is stripped in spring when the sap is rising.
Our Take
A medicinal tree rather than a garden ornament, best grown where there is room for a plantation row and patience for a decade of bark.
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