What is Fish Mint?

About Fish Mint:

• It is an herbal plant full of medicinal properties and grown on the ground with wide leaves.
• Scientific Name: Houttuynia cordata
• Other Names: It has many names, such as Bishop’s Weed, Chinese Lizard Tail, Fish Wort, Fish Leaf, Rainbow Plant and Chameleon Plant.
• Despite being called “fish mint”, it’s not a member of the mint family. It does, however, spread aggressively like mint.
• Distribution: Its native range extends from the Himalayan foothills through Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan. 
• Habitat: It thrives in wet locations and can even grow partially submerged in water. 
• Features:
  • It is an herb with beautiful white flowers and broad, heart-shaped leaves. 
  • Unlike its appearance, it has a fish-like taste and smell. Hence, the name, fish mint.
  • The plants grow to 2 to 3 feet in height with a spread of 3 feet.
  • The stems of this plant are climbing tender vines. The color of its stem is medium to light green, and its leaves are of dark to medium green color. 
  • It is considered an invasive plant because of its ability to regrow from underground rhizomes, which are fragile and break off easily, forming new plants when disturbed.
• Medicinal Properties: It is used to treat digestive issues, insect bites, fevers, coughs, influenza, kidney ailments and a host of other ailments.
• The leaf is used in many Asian cuisines as a vegetable or fresh herb, and fish mint root can also be eaten.