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Polygala tenuifolia
Also called Thin Leaf Milkwort
Polygala tenuifolia, known as Chinese senega root or thin-leaf milkwort, is a hardy perennial herb from Siberia, China and Korea, grown mainly for its medicinal root. It is hardy to USDA Zone 6 and does best in full sun with well-drained soil.
Polygala tenuifolia (yuǎn zhì; Chinese: 远志) is an herb in the family Polygalaceae which is hardy to USDA Zone 6.
P. tenuifolia contains tenuifolin, senegenin, and polygalacic acid.
Yuan zhi is used primarily as an expectorant. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called yuǎn zhì (Chinese: 遠志) and believed to have neuropsychiatric effects. It has been studied as a potential drug source in depression and Alzheimer's. The quality of the herb varies widely, and as of 2020 there have been no toxicological studies or clinical trials. However, in a March, 2025, meta-analysis of 27 studies with 2,334 samples and 19 natural extract treatments, "[t]he most striking result was that the root extract of Polygala tenuifolia ... had the highest ranking for improving overall cognitive function".
Chalk milkwort · Purple Broom · Polygala wattersii · Milkwort · Seneca Snakeroot
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Polygala tenuifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
