Vegetable asparagus

Asparagus, also known as common asparagus or Asparagus officinalis, belongs to the asparagus genus (Asparagus). The actual distribution area of asparagus is in the temperate regions of southern and central Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and as a cultivated plant worldwide.

Vegetable asparagus is a deciduous and perennial plant. It forms a rhizome from which fleshy, spirally tipped, whitish or slightly reddish shoots emerge. These stems grow to a height of between 60 cm and 1.5 m. Flowering time: June to July, fruit ripening: September to October. Cutting time for asparagus (root, Asparagi rhizoma): mid-April to June. The red berries of Asparagus officinalis have a scarlet coloration and are slightly poisonous; a negative monograph from Commission E is available for the asparagus herb.

Asparagus officinalis is the parent plant of Asparagi rhizoma, the rootstock (with roots) dug, dried and cut in the fall, which has been positively monographed by Commission E.

Rare: Allergy to asparagus on skin contact. Contact allergen: Growth substance 1,2,3-trithian-5-carboxylic acid Occurrence e.g. during asparagus cutting, peeling, canning or sale (asparagus dross). The main cause of allergic contact reactions is 1,2,3-trithiane-5-carboxylic acid. This is heat-labile and is inactivated during cooking.

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4. Schilcher H (2016) In: Leitfaden Phytotherapie, Urban & Fischer Verlag Munich, p. 299 f.