Mat Amaranth
Herb latin name: Mat Amaranth,Mat Amaranth Extract
Latin name: Amaranthus blitoides
Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth Family, Pigweed Family)
Habitat of the herb: the herb: A weed of disturbed and waste ground. Other uses of Mat Amaranth: Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant. AHabitat of the herb: the herb: A weed of disturbed and waste ground.
Other uses of Mat Amaranth: Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant. A glue is made from the plant. No more information is given, it is likely that the starch from the seed was used.
Propagation of the herb: Seed - sow late spring in situ. An earlier sowing can be made in a greenhouse and the plants put out after the last expected frosts. Germination is usually rapid and good if the soil is warm. A drop in temperature overnight aids germination. Cuttings of growing plants root easily.
Cultivation of Mat Amaranth: A weed of disturbed and waste ground.
Medicinal use of the herb: None known
Known hazards of Amaranthus blitoides: No members of this genus are known to be poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they are known to concentrate nitrates in the leaves. This is especially noticeable on land where chemical fertilizers are used. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers, blue babies and some other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown inorganically.
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