Discovering His Creation: Chinese Privet (Ligustrum Sinense Lour)

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Chinese Privet (Ligustrum Sinense Lour)

Chinese Privet or Sweet Shrub as I have called it for years is filling my yard with a lovely fragrance. Although Sweet Shrub is not it's name but it sure brings a sweet fragrance around this time of year. It was brought to the United States in 1852 as an ornamental shrub and is native to China. If you don't constantly cut and trim it you will soon have a tree ! That's what now grows in between my neighbor's yard and ours a row of once shrubs now become trees! The flowers are beautiful though and the fragrance is nice. It grows wild and spreads quickly and in some spots can be a nuisance !
Some still use it as a hedge and my Mother called it a poor man's fence . She grew up seeing it used that way and it is not uncommon to still see it so.
It's fruit is not edible and can cause nausea, headache, abdominal pain,vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, low blood pressure and body temperature. Although it is said to have been used in Chinese medicine for over a 1000 years! With modern research showing it can increase white blood cell count. Not sure if medicinal uses and research is for this member of the privets or others. Information of God's creation is continuing to grow from my own yard . Maybe growing as quickly as the Chinese Privet grows here beside us.