Devil's Tongue ∗ Root Extract for slimming and plant care

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Amorphophallus konjac
• Family: Araceae
• Synonyms: konjac root, tear tree
• Origin: East Asia
• Growth type: tuber
• Effect: satiating, healing
• Growth height: 100 cm to 200 cm
• Leaf: solitary, pinnate
• Flower: spadix with bract
• Flowering time: April to June
• Fruit: berry
• Hardiness: not hardy

tuber

In the first few years, only a majestic leaf with a height and width of 100 to 200 centimeters emerges from a devil's tongue tuber. This leaf provides the mother bulb with energy for growth and the formation of daughter bulbs for propagation. At the end of the growing season, the foliage leaves retract and the mother tuber pushes off its daughter tuber. After a winter dormancy of four to five months, a fresh leaf will sprout and the tuber will start multiplying again.

This process is repeated over several years until the tuber has reached a weight of around 500 grams. Up to this point the devil tongue their ornamental flower under lock and key.

Effect

Beneficial effects are attested to the bulbs of devil's tongue, as the following brief overview shows:

• Reduces body weight
• Fast filling
• Absorbs fat
• Binds water
• Regulates digestion
• Strengthens the intestinal flora
• Lowers cholesterol levels
• Moisturizes the skin

The healing effect on skin diseases, problems with the thyroid gland and other diseases is being examined in numerous research projects.

blossom

After a few years of preparatory work, the adult tuber first produces a flower in spring and then the solitary leaf. The following properties characterize a devil's tongue flower:

• Inflorescence: spiked flowers surrounded by a reddish-brown bract
• Size: 55 to 65 cm
• Colour: dark violet to brown-red
• Special property: penetrating smell of carrion
• Pollination: carrion flies, carrion beetles

At the peak of flowering, the bulb exudes droplets of liquid. The middle name tear tree refers to this behavior.

fruit

As a monoecious, separately sexed seed plant, the devil's tongue bears male and female flowers in separate areas. The sexes sit in two tiers on the butt. Male flowers are at the top, female flowers unfold at the bottom. In order to prevent self-pollination, male flowers do not open until the female flowers on an external source have been fertilized or have withered. Consequently, two devil's tongues in close proximity are required for fruiting. Following pollination, a cob bears orange berries containing one to four seeds.

Devil's tongue to lose weight

Anyone struggling with excess pounds will appreciate the satiating effect of devil's tongue tubers. The bulbous konjac root is packed with glucomannan, a healthy fiber. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), consuming three grams of konjac root powder a day is enough to shed the pounds. As practical konjac capsules, the satiety powder is immediately at hand for tormenting cravings. The following nutritional value table shows why Teufelszugen tuber flour is perfect for losing weight:

In the food industry, the tubers are primarily ground into flour. If konjac root flour comes into contact with water, an extreme swelling effect sets in. Processed into rice, noodles, shirataki, konnyaku and other Japanese delicacies, the result is a low-calorie diet that fills you up and makes you slim. In the EU, konjac flour is known as the food additive E425. The knowledge magazine "Gallileo" dedicated this article to the beneficial effects of devil's tongue tubers:

Superfood devil's tongue tuber

plant devil's tongue

Proper planting of a devil's tongue bulb is primarily aimed at preventing waterlogging. The well drained substrate should still have beneficial water and nutrient retention. The optimal location simulates a tropical rainforest climate. Read all the important details in the following sections. How to properly plant a tear tree in a bucket:

substrate

The perfect substrate is a mix of equal parts organically pre-fertilized, peat-free potting soil and coco soil, enriched with lava granules(€14.00 at Amazon*) or expanded clay.(€19.00 at Amazon*) If on hand, add a few more nutritious handfuls compost soil to.

plant tuber

Plant a devil's tongue bulb in a deep container with enough room for root growth. With good care, the tubers can triple their weight and volume over the course of the year. The diameter of the pot should be correspondingly large. A floor opening for water drainage is essential. How to plant correctly:

1. Pot bottom with potsherds or lava granules cover as drainage
2. Fill in the substrate (do not press)
3. Plant the tuber in the middle
4. Pay attention to the planting depth: triple the tuber diameter
5. Pour soft water over devil's tongue

Location

The devil's tongue shows its best side in a partially shaded location with high humidity. From May to September, the tropical rainforest beauty has no objection to a place on the west or east balcony. This is especially advisable when an adult bulb is boasting about a bud that stinks to high heaven.

digression

Titan Arum - big brother of Devil's Tongue

maintain devil's tongue

So that the planting of a tear tree does not become a vale of tears for the hobby gardener, it depends on the right care. Don't miss out on these tips & tricks:

Pour

Pour a devil's tongue with it from spring to fall rainwater or stagnant tap water. Before each watering, use a finger test to check whether the substrate has dried. Are you not sure whether there is actually a need for watering? If in doubt, spray the mighty leaf with lime-free water.

Fertilize

A supplementary nutrient supply is not necessary. If you follow our care tips, don't cut the devil's tongue and repot every year, you can do without fertilizer.

To cut

In autumn, the devil's tongue tuber gradually retracts its above-ground parts of the plant. Don't interfere with the morbid fade with a pruning back. During this process, the remaining nutrients from the foliage and inflorescence are transferred to the tuber as an energy reserve for the following year. Remove dead foliage and wilted inflorescence if the remains can be peeled off by hand.

hibernate

After a summer on the partially shaded balcony, please move the exotic devil's tongue to a frost-free location in good time. There are two variants to choose from for winter storage. This is how a tear tree overwinters properly:

• Grant: from temperatures below 10° Celsius
• winter quarters: dark, cool at 8° to 10° Celsius
• option 1: overwinter in the bucket, do not let the soil dry out completely, do not fertilize
• rule of thumb: the warmer the devil's tongue hibernates, the wetter the earth
• option 2: winter without soil, similar to dahlia bulbs in sand, sawdust or excelsior, remove and spray occasionally

Overwintering in bright, heated living rooms is not recommended. In this variant, the devil's tongue drives out in winter. At worst, the foul-smelling blooms will unfold when it's far too cold outside to clear out the floral stinker.

propagation

In the course of the winter dormant phase, the connection between the mother and daughter tubers dries up. Separation is complete when you can separate the mother and offshoot without using force or scissors. Plant the konjac roots in their own pots.

repot

The dry dormancy necessitates repotting every spring, regardless of whether you overwinter Devil's Tongue with or without soil. The best time is at the beginning of budding in spring. As a rule, you can reuse the previous planter for the mother tuber after cleaning. For daughter tubers, please adjust the pot size to the tuber diameter.

fungal disease

Too frequent watering causes a fungal infection on the fleshy storage organ. As a result of the formation of rot, the affected devil's tongue tuber can usually no longer be saved. In the early stages, you can cut out fungal, rotten spots. Dust the tuber with disinfecting charcoal powder and let it dry for a few days. Then plant the konjac root in fresh substrate and water more sparingly from now on.

Popular Varieties

The devil's tongue is not the only Amorphophallus beauty that is impressive as a container plant:

• Amorphophallus kiusianusNative to southern Japan, yellow-green bract with light brown spots, green spadix, pink berries.
• Amorphophallus bulbifer: from North India, 25 to 30 cm large flowers, pale pink on the outside, yellowish-green on the inside.
• Amorphophallus albus: from China, 15 to 20 cm large, white flowers, tuber up to 10 cm in diameter and 6 cm high.
• Amorphophallus muellerii: from Thailand, up to 2 m tall, purple flower, creamy white spadix, 30 cm tuber.

FAQ

How to use konjac capsules for weight loss?

The capsules contain the flour of a konjac root. This natural powder has the ability to absorb a lot of water and swell up significantly. For this reason, you feel optimally saturated after taking it. In conjunction with a calorie-reduced diet, konjac capsules make a valuable contribution to weight loss. Experts recommend a dosage of 2 capsules 3 times a day before meals. Ideally, drink a glass or two of water with it.

During the winter, the tuber becomes mushy. What to do?

The damage described indicates a fungal infection. Especially during the winter dormant period, the fungus causes rot to spread on the fleshy tubers. You can start a rescue attempt. Cut out any mushy parts of the tuber. Disinfect the cuts with powdered charcoal or rock flour(€19.00 at Amazon*) and let the konjac root dry for two to three days. Pot the devil's tongue back into dry substrate.

How does the devil's tongue propagation with seeds succeed?

If possible, plant fresh seeds about an inch deep in coconut soil. Moisten the substrate slightly and ideally put a transparent hood over the seed pot. The ideal sowing temperature is 25° to 28° Celsius during the day and around 20° Celsius at night. A light to partially shaded location helps the first seedlings to develop within two to six weeks.