Our first real experimentalist in the garden is Christine, a third year herbalist student who is planning on doing her final dissertation on the properties of the Physalis alkekengi commonly known as Chinese or Japanese lanterns and known for helping heal prostrate problems. We are all familiar with the lovely red calyx that protects the round orange fruits at the end of summer, well Christine has planted ten different varieties of Akekengi, some annuals others perennials, some with small yellow fruit, others with large black fruit. The 60 plants that she planted here have all flourished and the fruit have been carefully collected, each plant labelled so that back home Christine knows which fruit comes from which plant. I will keep you informed of how things develop in terms of the research Christine is going to do.
