Szechuan Pepper (Sansho)
Zanthoxylum piperitum
About Szechuan Pepper (Sansho)
Szechuan Pepper (Sansho) (Zanthoxylum piperitum) is a herb used in the Kampo / Japanese Medicine tradition to help with Digestive Issues, Pain, Parasites, and Arthritis. The aerial parts and leaves are the parts traditionally used, taken internally.
Botanical background
Zanthoxylum piperitum, called Japanese pepper, chopi, or Korean pepper in English and sanshō (Japanese: 山椒) in Japanese, is a deciduous aromatic spiny shrub or small tree, belonging to the Rutaceae (citrus and rue) family. Natural range spans from Hokkaido to Kyushu in Japan, southern parts of the Korean peninsula, and Chinese mainland. The related Z. schinifolium (Japanese: イヌザンショウ pron. inuzanshō, lit., "dog sansho") occurs as far south as Yakushima, attaining a height of 3 meters.
Source: Wikipedia, via iNaturalist