タラノオニコンボウ
Taranaki is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Araliaceae family. It is distributed in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin. It grows in sunny mountainous areas, such as plains, riverbanks, forests, and beside forest roads.
Taranoki has a straight trunk, 2-6 m tall, and large alternate, compound leaves. In summer, multiple inflorescences emerge from the leaf core, producing small white flowers, and in fall, small black spherical fruits are produced.
Taranaki include the "Medara," "Komamidori," "Shinkoma," and "Zaou-type." There are varieties. Wild species are considered to have a better taste and aroma than cultivated species.
Taraki bark is used medicinally for a variety of purposes, including lowering blood sugar, regulating gastrointestinal conditions, and treating diabetes and kidney disease, and is drunk by infusion or eaten in buds. The root bark is also used as a herbal medicine called "cod root bark" to treat symptoms of diabetes. The branches can also be chopped and used as a tea for high blood pressure and chronic gastritis.
It is often seen in the mountains, but sometimes it grows in gardens as well, and I hesitate to touch it because of its painful spines. How about using tarano-onikombo as a charm against evil?