Vietnamese Fish Mint plant

1 x Vietnamese Fish Mint plant (rooted & potted), express post to you.

Ever wonder why your home-cooked Vietnamese beef noodle (pho) soup tastes different from that of a Vietnamese noodle bar? The likely missing ingredient is the Vietnamese Fish Mint!

Fish mint (Houttuynia cordata) is a perennial plant native to Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan. It has many names such as Bishop’s Weed, Chinese Lizard Tail, Fish Wort, Fish Leaf, Rainbow Plant and Chameleon Plant.

The leaves are used in Asian cooking fresh as a garnish, in salads, and in fresh spring rolls. It is used in particularly Southeast Asian cuisines. The leaves can be used (sparingly) as a garnish in soups and salads, and also cooked with grilled meats and fish, or in fresh spring rolls.

Fish mint has a long history of traditional medicinal uses as it contains polyphenols, which is high in antioxidant and contains antibacterial properties.

Fish mint thrives in wet locations and can even grow partially submerged in water. It will grow fine in your garden as long as you keep it well-watered. It does well in either full sun or partial shade. The plants grow to 30 cm in height with a spread of 45 cm. Small white flowers appear in early summer.

Propagation is easy. Just make a cutting, dip it in rooting hormone and then plant it in a growing medium. Keep the soil moist. You will know when your cutting has rooted when you see new leaves.