Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata) seeds, organic
$5.95 – $40.00
Please note: All seed is from new crop. Richo
Family: Acanthus (Acanthaceae)
Annual but long-season, fully maturing in 160 days. Can be harvested for the active portion (leaf) well prior to that time. Often self-seeding in the right conditions (extended warm conditions). May go from early flowering back into vegetation phase and then flower again in late season. Dry conditions tend to stimulate flowering and seed production, while moist conditions tend to stimulate leaf growth.
(Kalmegh, Chuan-xin-lian, King of Bitters) Annual, native to China and India, flowering spotted white to a height of 18 inches and equally broad. The upright follicle seedpods (pictured) are characteristic. The follicle ripens from green to brown and then summarily splits, shooting its seeds to a distance. Rare in the trade and highly desired plant. Traditional usage (TAM, TWM): bitter digestive, pandemics, vermifuge. Prefers full sun and regular garden conditions, and will even thrive in poor soil. Shady conditions will promote leaf growth and slow flowering and seed production. Start early in greenhouse and transplant out after frost. Space plants 2 feet apart–they become quite bushy when really happy. Cultivation: Use a sandy mix, press seed into surface, keep warm, moist and in the light. An approach that is claimed to speed germination is to soak the seeds in 120 degree F water for 5 minutes, then strain out and plant as above. We employed this technique in 2022 and registered 2 flushes of seed germination: some germinated at 13 days and then the rest germinated at 56 days. All under lights, watered daily, seed heat treated and pressed into surface.
1 gram contains ~600 seeds
Packet contains 20 seeds
Certified Organically Grown
brandonguergo (verified owner) –
Excellent seeds and plant.
This is the plant that might get my small herbal pursuit off the ground. Grows absolutely wonderfully here with no effort.
Made tea with two leaves, a flower, and a tsp of Yerba mate and yep, king of bitters for a reason.
Thanks!
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
hi brandon, thanks for writing. i agree with you about andrographis, it is in a class all its own. r
(0) (0)
Question
Angie (verified owner) –
Hi there, I bought this seed from you and it germinated well, grew to about 1 inch tall by the time I transplanted it outside. It has not grown any within the last 3 weeks of being outside. I have seedlings in several different places, some sunny, some part shade, some in gardens, some in pots. Our days are around 65-80 degrees and nights 45-60 right now. Any tips? Will it start to grow eventually or am I just in the wrong climate for this amazing medicinal necessity?
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
hi angie, good work on the andrographis, it is going to do fine for you. hesitation after transplant is normal with these. side-dress with compost or give dilute fish emulsion and water occasionally. they will start growing, there’s a lot of summer left for them. r
(0) (0)
Angie (verified owner) –
Well, update… my andrographis plants are all still between 1″ and 2″ tall. They’re not dead, just not growing. Days are between 70⁰ and 85⁰ nights between 50⁰ and 70⁰. I have them in 3 different spots in my yard and 3 different soils. Not sure why they’re just sitting there not doing anything. Any advice?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
water in with comfrey leaf tea or dilute fish emulsion.
(0) (0)
Linda –
My plant is about 8 inches tall. The temps overnight are in the 60s. It’s an annual here in my zone 7. I plan to dig up and leave on a 3 season porch. Will the plant survive under these conditions?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Hi Linda, this note from you comes a day after we harvested 50% of our crop for herb use. Many of the plants were 8 inches tall, this is a short-statured plant. The medicine is extraordinarily concentrated–harvest before frost and tincture. richo
(0) (0)
Question
-Peter- –
Will you have any Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata) seeds available after your harvest this year? I’m in Azalea, OR….right up the road from Williams 🙂
Thanks, -Peter- (I’m on the wait list…just curious if it will be productive waiting?)
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
Hi Peter,
Yes, we grew a lot of andrographis this year, it is now in flower, hope to have seeds. richo
(0) (0)
Trish –
Hello, I love the incredible variety you have! Do you ship to Australia?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi trish, really wish i could! used to do this daily. at this juncture we’ve regrettably shut down shipments to AUS and NZ altogether. the shipments aren’t going through, seized at customs. what a world we live in. richo
(0) (0)
Question
Rebecca –
Hi,
I have a couple of Andrographis plants with some seed pods on them. I bought them to collect seeds because seeds were always “sold out” when I looked…
Now I don’t know when to harvest the seed pods. Any tips? My summers get into 80s mostly with plenty of humidity. I plan to plant the plants outside once June hits. But for now, they’ve survived under growth lights all winter. Thanks for everything that you do…
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
Hi Rebecca, Thanks for contacting. I had good results with the seeds we grew (and sold) last year and I too have a number of good plants I’m looking forward to planting to field if these morning frosts will ever move somewhere else. ANyhow, it is easy to know when to harvest the seeds and fatal to collect the pods too early. The upright pods (follicles) will become very rigid once ready–they cannot be harvested when still soft–the follicle will go from green to brown and if it begins to split, collect it right away! Otherwise wait until you can rioll it between your fingers and it splits–and don’t let the orange-ey seeds drop when that happens. In other words, wait until the follicle begins to dehisce before picking and removing seeds. It is better to put the follicle on a piece of paper in a seed cleaning screen to dry and naturally drop its seeds–those are the best ones! And keep it lidded, too, because they forcibly eject. bouncing ball-bearings of bitter potential… Richo
(0) (0)
Question
Amorntip Muangprom –
Currently, do you have about 50 gram of Andrographis paniculata seeds? If so, how much does it cost?
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
Hello Amorntip, I note that Andrographis paniculata seed is currently out of stock. We have planted plants to field and look forward to a harvest in September/october. We will enable bulk purchasing at that time if the harvest is sufficiently weighty. Richo
(0) (0)
Gregory –
Did that September/October seed harvest go as planned? A. paniculata is proving remarkably hard to find seed sources for at this time! Richter’s evidently had a “crop failure” this year. Thanks for doing all the work you and your team do, and wishing you and your farm/business all the best in these unique times…
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Hello Gregory,
Yes, we did succeed with Andrographis both for the herb and the seeds. The seeds sold out in a few weeks. If you hit “waitlist” you will get an e-mail when the next crop is in. The seedlings have already been started in the greenhouse.
Richo
(0) (0)
Gregory –
Cool, that’s great! After writing I realized that was probably what happened (back in, then sold out). Thanks for the follow-up. Yes I love the waitlist, so grateful you have that handy feature on the site. I look forward to placing an order ‘in time’ once they’re back in stock — perhaps around ~June/July, if that 160 dtm holds true. Or whenever the seeds decide to form, and a waitlist notification comes through. Excited either way.
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Thanks for your understanding. Andrographis is important, we’ll re-enable as soon as possible with the fresh seeds. r
(0) (0)
caitlin r –
What growing zones for this please? And I am in Florida. Are any zones perennial?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi there caitlin, we don’t list zones for annuals. Andrographis is a tropical annual. It will grow well in Florida. The plant dies down after completing its growth cycle. It is a self-seeder. Richo
(0) (0)
Pray –
Will Andrographis paniculata grow in zone 5?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hello good morning, yes, its a simple annual, you can grow it in the summer garden. the literature says it needs shade but i always put it in the full sun and grow it, for all practical purposes, like a tomato plant. that means get an early start, they are slow at first. richo
(0) (0)
ironwoods –
Besides seeds available, will you have live potted Andrographis plants available for sale?
Thank you,
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi, you are reading my mind. If all goes as planned, we will have plants on this, the plants already exist, they simply need to size up. stay tuned. richo
(0) (0)
Question
DeAnna –
Are your Androgrpahis Seeds Organic?
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
no, they fall under the classification of open pollinated and untreated. they’re from india. richo
(0) (0)
Question
Feliciano Luna (verified owner) –
Is it possible to ship this to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and how much is the shipping cost.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Admin Richo Cech –
Yes, and shipping costs depend on items ordered and can be reviewed prior to finalization.
(0) (0)
Godwin –
I would like to buy as much as 10 to 20 grammes of your king of bitters seeds. But first I want to know if this plant can grow well in tropical countries like Nigeria? Secondly, what is the percentage germination rate of your seeds?
(0) (0)
Admin Richo Cech –
Godwin, Andrographis grows very well in the tropics–it is from the tropics. Germination rate depends on conditions and time. Germination rate on the same seed lot can be zero or 90% depending on cultivation practices, I can give no guarantees, the seed is loaded with germination inhibiting compounds which must be leached prior to germination.
Richo
(0) (0)
sarah –
I am in Washington state. Will it grow well here?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Hi Sarah,
Andrographis is a tropical weed. It grows well in hot, moist greenhouses in Washington State.
Richo
(0) (0)
Question
Nawoda Herath –
Is this coming from India or Nepal
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Admin Richo Cech –
At this point I’m packing seed from our own production–it comes from Williams, Oregon.
(0) (0)
Jaime santos –
Are you selling Andrographis paniculata plant
(0) (0)
Admin Richo Cech –
We really don’t offer annuals as plants and try to stick to perennials and biennials.
(0) (0)
D.D. –
I read in a previous comment you made, that these Andrographis seeds are loaded with seed inhibitors and must be leached prior to planting. Can you elaborate on how you do this? Thank you!!!
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
The inhibitors are leached out by watering after the seed is planted. I haven’t really found any pretreatments that significantly alter the induction period. Scarification, soaking, willow water, etc–nothing seems to change the 6 month germination period. Sometimes a few seeds will germinate in a few weeks. Stay tuned on this item–we worked up a large number of andrographis plants and they are currently (9/3/2021) in full flower to early pod formation stage. if the herbal gods allow it, we will have significant seed resources, and dried andrographis herb for tincture makers, as well. Richo
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Achira
Ashitaba
Basil
Burdock
Cayenne
Cherry
Chickweed
Cramp Bark
Dandelion
Elderberry
Garlic
Ginger
Gotu Kola
Hawthorne
Mulberry, White
Nettles
Passionflower
Pumpkin, Styrian
Savory
Thyme
Tulsi
Udo
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
if you plant the seeds in a deep flat in the greenhouse, in the usual manner, then as you water over the several weeks that it takes for them to start to germinate, the water courses over the seeds and leaches out germination inhibitors and once this happens, and the seed is warm, well-tamped and moist, then it will come up. This can take up to 6 months. I know of no faster way to do this. We will have significant amounts of seed and herb on andrographis this year (2021). r
(0) (0)
Sarah –
Hello, I am confused about the germination time. The description states 30 days, but comments say up to 6 months. Which is it? Thank you!
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi sarah, it can be either depending on conditions. weeds contain germination inhibitors which serves them in terms of germinating in season, and may delay response in cultivation scenarios. Fresh seed may respond differently than stored seed, and old seed may be no good. so you see the reasons for confusion. a way through is to use our recently harvested seed and give it standard horticultural technique and keep an eye out for the seedlings when they occur. And they will. Also please make your order soon–we have limited supply of this seed and it is selling extremely fast. r
(0) (0)
Michael Monaghan –
Hi Richo
When Andrograhis seedlings are a couple weeks old, do they transplant easily?
Mike
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi michael, thanks for contacting. the andrographis is slow to develop and shouldn’t be transplanted or up-potted until the seedlings are on their second set of true leaves. in my greenhouse this takes longer than 2 weeks. i think it makes sense to keep them in the greenhouse until the outdoor soil has really warmed up. for a common weed, they sure are tricky to grow. meanwhile the herb is so effective, unique, in great demand, and so we’re really trying to learn the nuances to grow it and will be putting in 3 times as many plants this year in hopes of keeping up herb and seedwise. thanks for working with it, sounds like it germinated well for you. it did for us, too, and it is strange–one flush of low germ fairly soon after planting, then a much better show a couple of weeks later. weird. r
(0) (0)
Michael Monaghan –
Liking Central N.C. growing conditions moved from Seattle to N.C. and WoW I’m hooked! Andrographis is exploded, took a long time to come up. I have small bushes now. Been eating a couple a day and sure are bitter, but not like the bitterroot I found bitterroot camping in Eastern Washington. Growing Bitterroot in the yard with many nice plants now. I would say Bitterroot is the King of bitters! LOL Thank you again has some good energy to this plant. Mike
(0) (0)