Effects of Asarum sieboldii Miquel extracts on the properties of Korean traditional paper (Hanji).

The effectiveness of Asarum sieboldii extracts as an environmental-friendly fumigant to mitigate the aging of Korean paper cultural heritage made of traditional paper called Hanji was examined. As results, antimicrobial activity of A . sieboldii extracts against Aspergillus versicolor on Hanji is observed at the concentration exceeding 25 mg. As the short-term change of Hanji property right after treatment of A . sieboldii extracts exceeding 25 mg, it is observed that the physical and optical properties of initial Hanji decreased with the increases of the extracts concentration. In terms of the long-term change by artificial aging test, however, the aging rate of Hanji samples treated by A . sieboldii extracts is similar to that of non-treated Hanji samples. It means that A . sieboldii extracts do not degrade the stability of Hanji property. Overall, these results demonstrate that A . sieboldii extracts may have the potential as a fumigant to the Korean paper cultural heritage due to their antimicrobial effectiveness and long-term permanence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]