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.