| Culantro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eryngium foetidum leaves, with a US ruler for scale | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Genus: | Eryngium |
| Species: | E. foetidum |
| Binomial name | |
| Eryngium foetidum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Eryngium foetidum is a tropicalperennialherb in the familyApiaceae. Common names includeculantro (Costa Rica and Panama) (/kuːˈlɑːntroʊ/ or/kuːˈlæntroʊ/),cimarrón,recao (Puerto Rico),chardon béni (France),Mexican coriander,samat,bandhaniya,long coriander,Burmese coriander,sawtooth coriander,Shadow Beni (Trinidad and Tobago), andngò gai (Vietnam).[2][3] It is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, but is cultivated worldwide, mostly in the tropics as a perennial, but sometimes in temperate climates as anannual.
In the United States, the common nameculantro sometimes causes confusion withcilantro, a common name for the leaves ofCoriandrum sativum (also in Apiaceae but in a different genus), of which culantro is said to taste like a stronger version.[4]
Eryngium foetidum is widely used in seasoning,marinating and garnishing in the Caribbean (particularly inCuba, theDominican Republic, Haiti,Puerto Rico, andTrinidad and Tobago), as well as Guatemala,El Salvador,Honduras,Nicaragua,Panama,Costa Rica,Ecuador,Colombia and inBrazil's andPeru'sAmazon regions. It is also used extensively as a culinary herb in the North-Eastern States of India (Tripura,Mizoram,Meghalaya,Assam,Nagaland,Manipur,Arunachal Pradesh andSikkim),Cambodia,Thailand,India,Nepal,Vietnam,Laos,Myanmar, southwesternChina and other parts of tropical Asia.[5] It is sometimes used as a substitute forcoriander leaves, but has a stronger taste. Unlike coriander,Eryngium foetidum dries well, retaining good color and flavor, which makes it valuable in the driedherb industry.
In the United States,E. foetidum grows naturally inFlorida,Georgia,Hawaii,Puerto Rico, and theVirgin Islands.[6]
The flower heads are not edible.[7]
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Eryngium foetidum has been used in traditional medicine in tropical regions for burns, earache, fevers, hypertension, constipation, fits, asthma, stomachache, worms, infertility complications, snake bites, diarrhea, and malaria.[8]
Eryngium foetidum is also known asE. antihystericum.[9] The specific nameantihystericum reflects the fact that this plant has traditionally been used forepilepsy.[10] The plant is said to calm a person's 'spirit' and thus prevents epileptic 'fits', so is known by the common names spiritweed and fitweed. The anticonvulsant properties of this plant have been scientifically investigated.[11] Adecoction of the leaves has been shown to exhibitanti-inflammatory andanalgesic effects in rats.[12]
Eryngial (trans-2-dodecenal) is the main constituent of essential oil ofE. foetidum.[13] TheUniversity of the West Indies atMona, Jamaica, has investigated the use of eryngial as a treatment for humanStrongyloides stercoralis infection (strongyloidiasis).[14]
It is used as anethnomedicinal plant for the treatment of a number of ailments such as chills, vomiting, burns, fevers, hypertension, headache, earache, stomachache, asthma, arthritis, snake bites, scorpion stings, diarrhea, malaria and epilepsy.[medical citation needed] A pharmacological investigation claims to have demonstratedanthelmintic,anti-inflammatory,analgesic,anticonvulsant,anticlastogenic,anticarcinogenic,antidiabetic, andantibacterial activity.[5][unreliable medical source?]
Qualitative analysis of the leaves demonstrated the presence oftannins andsaponin, as well as someflavonoids; noalkaloids have been reported yet.[8]Caffeic acid,chlorogenic acid, andkaempferol have been among thephenolic compounds found inE. foetidum leaves.[15]
Media related toEryngium foetidum at Wikimedia Commons