Eryngium foetidum
Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro , cimarrón, 'recao, chardon béni, Mexican coriander, samat, ban dhaniya, wide coriander, Burmese coriander, sawtooth coriander, Shadow Beni, and ngò gai'. 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 an annual. In India it is called "Nagadhonia", specifically in the Northeast.
In the United States, the common name culantro sometimes causes confusion with cilantro, a common name for the leaves of Coriandrum sativum, of which culantro is said to taste like a stronger version.
Uses
Culinary
Eryngium foetidum is widely used in seasoning, marinating and garnishing in the Caribbean, as well as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and in Brazil's and Peru's Amazon regions. It is also used extensively as a culinary herb in the North-Eastern States of India, Cambodia , Thailand, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, southwestern China and other parts of tropical Asia. It is sometimes used as a substitute for coriander leaves, but has a stronger, tangier taste. Unlike coriander, Eryngium foetidum dries well, retaining good color and flavor, which makes it valuable in the dried herb industry.In the United States, E. foetidum grows naturally in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The flower heads are not edible.
Traditional medicine
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.Eryngium foetidum is also known as E. antihystericum. The specific name antihystericum reflects the fact that this plant has traditionally been used for epilepsy. 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. A decoction of the leaves has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in rats.
Eryngial is the main constituent of essential oil of E. foetidum. The University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica, has investigated the use of eryngial as a treatment for human Strongyloides stercoralis infection.
It is used as an ethnomedicinal 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. A pharmacological investigation claims to have demonstrated anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticonvulsant, anticlastogenic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, and antibacterial activity.