Eryngium foetidum
Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro ( or ), recao, chadon beni (pronounced shadow benny), Mexican coriander, bhandhania, long coriander, sawtooth coriander, and ngò gai. It is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, but is cultivated worldwide, mostly in the tropics but sometimes being grown as an annual in temperate climates. In the United States, the common name "culantro" sometimes causes confusion with "cilantro", a common name for the leaves of "Coriandrum sativum" (also in Apiaceae), 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, particularly in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Costa Rica, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador and Peru's Amazon regions. It is used extensively in Cambodia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, southwestern China and other parts of Asia as a culinary herb. It dries well, retaining good color and flavor, making it valuable in the dried-herb industry. It is sometimes used as a substitute for coriander leaves, but has a much stronger taste. In the United States, "E. foetidum" grows naturally in  Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 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 a chemical compound isolated from "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 (strongyloidiasis). It is used as an ethnomedicinal plant for the treatment of a number of ailments such as fevers, chills, vomiting, burns, fevers, hypertension, headache, earache, stomachache, asthma, arthritis, snake bites, scorpion stings, diarrhea, malaria and epilepsy. The main constituent of essential oil of the plant is eryngial (E-2-dodecenal). A pharmacological investigation  claims to have demonstrated anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticonvulsant, anticlastogenic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, and antibacterial activity. Chemistry. Qualitative analysis of the leaves demonstrated the presence of tannins and saponin, as well as some flavonoids; no alkaloids have been reported yet. Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid (CGA), and kaempferol have been among the phenolic compounds found in "E. foetidum" leaves.