Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro (Costa Rica and Panama) ( or ), cimarrón, recao (Puerto Rico), (Martinique), Mexican coriander, samat, ban dhaniya, long coriander, wide coriander, Burmese coriander, sawtooth coriander, Shadow Beni (Trinidad and Tobago), and (Vietnam). 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 "Mandhonia", 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 (also in Apiaceae but in a different genus), of which culantro is said to taste like a stronger version.Ramcharan, C. (1999). "Culantro: A much utilized, little understood herb". In: J. Janick (ed.), Perspectives on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, Virginia; p. 506–509.
Uses
Culinary
Eryngium foetidum is widely used in seasoning, marinating and garnishing in the Caribbean (particularly in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago), 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 (Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim), Cambodia [where it is called Chi Banla, Chi baraing ជីរបន្លា, ជីរបារាំង], Thailand, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, southwestern China and other parts of tropical Asia.Singh BK, Ramakrishna Y and Ngachan SV. 2014. Spiny coriander (Eryngium foetidum L.): A commonly used, neglected spicing-culinary herb of Mizoram, India. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 61 (6): 1085-1090. 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.Distribution of Eryngium foetidum in the United States United States Department of Agriculture
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 (trans-2-dodecenal) is the main constituent of essential oil of E. foetidum.Yarnell, A. "Home Field Advantage" Chemical & Engineering News, June 7, 2004. Volume 82, Number 23, p. 33. 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 chills, vomiting, burns, fevers, hypertension, headaches, 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.
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, and kaempferol have been among the phenolic compounds found in E. foetidum leaves.
See also Cuban cuisine Cuisine of the Dominican Republic List of culinary herbs and spices Mizo cuisine Puerto Rican cuisine Thai cuisine Trinidad and Tobago cuisine Vietnamese cuisine
References
External links
Long coriander (Eryngium foetidum L.) page from Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages