Ctenium aromaticum is a species of grass known by the common name toothache grass. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it grows on the coastal plain.Ctenium aromaticum. Grass Manual Treatment.
This is a perennial grass that forms clumps of stems reaching in maximum height. The leaves are up to long. The inflorescence is a panicle with one branch that is up to long and lined on one side with two rows of spikelets. Each spikelet is roughly long.
It is not known whether or not the grass was ever used as a remedy for toothache. It has, however, been used as a sialagogue, an agent that increases saliva. The crushed roots have a strong scent.Austin, D. F. and P. N. Ionychurch. Florida Ethnobotany. CRC Press 2004. The lower part of the stem produces a numbing sensation when it is chewed.Ctenium aromaticum. USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. The agents responsible for this action are isobutylamides.Gamboa-Leon, R. and W. S. Chilton. (2000). Isobutylamide numbing agents of toothache grass, Ctenium aromaticum. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 28 1019-1021.
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External links USDA Plants Profile