Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennialherb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro (Panama) (/kuːˈlɑːntroʊ/ or /kuːˈlæntroʊ/), cimarrón,recao (Puerto Rico), chardon béni (France), Mexican coriander, samat, bandhaniya, long coriander, Burmese coriander, sawtooth coriander, and ngò 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 an annual.
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.[4]
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.[7]
Eryngium foetidum is also known as E. antihystericum.[8] The specific name antihystericum reflects the fact that this plant has traditionally been used for epilepsy.[9] 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.[10] A decoction of the leaves has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in rats.[11]
^ abSingh 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.
^Culantro. "Herbalpedia"(PDF). The Herb Growing & Marketing Network. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 5, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
^Simon, OR; Singh, N (1986). "Demonstration of anticonvulsant properties of an aqueous extract of Spirit Weed (Eryngium foetidum L.)". The West Indian Medical Journal. 35 (2): 121–5. PMID3739342.