Season: Spring - Fall
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Eryngium foetidum is widely used in seasoning, marinating and garnishing in the Caribbean (particularly in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago), as well as El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, and in Brazil's and Peru's Amazon regions. It is also used extensively as a culinary herb in Cambodia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, southwestern China and other parts of tropical Asia. It is sometimes used as a substitute for coriander leaves, but has a stronger taste. Contrary to 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.
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Mature Height
18 Inches |
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Mature Width
12 Inches |
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Light
Half Sun |
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Water
Moderate |
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Uses
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. anti¬hysteri¬cum. The specific name anti¬hysteri¬cum 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.[medical citation needed] 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.
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RECIPES
Sofrito
PREP: 20 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
3 White Onions, Peeled, Roughly Chopped
25 Garlic Cloves, Peeled, Roughly Chopped
1 Lbs Serrano or Habenero Peppers, Roughly Chopped
½ Lb Sweet Peppers, Roughly Chopped
6 Bunches of Culantro Leaves, Roughly Chopped
3 Bunches of Cilantro Leaves
½ Cup Pitted Olives
1 Tbsp Capers
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a food processor add olives, capers, onion, and garlic cloves. Pulse ingredients together 10 times, or until coarsely chopped. Scrape down the bowl of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
2. Add the peppers to the bowl and pulse 8-9 times. Scrape down the bowl once more.
3. Pour out half of the pepper and onion mixture into a clean bowl. Add the culantro and cilantro leaves to the food processor and pulse until the leaves have broken down.
4. Return the reserved pepper and onion mixture to the food processor and pulse until the sofrito is semi-smooth.
5. Transfer to storage containers for later use.
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