Eryngium foetidum

Scientific name: Eryngium foetidum L.

Botanical family: APIACEA

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Martinique:

chadwon beni
fit weed

Dominica:

chadwon beni
fit weed

Trinidad and Tobago:

chadwon beni
fit weed

Dominican Republic:

cilantro ancho
koulant

Honduras:

culantro

Costa Rica:

culantro de coyote
spirit weed

Haiti:

koulant

Other vernacular names

French Guiana:

AwaruBan

Dominica:

chadron beni
Chadrón beni
Citadron beniholy thistle

Martinique:

chadwon béni, chardon béni

Dominican Republic:

Cilantro ancho

Honduras:

Culantro

Costa Rica:

Culantro coyote

Nicaragua:

kisauri

Haiti:

Koulant

Colombia:

Shado benny

Geographical distribution

Native to tropical America, introduced and naturalised in tropical Africa.

Botanical description

Perennial herb, glabrous, up to 60 cm Lanceolate to oblanceolate leaves up to 30 cm long, crenate to finely spiny serrated, thinned at the base forming a short, winged petiole. Inflorescences in dichasia, extensively ramified with green- yellowish capitula; involucral bracts, lanceolate leaflets, extending beyond the capitula. Globose fruit, laterally compressed, densely scaly.

Voucher(s)

Ocampo,5013,CR

Ochoa,280,HPMHV

Jiménez,125,JBSD Jean Pierre,105,SLNH Delaigue,12,NHTT

Longuefosse&Nossin,16,HAVPM

flu

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally⁴

vomiting

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally⁵

chest pain, attacks

leaf, decoction, orally¹

palpitations and tiredness

leaf, decoction, orally¹

fever

entire plant, decoction or infusion, orally^2,23,24

flatulence

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally³

The Eryngium foetidum leaf is a condiment of relatively widespread human consumption.

For all uses:

prepare a decoction or infusion with 20- 30 grams of leaves in 4 cups (1 litre) of water. For decoction, boil for 5 minutes in a covered vessel. For the infusion, add the boiling water to the 20-30 grams of leaves and cover. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, cool, strain (filter) and drink 1 cup 3 times a day.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

The use for chest pain and attacks, palpitations and tiredness is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in TRAMIL surveys and toxicity studies. We do not have an appropriate experimental model to validate the pharmacological activity to support this traditional use.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or if the chest pain, attacks, palpitations or tiredness persist for more than 7 days, seek medical attention.

The use for fever is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the toxicity and validation studies.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the fever persists for more than 2 days, seek medical attention.

The use for flatulence, flu and vomiting is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in TRAMIL surveys and toxicity studies.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the flu persists for more than 7 days, or the vomiting persists for more than 2 days, seek medical attention.

Use for flatulence, flu and vomiting is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in TRAMIL surveys and toxicity studies.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the flu persists for more than 7 days, or the vomiting persists for more than 2 days, seek medical attention.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 3 years.

TRAMIL Work¹⁵

The LD50 of the leaves, orally in rats, was 11.12 ± 0.94 g/kg (weight expressed in g of dried plant material). In the chronic toxicity test there were no toxic signs during treatment. The necropsy showed no macroscopic damage to the kidney, liver or spine.

TRAMIL Work²⁰

The freeze-dried aqueous extract (decoction) of the entire plant (2 g/kg) orally in 20 male albino mice, daily for 5 consecutive days per week for a total period of 70 days, did not produce death. 80% of the animals had a diminished straightening reflex and pilomotor erection 24 hours after starting the treatment; diminished antero-posterior prehensile activity and alarm reaction from day 10 and inflamed eyes and lumps in the neck area from day 29. All manifestations remained until the end of the test. Hypothermia was recorded in 50% of the animals.

There was no statistically significant change in blood glucose or haematocrit values, nor in the glucose tolerance or insulin sensitivity between the treated and control groups.

TRAMIL Work²¹

The freeze-dried aqueous extract (decoction 70 mg/ml) from the whole plant (1 g/kg/day/70 consecutive days) was administered orally in Hsd:ICR mice (6 males and 6 females), the control was made with distilled and deionised water (0.5 ml) in another 12 mice with the same characteristics, according to the protocol of the OECD 407, LEBi modification, had a later observation period of 14 days. At the end of the 84 days, there was no mortality, no obvious toxicity, and no histopathological signs of the liver, lung, kidney or heart.

The ethanolic extracts (90 and 95%) from the dried aerial parts and roots (1 g/kg) orally in mice did not show toxicity. The same dried root extracts intravenously (50 mg/kg) showed no toxicity⁹.

There is no information available documenting the safety of medicinal use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

The plant contains flavonoids, saponins, sterols, triterpenoids, tannins⁹; essential oil consisting mainly of: dodec-2-trans-en-1- al (59%) and derivatives, 2,4,5-trimethyl benzaldehyde (37%) and derivatives, 2-methyl-crotonic acid, formyl-trimethyl- cyclohexadienol, cymenol, ferulol, limonene¹⁰.

The aerial parts are rich in calcium, iron, riboflavin and carotene¹¹.

The leaf contains no alkaloids¹².

TRAMIL Work¹³

The aqueous leaf extract (decoction) (50%) subcutaneously in albino rats previously treated with brewer’s yeast (15%) administered subcutaneously, showed statistically significant antipyretic activity, compared to the control group that received diclofenac.

TRAMIL Work¹⁴

The leaf infusion (10%) orally in rats showed antispasmodic activity.

TRAMIL Works^15-16

The aqueous extract (decoction) from dried leaves (13.21 g of dry residue per 100 g of plant, 250 mg/kg) orally in 200-250 g male Wistar rats, in vivo model of inflammation induced by carrageenan in rat legs, produced a decrease in oedema, decreasing this effect with higher doses, compared to the control group. The effective dose 50 (ED50 = inhibits inflammation by 50%) was 231.78 ± 12.32 mg dry residue/kg (equivalent to 1.75

± 0.09 g plant/kg).

In the study of topical anti-inflammatory activity, (application of tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) in the ears of male Swiss mice (weight 20-25 g), the ED50 was 9.88 ± 0.73 mg dry residue/kg (equivalent to 0.075 ± 0.005 g plant/kg), the inhibition was dose dependent.

In the in vitro model of myeloperoxidase enzyme (MPO) inhibition, the inhibition was less significant and was dose dependent.

The aqueous extract (decoction) of the aerial parts exerted antimalarial activity in vitro on Plasmodium gallinaceum¹⁷ and P. falciparum (100 µg/ml)¹⁸, but did not inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi on Shigella flexneri¹⁹.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

OCAMPO R, 1988

Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica), Instituto de Desarrollo Agrario, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.

CHARLES C, 1988

TRAMIL survey. Movement for Cultural Awareness MCA, Roseau, Dominica.

JEAN-PIERRE L, 1988

TRAMIL survey. St. Lucia National Herbarium, Castries, St. Lucia.

LONGUEFOSSE JL, NOSSIN E, 1990-95

Enquête TRAMIL. Association pour la valorisation des plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe AVPMC, Fort de France, Martinique.

DELAIGUE J, 2005

TRAMIL survey. PRDI, Tobago House of Assembly, Scarborough, Tobago.

GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU L, GERONIMO M, AMPARO C, 1984

Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

LAGOS-WITTE S, 1988-1995

Encuestas TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Histología Vegetal y Etnobotánica, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras UNAH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

WENIGER B, 1987-88

Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

FORGACS P, JACQUEMIN H, MORETTI C, PROVOST J, TOUCHE A, 1983

Etude phytochimique et activités biologiques de 18 plantes de la Guyane Française. Plantes Médicinales Phytothér 17(1):22-32.

WONG K, FENG M, SAM T, TAN G, 1994

Composition of the leaf and root oils of Eryngium foetidum L. J Essent Oil Res 6(4):369-374.

MUNSELL H, WILLIAMS LO, GUILD LP, TROESCHER CB, NIGHTINGALE G, HARRIS RS, 1950

Composition of food plants of Central America. IV: El Salvador. Food Res 15(4):263-296.

ARBAIN D, CANNON JR, AFRIASTINI, KARTAWINATA K, DJAMAL R, BUSTARI A, DHARMA A, ROSMAWATY H, SJAFAR M, SJAIFUL, NAWFA R, KOSELA S, 1989

Survey of some West Sumatran plants for alkaloids. Econ Bot 43(1):73-78.

HERRERA J, 1992

Determinación de parámetros farmacológicos usados en medicina tradicional popular en la Cuenca del Caribe. Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.

SARAVIA A, 1992

Estudios sobre plantas TRAMIL. Departamento de Farmacología, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala, Guatemala.

GARCIA D, SAENZ T, 1995

Toxicidad aguda de algunas plantas TRAMIL. Informe TRAMIL. Farmacognosia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España.

SAENZ MT, FERNANDEZ MA, GARCIA MD 1997

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties from leaves of Eryngium foetidum L. (Apiaceae). Phytother Res 11:380–383.

SIMON O, SINGH N, 1986

Demonstration of anticonvulsant properties of an aqueous extract of spirit weed (Eryngium foetidum). Wi Med J 35(2):121-125.

SAUVAIN M, 1989

Etude des plantes antiparasitaires du plancton des Guyanes en Amazonie : antipaludiques et antileishmanioses (Thèse de Doctorat). Université Paris-Sud, Paris, France.

CACERES A, SAMAYOA B, 1989

Tamizaje de la actividad antibacteriana de plantas usadas en Guatemala para el tratamiento de afecciones gastrointestinales. Guatemala, Guatemala: Dirección General de Investigaciones, Universidad de San Carlos (DIGI- USAC).

GARCIA GM, COTO MT, GONZÁLEZ CS, PAZOS L, 1996

Toxicidad sub-crónica, en ratones, del extracto acuoso de la planta entera de Eryngium foetidum. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

PAZOS L, COTO T, GONZALEZ S, QUIROS S, 2004

Toxicidad oral, subcrónica en ratones, dosis repetidas, del extracto acuoso de planta entera de Eryngium foetidum. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

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Eryngium foetidum

Vernacular names

Martinique:

Dominica:

Trinidad and Tobago:

Dominican Republic:

Honduras:

Costa Rica:

Haiti:

French Guiana:

Dominica:

Martinique:

Dominican Republic:

Honduras:

Costa Rica:

Nicaragua:

Haiti:

Colombia:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

Disclaimer