Eryngium foetidum L. - Apiaceae - culantro, Mexican coriander, long coriander, Stinkdistel, Langer Koriander
Biennial herb, up to 60cm high, native to Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. „… now a widespread weed in tropical and subtropical regions. The leaves are used as a flavoring (similar to Coriandrum sativum), and the species has reputed medicinal value.“
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200015526
http://www.conabio.gob.mx/malezasdemexico/apiaceae/eryngium-foetidum/fichas/ficha.htm
„The volatile oils isolated by steam distillation from the leaves and roots of Eryngium foetidum were analyzed by capillary GC, GC/MS and 1H-NMR. Alkanals and alkenals constituted the main chemical category in the leaf oil which contained (E)-2-dodecenal as the most abundant component (59.72%). In contrast, the root oil contained high amounts of aromatic and terpene aldehydes, among which 2,3,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde (37.55%) and 2-formyl-1,1,5-trimethylcyclohexa-2,4-dien-6-ol (19.82%) predominated.“
[Composition of the Leaf and Root Oils of Eryngium foetidum L., Wong, K. C., Feng, M. C., Sam, T. W., Tan, G. L., Journal of Essential Oil Research, Vol.6(4), 1994, 369-374]
„The essential oil of coriander leaves (Coriandrum sativum) and wild coriander leaves (Eryngium foetidum) grown in Fiji was obtained by steam distillation. The aroma profiles were characterised using gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO) and CharmAnalysisTM. The character-impact odorants were identified using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS). During GCO analysis, the co-elution of E-2-alkenals and E-2-alken-1-ols resulted in the perception of ‘odour-clusters’… The most abundant compound in E. foetidum was E-2-dodecenal (63.5% TIC), which also contributed the most odour activity (52.9%). Other important odorants were either eugenol or a trimethylbenzaldehyde isomer, β-ionone, Z-4-dodecenal, dodecanal, and E-2-tetradecenal. GC×GC–TOFMS allowed the identification of… 20 compounds not previously reported in the literature for… E. foetidum… In particular, β-ionone was determined to be an important odorant in both samples but could not be identified with GC–qMS.“
[Identification of character‐impact odorants in coriander and wild coriander leaves using gas chromatography‐olfactometry (GCO) and comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (GC× GC–TOFMS)., Eyres, G., Dufour, J. P., Hallifax, G., Sotheeswaran, S., Marriott, P. J., Journal of separation science, Vol.28(9‐10), 2005, 1061-1074]
„Eryngium foetidum L. is a biennial herb which is used extensively as a medicinal plant in most tropical regions. It is of increasing importance as a spice plant cultivated in India, Vietnam, Australia and elsewhere with well documented procedures for maximum yield. It also possesses a wide range of ethnomedicinal uses including treatment for burns, earache, fevers, hypertension, constipation, fits, asthma, stomach ache, worms, infertility complications, snake bites, diarrhea and malaria. Chemical evaluation of the leaves indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, a saponin and several triterpenoids; but no alkaloids were reported. A significant constituent of the essential oil of the plant is E-2-dodecenal („eryngial“), with isomers of trimethylbenzaldehyde being present in lesser proportions. Variability in the composition of essential oil was clearly dependent on the geographic location of the growing plant. Pharmacological studies of the aerial plant parts have demonstrated anthelmintic activity due to eryngial, anti-inflammatory action due to the phytosterol fractions, anti-convulsant activity in the respective models, and selective antibacterial activity against Salmonella species and the Erwinia genus of bacteria. A fraction of the essential oil rich in eryngial is the subject of a US patent application for its effectiveness against parasitic trypanosomes, nematodes, fungi and bacteria in humans and other mammals.“
[Eryngium foetidum L.: A review.Paul, J. H. A., Seaforth, C. E., Tikasingh, T., Fitoterapia, Vol.82(3), 2011, 302-308]