Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 302308

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Fitoterapia
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / f i t o t e

Review

Eryngium foetidum L.: A review

J.H.A. Paul a,, C.E. Seaforth a, T. Tikasingh b
a
Caribbean Herbal Medicine Research Institute, The University of Trinidad and Tobago, Waterloo Research Centre, Waterloo Road, WI Central Trinidad,
Trinidad and Tobago
b
Thames Valley University, Paragon House, Brentford TW8 9GA, England

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 10 September 2010
Accepted in revised form 20 October 2010
Available online 6 November 2010
Keywords:
Eryngium foetidum
Traditional uses
Essential oil
Anthelmintic
Anti-inammatory
Eryngial

a b s t r a c t
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, ts, asthma, stomach ache, worms, infertility complications, snake bites, diarrhea
and malaria. Chemical evaluation of the leaves indicated the presence of avonoids, tannins, a
saponin and several triterpenoids; but no alkaloids were reported. A signicant 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-inammatory 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. These
ndings suggest the need for further research of this herb and its products.
2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Traditional uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cultivation, propagation, harvesting and storage
Phytochemistry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bioactivity and pharmacological properties. . .
5.1.
Anthelmintic activity . . . . . . . . . .
5.2.
Anti-convulsant activity . . . . . . . .
5.3.
Anti-inammatory and analgesic activity
5.4.
Antibacterial activity . . . . . . . . . .
5.5.
Antimalarial activity . . . . . . . . . .
5.6.
Anti-diabetes activity . . . . . . . . .
5.7.
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Corresponding author. Tel.: + 868 673 2654, + 868 673 0029, + 868 642 8888x32100; fax: + 868 673 0373.
E-mail addresses: jennifer.paul@utt.edu.tt (J.H.A. Paul), compton.seaforth@utt.edu.tt (C.E. Seaforth), tikkimaria@yahoo.com (T. Tikasingh).
0367-326X/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.tote.2010.11.010

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307

J.H.A. Paul et al. / Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 302308

1. Introduction
Eryngium foetidum L. (UmbelliferaeApiaceae) is known
by several local, common names, such as Mexican coriander, spirit weed, t weed, cilantro, bhandhania and
shado beni [1].
The plant is indigenous to Tropical America and the West
Indies where it is used as medicine and food [1]. It has
become naturalized and often is cultivated across South
Asia, the Pacic islands, Tropical Africa and the warmer
southern parts of Europe [16]. The indigenous people of
Northeast India use the plant for food [7] some having
domesticated the plant in their kitchen gardens and orchards [8,9].
E. foetidum is a biennial, pungently smelling, tropical
herb which grows best in wet or moist conditions on open
banks or in pastures. The roots are eshy, the stems solitary
and frequently branched. The whole plant is glabrous and
strongly scented. The oblanceolate leaves have toothed
margins, a yellowish spine, are 820 cm long, and grow in a
basal rosette pattern. Whitish inorescences are borne on
long shoots (3050 cm) as a conspicuous apical turf. The
fruit is globose to ovoid and is covered with rounded
protrusions of 12 mm long [1,10,11].
The herb was introduced around the 1880s into SouthEast Asia by the Chinese, as a substitute condiment for the
coriander (Coriandum sativum L.), no doubt because of its
similar pungent smell [1214]. It is sometimes substituted
and adulterated in the spice trade by other species of the
genus Eryngium, as such "culantro" has been recommended
as the standardized common name for E. foetidum [1]. Beside
its use for culinary purposes, it is an important item in the
perfumery and cosmetic industries [15]. The essential oil is
of high economical value in international trade markets [16].
Despite the widespread use of this herb for food and as an
ethnomedicinal agent, only recently has there been a
proliferation of phytochemical investigations on the plant.
Most of these investigations were on the volatile essential
oils where close to forty compounds have been identied.
There remains a lack of information on the more polar
constituents which are likely to be extracted in the traditional teas used as medicine. Similarly only a few of the purported pharmacological properties of the plant extract
have been investigated and these were either in vitro or in
animal models.

303

Ancient tribes such as those of Mexico, the Caribs of the

Caribbean, the Rama midwives of Nicaragua and the Apantani
Indians of India used various preparations of the plant mainly
for pains such as stomach aches [1,2024]. However, it is noted
that a possible side effect resulting from consumption of the
crushed plant material is constipation [25].
Six communities register the plant as being useful for
female reproductive problems such as infertility, childbirth
complications, menstrual pains, ease of delivery, postpartum
abdominal pains, vaginal infections and as an emmenagogue
[1,23,2629]. In Brazil a decoction of the whole plant is used
to ease delivery, but is contraindicated for pregnancy because
it is reported to provoke uterine contraction [28]. Costa Ricans
regard the plant as an aphrodisiac but no mention is made of
the affected sex [1].
Other notable ailments for which this plant has been used
includes hypertension [1,30], rheumatism [22], asthma [21],
eye disease [31], poisoning [32], venereal disease (VD)[33],
diabetes [34], as a vermifuge [1,26,27,34,35], ts [1,35], pain
[36], malaria [37] and snake bites [38,39] although Uawonggul et al. [40] found that the plant extracts were hardly
effective when tested for activity against broblast cell lysis
after treatment with Heterometrus laoticus scorpion venom.
These claims of medicinal properties are yet to be substantiated by clinical trials in humans. For a summary of the
ethnomedicinal uses reported for E. foetidum see Table 1.
3. Cultivation, propagation, harvesting and storage
E. foetidum has been used for a long time as food and is
cultivated in many Tropical regions as an economic crop.
Documentation containing a full description of the optimal
conditions for cultivating, harvesting and postharvesting
treatment of the crop has been recorded [5461]. Additionally, the results of exploration studies on the propagation
from various plant parts, postharvest handling and storage
are available [15,16,6275]. Reports by Morales and O Campo
et al. [54,55] suggest that the plant is easy to cultivate and
hardly affected by diseases and pests.
The technology for mass production of this plant is already
available. What is needed are the scientic studies to validate
the traditional claims of medicinal value. If it is determined
that conditions which favour production of the herb in high
yield for food purposes also preserve the reported "medicinal
properties" of the plant, this could lead to an opportunity for
adding value to an existing product and an economic boost
for those regions that cultivate it for export.

2. Traditional uses
4. Phytochemistry
The traditional uses recorded for this herb, are numerous
and mainly medicinal [1]. In Tropical America and the West
Indies where the plant is indigenous, the prevailing use of
the plant is to treat fevers, colds, the u and as food [1]. In
Surinam a treatment for colds is even prescribed for babies.
Here a decoction of the leaves is used to bathe the child and a
small amount of the mixture is given to drink. For fever the
leaves and roots are mixed with coconut oil (Cocos nucifera)
and the child is rubbed [1,17]. As a food, the leaves of E.
foetidum are added to curries, chutneys, stews and soups as a
avouring agent [7,9,18]. It is cultivated in the urban gardens
of Belm, Brazil for food [19].

The aerial parts of the herb are a rich source of calcium,

iron, riboavin, carotene, vitamins A, B, and C and essential
oils [14,76]. The fresh leaves contain over 85% moisture,
3.3% protein, 0.6% fat, 6.5% carbohydrate, 1.7% ash, 0.06%
phosphorus and 0.02% iron [14]. The nutritional value of
the plants growing in Assam, India and South China has
been documented [77,78].
The essential oil of E. foetidum can vary in content from 0.1 to
0.95% of dry weight of the leaves [14]. A major constituent of the
oil is E-2-dodecenal ("eryngial") [79], which was rst reported
in 1932 by Koolhaas [3]. This alkenal has been found in varying

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J.H.A. Paul et al. / Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 302308

Table 1
Ethnomedicinal uses for E. foetidum.
Plant part

Method of preparation

Use

References

Leaf

Infusion

Fever, u, diabetes,
hypertension, constipation
diuretic, anti-convulsant
Colds, heat, muscular pain
Diarrhea, stomach ache, cold,
Fever, u, gas, nausea, malaria,
leishmaniasis
Snake bite, aire, abdominal pain,
postpartum abdominal pain
fever, digestive ailments,
vaginal infections
Hypertension, colds, fevers
Stomach ache, asthma
Rheumatism, emmenagogue
Indigestion

[34,35]

Anti-convulsant
Abscess, boils
Geniturinary disturbances
Colds, u, diarrhea, childbirth
complications, infertility,
menstrual pain, unspecied
female complications,
poisoning, gastritis, fever,
snakebites
Eye disease

[45]
[46]
[47]
[1,26,27,32,39]

Biliousness, constipation, ts
yellow fever
Fever, u, chills, gout,
condiment, ease delivery, VD
Remove parasites, infection,
itching
Earache, chest pains, fevers
hypertension, ts, convulsions
gastrointestinal problems
Headache
Abortion induction, sexual
dysfunction, diarrhea, fever,
headaches
Vermifuge
Worm infections
Headache
Headaches, cure madness
Aphrodisiac, emmenagogue,
abortifacient, convulsions,
ts
Febrifuge, sudoric

[1]

Bath
Decoction or tincture
sometimes with lemon
Decoctions or infusions

Whole plant

Decoction
Concoction mixed with milk
Tincture rub
Leaves, roots and fruits are
crushed and taken
Juice
Plaster
Unspecied
Unspecied

Boiled or toasted
and massaged
Boiled with castor oil
Decoctions
Juice
Aerial parts

Decoction

Topical application of paste

Unspecied

Roots

Seeds
Unspecied

Infusion
Infusion in rum or wine tincture
Topical application of paste
Topical application of paste
Unspecied

Drink or massage

levels in the leaf oils from E. foetidum plants growing in India

(45.9%) [8], in Vietnam (45.5%) [3], in Malaysia (59.7%) [3], in
Bangladesh (37.4%) [3], in the Venezuelan Andes (27.5%) [80],
in South Vietnam (5867%) [81], Western Nepal (58.1%) [82]
and in Sao Tome e Principe (15.937.5%) [83]. It is a minor
constituent in the oil of plants growing in Cuba [84] and Taiwan
(b1.32%) [85]. Eryngial is known to produce signicant
inhibition of human cytochrome P450 2E1 [86]. This observation suggests that, if eryngial is present in sufcient dosages in a
traditional plant extract, consuming this extract might have the
potential to inhibit drug metabolism, thereby increasing the
potency of drugs taken concomitantly with it, and consequently
raising concerns for possible adverse herbdrug interactions.
The GC and GC/MS analysis of the essential oil of the plant
from Venezuela also identied the following constituents:

[3436]
[1,37,41]

[23,38,42,43]

[1,28]
[20,21]
[22,44]
[25]

[31]

[17,33,44,46]
[48]
[22,49]

[50]
[51]

[34,35]
[1,26,27]
[52,53]
[24,53]
[1]

[1]

2,4,5-trimethylbenzaldehyde (27.7%), carotol (8.8%), 3-dodecenal (5.2%) and -terpinene (3.8%) [80]. Some of the nonaldehydic constituents found in the essential oils are dodecanoic acid (10.69%), trans-2-dodecenoic acid (9.73%), durylic
acid (2.27%), limonene (2.00%), -pinene (2.4%), -terpinene
(3.8%) and hexadecanoic acid (12.05%) [3,80,84].
In all cases, the aldehydes are very signicant constituents of the volatile oil of E. foetidum, and they include
mesitaldehyde and dodecenal (in Indian plants), 2,4,5trimethylbenzaldehyde and dodecenal (in Venezuelian
plants), and E-2-tetradecenal and 2,3,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde (in Sao Tome e Principe plants) [3].
When a comparison was made between the essential oil
of the leaves of E. foetidum and coriander (C. sativum)
grown in Fiji as well on samples of the plants taken from

J.H.A. Paul et al. / Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 302308

markets in the USA, the main "character-impact" odorants

were identied as E-2-dodecenal (52.9%) and eugenol
(22.8%) from the former plant, as opposed to Z-2-dodecenal
(18.3%) and E-2-dodecenal (b14%) in coriander [87,88].
Phytochemical screening of the leaves indicated the
presence of unbound triterpenoids, -cholesterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol being the main
components totaling 95%, and clerosterol, -sitosterol, -5avenasterol, -(5)-24-stigmastadienol and -7-avenasterol
as the remainder [89]. Flavonoids, tannins and a saponin
have also been isolated from the aerial parts, however no
alkaloids have been reported [9092]. The latter is signicant as alkaloids are known to exhibit marked biological
activity.
A summary of the compounds isolated from E. foetidum is
carried in Table 2.
5. Bioactivity and pharmacological properties
Extracts of E. foetidum have been evaluated for anthelmintic, anti-convulsant, anti-inammatory, analgesic, antimalarial and antibacterial properties that were reported from
traditional use. One major limitation of these tests is that they
were done in vitro or on animal models and therefore lack the
clinical data which determine their suitability for human use.
5.1. Anthelmintic activity
In Jamaica, the rened plant extracts rich in eryngial (E-2dodecenal) appeared to be remarkably anthelmintic during
in vitro screening using Strongyloides stercoralis (infective
larvae) as the test organism [96]. This is an important
observation, because Strongyloides stercoralis (threadworm)
infection is clinically the most severe parasitic disease of
humans in the Caribbean region, and this skin-penetrating
parasite is the cause of long-enduring, low-grade internal
infections. The research ndings of Forbes et al. in 2002 [96]
were elaborated into a US patent application on new methods
for treating infectious diseases in humans and other mammals, which were caused by parasitic trypanosomes, bacteria
and fungi and by parasitic nematodes [97]. These discoveries
suggest a possible role in veterinary medicine.
5.2. Anti-convulsant activity
This plant has been used extensively in traditional
medicine to treat ts in Jamaica [37]. A pharmacological
evaluation using 3 mL of an aqueous extract prepared at a
concentration of 110 g/250 mL demonstrated anti-convulsant
activity in rats with picrotoxin-induced (4.5 mg/kg i.p.)
convulsions [37]. In a review entitled "Phytotherapy in
Epilepsy", Nsour et al. [98] indicated that aqueous extracts,
boiled or that obtained by steam distillation of the leaves
and stems, when administered intraperitoneally to rats, were
shown to be as effective in treating epilepsy as the
phenobarbitone control [37,98]. Epilepsy is a disorder of
the nervous system which depending on severity can lead to
death of the patient. The results which present evidence of
anti-convulsant activity in the plant extracts have been
available since 1986 [37] yet, to date the component(s)
responsible for this activity have not been explored.

305

Table 2
Compounds identied from E. foetidum.

Leaves
Triterpenoids
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Carbonyls
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Alcohols
25.
Acids
26.
27.
28.
Terpenes
29.
30.
31.
Aerial parts
Saponins
32.

Roots
Alcohols
33.
Carbonyl
34.
Seeds
Alcohols
35.
Terpenes
36.
37.
38.

Compound Name

References

-Cholesterol
Campesterol
Stigmasterol
-5-24-Stigmastadienol
-Sitosterol
Brassicasterol
Clerosterol
-5-Avenasterol
-7-Avenasterol

[89]
[89]
[89]
[89]
[89]
[89]
[89]
[89]
[89]

2,4,5-Trimethylbenzaldehyde
2,3,4-Trimethylbenzaldehyde
2,3,6-Trimethylbenzaldehyde
(E)-2-Dodecenal
3-Dodecenal
(E)-2-Decenal
(E)-4-Decenal
(E)-2-Undecenal
Dodecenal
7-Octadecanal
(E)-2-Tetradecenal
(E)-2-Tridecenal
4-Hydroxy-3,5dimethylacetophenone
Duraldehyde
5-Undecanone

[3,80,84,85,93,94]
[85]
[82,83]
[3,80,82,85,93,94]
[3,80,84,85,93,94]
[86]
[82]
[86]
[82,86]
[80]
[83]
[80,82]
[83]

Carotol

[3,80,84,85,93,94]

Hexadecanoic acid
(E)-2-Dodecenoic acid
Dodecanoic acid

[84]
[80,93]
[3]

-Pinene
-Terpinene
Limonene

[80]
[83]
[3]

[82]
[83]

[91]
O-(3)-{-D-glucopyranosyl(1 2 rham)--D-fucopyranosyl(1 3 rham)-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1 4 glu)--D-glucopyranosyl}olean-12-en-23,28-diol.

2-Formyl-1,1,5-trimethyl
cyclohexa-2,4-dien-6-ol

[94]

2,3,6-Trimethylbenzaldehyde

[94]

Carotol

[95]

(E)--Farnesene
(E)-Anethole
-Pinene

[95]
[95]
[95]

5.3. Anti-inammatory and analgesic activity

An organic extract from the leaves rich in stigmasterol
(95%), was shown by Garcia et al. [89] to display topical antiinammatory activity on chronic and acute inammation in

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J.H.A. Paul et al. / Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 302308

animal models. Although stigmasterol exhibits signicant

topical anti-inammatory activity, by itself it could not
account for the overall effects observed for the total phytosterols [89].
The decoction when given orally to rodents in doses of
250 and 500 mg/kg, was also found to inhibit carrageenaninduced oedema in the paws and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate-induced oedema in the ears [99]. In this study
both topical and oral administration exhibited dosedependent activity however oral administration was more
effective suggesting the inuence of a more polar constituent. Additionally the extract potently inhibited the number of writhings provoked by acetic acid in mice [99].
These results indicate anti-inammatory and analgesic
activity only in animal models. The implications for humans
need to be determined, especially since there is a claim in the
traditional folklore of use in the treatment of asthma and
rheumatism [21,22].
5.4. Antibacterial activity
In a study by Guevara et al. [100] which evaluated the in
vitro bactericidal effects of several plant extracts against plant
pathogenic bacteria from mango (Mangifera indica), sunower (Helianthus annuus), papaya (Carica papaya) and banana
(Musa sp.), the greatest effects were found with coriander
(E. foetidum) against the Erwinia genus of Enterobacteriaceae.
However when subjected to in vitro tests against Helicobacter
species isolated from gastric biopsy samples, methanol
extracts of E. foetidum showed only weak activity when
applied at a concentration of 1 mg/mL [32].
In yet another study by Kubo et al. [101], pure E-2dodecenal ("eryngial") showed potent activity (minimum
bactericidal concentration, MBC of 6.25 g/mL) (34 M),
against Salmonella choleraesuis at all growth stages. Since
the extracts from the aerial part of the plant were negative
when screened broadly for antimicrobial activity, and
displayed limited toxicity against brine shrimp (6.7% compared to the lapachol control which showed 100% toxicity)
[50], the observed antibacterial activity maybe highly specic, targeting only a limited number of organisms.
5.5. Antimalarial activity
In a study by Roumy et al. [37], extracts from the plant
were tested for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against
Plasmodium falciparum. The results (IC50 N 25 g/mL) suggest
that the potential of this plant as an antimalarial drug for
humans is low despite the claims of traditional use [37].
Interestingly in the screening of the aqueous extract of the
entire plant against various species of Plasmodium, activity
was only reported against P. gallinaceum which infects
chickens [102] thereby suggesting another possible veterinary use.
5.6. Anti-diabetes activity
Folklore reports make moderate mention of the plant in
the treatment of diabetes [4,103]. According to Mai et al.
[104], an ideal anti-diabetic compound should possess both
hypoglycemic and antioxidant properties, with no adverse

effects. For a number of tropical plants these properties are

displayed by polyphenolic compounds. Preliminary evaluation of the blood glucose lowering effects of the plant (at
351 mg/kg and 176 mg/kg) on three animal models (normoglycaemic rats, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and
normal rats) subjected to the oral glucose-tolerance test,
revealed that a single (acute) oral dose of the leaf extract does
not cause signicant reduction in the level of glucose of the
models tested [105]. Also the polyphenolic content of the
plant was not signicant [106,107]. These results suggest that
the plant is not likely to be a candidate in the management of
blood sugar of diabetic patients.
5.7. Other
Yagi et al. [108] has obtained a Japanese patent for having
developed a skin-whitening agent in which E. foetidum is
one of four plants used. The preparation is to be used for
sunburns, freckles, liver spot and related instances where
skin-whitening is required. The exact role of the plant extract
in this preparation is uncertain.
6. Conclusions
In vivo studies using animal models have conrmed the
anthelmintic, anti-convulsant and anti-inammatory properties of the leaf extract of E. foetidum [35,89,9699]. An
extract rich in eryngial has already been patented for the
treatment of parasites in humans and other mammals [96,97].
The phytosterol fraction of the plant shows anti-convulsant
properties. However, the constituents responsible for the
demonstrated anti-inammatory effects are still unknown
and their mechanisms of action still remain to be determined.
Other reports have mentioned the selective activity of
plant extracts against certain plant pathogenic bacteria
(Erwinia genus) [100], thereby revealing a possible role as a
pest control agent in the agriculture industry. The reported
activity against Salmonella is probably related to its ethno
medicinal use for stomach ache. Further investigations are
needed to fully explore this property.
Preliminary studies of the anti-diabetic, antimalarial
and anti-venom activities of the plant showed that it is not
signicant, however, the extensive use of the extract by
ancient tribes for various pains such as headaches, stomach
ache, earache and menstrual pain [see Table 1], is notable.
In preliminary studies an extract of the plant was signicantly effective against writhings in mice induced by acetic
acid [99]. Pain is a response to malfunction in the body and
occurs in association with every ailment. Because millions
of people suffer pains of one type or another and because
research into the understanding and treatment of pain has
been attracting more funding from NCCAM recently [109],
this could provide an incentive for further investigation of
the analgesic property of the plant.
The primary use of E. foetidum is as food. Its ethnomedicinal uses are numerous however only a few properties
have been studied and data for clinical trials in human is
severely lacking. The technology needed to produce the
plant in mass is already in use in regions where it is
grown for exportation. Analyses of the chemical constituents have focused mainly on the essential oils. These facts

J.H.A. Paul et al. / Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 302308

taken together make this plant a very suitable candidate

for exploration studies for new pharmaceutical agents.
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