''Acmella oleracea'' is a species of flowering herb in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. Common names include toothache plant, Szechuan buttons, paracress, jambu, buzz buttons, tingflowers and electric daisy. Its native distribution is unclear, but it is likely derived from a

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian ''Acmella'' species. A small, erect plant, it grows quickly and bears gold and red

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s. It is frost-sensitive but perennial in warmer climates. Its

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''oleracea'' means "vegetable/herbal" in Latin and is a form of ().

Culinary uses

For culinary purposes, small amounts of shredded fresh leaves are said to add a unique flavour to salads. Cooked leaves lose their strong flavor and may be used as

leafy greens Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by their petioles and shoots, if tender. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

; additionally, they are edible in their raw form, along with the fruit. Young branches can be cooked and eaten without concern. In Madagascar, the plant is known as ''brèdes mafane'', and is a main ingredient in the

national dish A national dish is a culinary Dish (food), dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs ...

of the island, called '' Romazava''. Both fresh and cooked leaves are used in dishes such as stews like

Tacacá Tacacá () is a typical dish of Northern Brazil (mostly consumed in Pará, Amazonas, Acre, Amapá and Roraima). It is made with (a native variety of paracress), (a broth made with wild manioc), cooked tapioca gum (also manioc-based), and ...

in northern Brazil, especially in the state of

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

. They are combined with chilis and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

to add flavor and vitamins to other foods. The flower bud has a grassy taste followed by a strong tingling or numbing sensation and often excessive

salivation Saliva (commonly referred as spit or drool) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DN ...

, with a cooling sensation in the throat. The buds are known as "buzz buttons", "Sichuan buttons", "sansho buttons", and "electric buttons". In

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, they are used as flavoring in

chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco, smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower Gums, gum to draw out its flavor. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; it is not gr ...

. A concentrated extract of the plant, sometimes called jambu oil or jambu extract, is used as a flavoring agent in foods, chewing gum, and chewing tobacco. The oil is traditionally extracted from all parts of the plant. EFSA and JECFA reviewed a feeding study in rats and both authorities recognized that the no adverse effect level for

spilanthol Spilanthol (affinin) is a fatty acid amide isolated from ''Acmella oleracea''. It is believed to be responsible for the local anesthetic properties of the plant. Spilanthol permeates the human skin and the inside lining of the cheeks in the mouth ...

was 572 mg/kg b.w./day, yielding a safe dose of spilanthol of 1.9 mg/kg b.w./day, or 133.5 mg/70-kg-male/day, 111 mg/58-kg-female/day, or 38 mg/20-kg-child/day. Jambu extract as a flavoring agent is described as having a citrus, herbal, tropical or musty odor, and its taste can be described as pungent, cooling, tingling, numbing, or effervescent. Spilanthol, the major constituent of jambu extract, is responsible for the perception of a mouth-watering flavor sensation, as well as the ability to promote salivation as a

sialogogue A sialogogue (also spelled sialagogue, ptysmagogue or ptyalagogue) is a substance, especially a medication, that increases the flow rate of saliva. The definition focuses on substances that promote production or secretion of saliva (proximal caus ...

, perhaps through its astringent action or its pungent taste.

Cultivation

This plant prefers well-drained, black (high organic content) soil. If starting outdoors, the seeds should not be exposed to cold weather, so start after last frost. Seeds need direct sunlight to germinate, so should not be buried.

Traditional medicine

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal medicine systems. D ...

or infusion of the leaves and flowers has been used as a

folk remedy Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

Active chemicals

File:Spilanthol skeletal.svg,

Spilanthol Spilanthol (affinin) is a fatty acid amide isolated from ''Acmella oleracea''. It is believed to be responsible for the local anesthetic properties of the plant. Spilanthol permeates the human skin and the inside lining of the cheeks in the mouth ...

: (2''E'',6''Z'',8''E'')-deca-2,6,8-trienoic acid isobutyl amide File:Undeca-2E,7Z,9E-trienoic acid isobutylamide.svg, (2''E'',7''Z'',9''E'')-Undeca-2,7,9-trienoic acid isobutyl amide, another alkylamide from ''Acmella oleracea'' File:Undeca-2E-en-8,10-diynoic acid isobutylamide.svg, (2''E'')-Undeca-2-en-8,10-diynoic acid isobutyl amide The most important taste-active molecules present are

fatty acid amide Fatty acid amides (FAAs) are amides formed from a fatty acid and an amine. In nature, many FAAs have ethanolamine as the amine component. Also known as ''N''-acylethanolamines, they contain the functionality RC(O)N(H)CH2CH2OH. A well known examp ...

s such as spilanthol, which is responsible for the

trigeminal In neuroanatomy, the trigeminal nerve ( lit. ''triplet'' nerve), also known as the fifth cranial nerve, cranial nerve V, or simply CN V, is a cranial nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as biting and chewing ...

and saliva-inducing effects of the plant. It also contains stigmasteryl-3-''O''-''b''-D-glucopyranoside and a number of

triterpene Triterpenes are a class of terpenes composed of six isoprene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of three terpene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squalene, the pre ...

s. The isolation and total synthesis of the active ingredients have been reported.

Biological pest control

Extracts were

bioassay A bioassay is an analytical method to determine the potency or effect of a substance by its effect on animal testing, living animals or plants (''in vivo''), or on living cells or tissues (''in vitro''). A bioassay can be either quantal or quantit ...

ed against

yellow fever mosquito ''Aedes aegypti'' ( or from Greek 'hateful' and from Latin, meaning 'of Egypt'), sometimes called the Egyptian mosquito, dengue mosquito or yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that spreads diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever, malaria ...

(''Aedes aegypti'') and

corn earworm moth ''Helicoverpa zea, ''commonly known as the corn earworm, is a species (formerly in the genus ''Heliothis'') in the family Noctuidae. The larva of the moth ''Helicoverpa zea'' is a major agricultural pest. Since it is polyphagous (feeds on many d ...

(''Helicoverpa zea'') larvae. The spilanthol proved effective at killing mosquitoes, with a 24-hour LD₁₀₀ of 12.5 μg/mL, and 50% mortality at 6.25 μg/mL. The mixture of spilanthol

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the exi ...

s produced a 66% weight reduction of corn earworm larvae at 250 μg/mL after 6 days.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar , from = Q2097498 oleracea Flora of Brazil Leaf vegetables Medicinal plants of South America