Common Name: Para Cress

General Information

Acmella oleracea is an upright or prostrate annual to perennial plant with stems that are usually decumbent to ascending; it can grow up to 90cm tall[].
The plant is commonly used as a food in the tropics, and is also well known as a treatment for toothache. In addition, it contains active compounds which have been shown to have insecticidal properties. It is often cultivated as an annual for its edible leaves, especially in Brazil, and is also grown for its medicinal virtues as well as being widely cultivated as an ornamental for its attractive colourful flower heads[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Peru.

Habitat

Found only as an escape from cultivation, growing in weedy places, usually in wet localities such as lakeside marshes[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental

Cultivation Details

Prefers a sunny position[].
Plants have escaped from cultivation in New Caledonia, where the species is classified as 'Invasive'[].
There is a wild form with much stronger flavoured leaves that is occasionally used in salads but is more commonly used medicinally, especially to treat toothache[, ]. A cultivated form 'Oleracea' has milder flavoured leaves and has become very popular in Brazil both as a salad and an addition to soups[].
It has been suggested that Acmella oleracea was mostly likely derived through cultivation from Acmella alba (L’Hér.) R. K. Jansen in central Peru[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, ]. Adds a pungent flavour to salads that stimulates the salivary glands whilst having a numbing effect on the tongue and lips[, ]. Eating the leaves is a memorable experience. They have a smell similar to any green leafy vegetable. The taste, however, is somewhat reminiscent of Echinacea, but lacking the bitter and sometimes nauseating element of that plant. First, a strong, spicy warmth spreads outward across one's tongue, turning into a prickling sensation. With this the salivary glands leap into action, pumping out quantities of saliva. As the prickling spreads, it mellows into an acidic (slightly metallic) sharpness accompanied by tingling, and then numbness. The numbness fades after a time (two to twenty minutes, depending on the person and amount eaten), and the pungent aftertaste may linger for an hour or more[]. A very popular ingredient in Amazonian soup dishes, and has become the favourite vegetable for Europeans living in Madagascar[].

Medicinal

This species, and several other related species, is commonly used wherever it grows in order to relieve toothache, and treat throat and gum infections[, ]. Worldwide the flower heads are used either fresh or dried and powdered, but the use of roots and leaves has been recommended as well[].

An infusion of the flowers is used to treat stomach pains, especially in babies[].

The plant is further recommended as a cure for dysentery and rheumatism, and to enhance the immune system. It is used against blood parasites, especially against malaria, both prophylactic and curative[].

The leaves are sialagogue[].
The leaves and flower heads are analgesic, anthelmintic, antibacterial and antifungal[]. Some of the medicinal compounds are destroyed by desiccation or freezing[].

In-vitro studies have shown strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia, Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella and Staphylococcus. Also Candida albicans is inhibited[].

Other Uses

Use as an insecticide has proved effective against mosquitoes and corn earworm[].
The fruit has been used as an insecticide in India[].

Propagation

Seed - requires a temperature of 21°c to germinate[]. Germination takes place in about 2 weeks[].
Cuttings when the plant is not in flower[].

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