Estrella del Mar (Ulam Raja) : Cosmos caudatus

Cosmos caudatus Synonyms Common Names Sometimes called “Spanish needles” although this name is typically used for the (closely related) herb Bidens pilosa. Some Common Names in Asian countries Indonesia: kenikir (Java), randa midang (West Java). Philippines: cosmos (Tagalog), turay-turay (Bisaya), onwad (Ifugao). Thailand: daoruang-phama (Bangkok), khamhae (northern). Malaysia: ulam raja, hulam raja, pelampong. In Malay culture, the word “ulam” refers to certain plants found locally … Continue reading Estrella del Mar (Ulam Raja) : Cosmos caudatus

Quelite : Piojito : Galinsoga parviflora

Researching this herb has been a joy. It has identified a plant I have seen (as a weed) and am now able to identify as a useful quelite. Research has also uncovered several related plants that also fall into the same categories as weed/quelite. This has expanded my knowledge both as a medical herbalist and as a chef. These are the plants I find the … Continue reading Quelite : Piojito : Galinsoga parviflora

Medicinal Ash.

The tortilla is without a doubt a wonder food. It is produced from that quintessential of all Mexican grains maize (1). Maize is a highly nutritious plant (2) The figures below show the nutritional profile of nixtamalized corn tortillas (and some of their offspring such as totopos/corn chips) in comparison with that of white bread. The plain corn tortilla is nutritionally superior to white bread … Continue reading Medicinal Ash.

Porophyllum filiforme

Porophyllum filiforme Rydb. (S .F Blake) : Syn. Syn. Porophyllum filifolium Gray, Proc.fl Amer. Acad. 19:35. 1883, not P. filifolium DC, 1836. Also called : Yerba del venado, Benna dia, Jarilla esbelta marron (slender brown jarilla), slender poreleaf P.filiforme is one of the less common poreleafs. It is native to areas around Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and San Luis Potosi. As of 2016 Rebman (etal) states … Continue reading Porophyllum filiforme

The Pore Leaf in Peru

Porophyllum ruderale Synonyms (1): Homotypic synonyms (2): Cacalia ruderalis (Jacq.) Sw.; Kleinia ruderalis Jacq.; Porophyllum ruderale subsp. ruderale (Jacq.) Cass.; Heterotypic synonyms (3): Cacalia glandulosa Salisb.; Kleinia glandulosa Moc. & Sessé; Kleinia glandulosa Sessé & Moc.; Kleinia porophyllum (L.) Willd.; Porophyllum ellipticum (L.) Cass.; Porophyllum latifolium Benth.; Porophyllum macrocephalum DC.; Porophyllum macrolepidium Malme; Porophyllum porophyllum (L.) Kuntze; a word or phrase that means exactly or … Continue reading The Pore Leaf in Peru

The Pore Leaf in Brazil

Porophyllum ruderale can be found as an urban weed in Brazil with it growing in both urban areas and in high altitude fields. Confirmed sightings of the species have been made at…… North (Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins) Northeast (Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe) Central-west (Distrito Federal, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso) Southeast (Espírito Santo, … Continue reading The Pore Leaf in Brazil

Skunkweed and the Skunk

Cover Image via Sensi Seeds (this Post does not cover cannabis at all. In English, ‘skunk’ has become slang for any potent, high-THC strain of cannabis. The media often uses ‘skunk’ to define ‘street weed’, usually in a derogatory fashion. In fact, Skunk #1 is the official name of one of the oldest and most popular strains of cannabis, and there is a ‘Skunk family’ … Continue reading Skunkweed and the Skunk

Papaloquelite : Chaoacocopin

Chaoacocopin has been previously noted as one of the common names of Papaloquelite (Porophyllum macrocephalum) (1). I have come across this plant in an old text and would like to delve a little more deeply into this particular pore leaf (P.macrocephalum is most definitely my favourite pore leaf so far. I am however waiting to get the chance to grow some of the narrow leaved … Continue reading Papaloquelite : Chaoacocopin

Flor de Jamaica : A Confusion of Hibisci*

*Hibiscuses? (both are valid it seems) A vital component of medicinal herbalism is knowing EXACTLY what plant you are using. This is extremely important if you are taking the plant internally. Knowing a plant with 100% certainty is the equivalent of knowing the difference between milk and orange juice when you go to the fridge. If you don’t know the plant with this level of … Continue reading Flor de Jamaica : A Confusion of Hibisci*

Quelite : Chipilin : Crotalaria longirostrata

also called : chepil, chepilin, cascabel de vibora, chapilin, chinchín de zope, chipilín de zope, chipilín de caballo, chipilino, garbancillo, parrajachel, tcap-in, tronador, longbeak rattlebox. Some 600 or more species of Crotalaria are described worldwide, mostly from the tropics with at least 500 species known from Africa: 19 species are native to Australia (Ryan etal 2011). The common name rattlepod or rattlebox is derived from … Continue reading Quelite : Chipilin : Crotalaria longirostrata