Plant Name
Eryngium caucasicum Trautv.
Synonyms: Eryngium biebersteinianum, Eryngium coeruleum, Eryngium dichotomum.
Botanical Info
Perennial 100cm heigh.
Geography:
All reagions of the Caucasus, Central Asia: Kara-kum, Pamiro-Alaj, Tjan-Shang. Grows on pastures, fields outskirts, at aryks, in gardens, rarely on stony slopes.
Chemical Content
The plant contains essential oils. Steroids: a stigmasterol. Roots. Terpenoids: angelate of ferulole. Polyacetylene compounds: falkarinone, falkarinolone,falkarinole. An above-ground part. Carbohydrates – D-mannite. Flavonoids: rutinum. Fruits. Fatty oil, in its composition acids (in %): palmitic 7, petrozelinic 50, oleinic 12, linolic 23, stearinic 1.1.
Traditional Use and Activity
In India it is used as tonic. The ashes of the plant are used to treat haemorrhoids. Roots infusion is used for ascites, scrofula. It is diuretic. An above-ground part is used in the treatment of anaemia. In Azerbaijan, the plant is used for dermal diseases.The root is aphrodisiac and nervine.
E.caucasicum cultivated as a vegetable in the Elburz Mountains, which is Northern Iran.
Young leaves are in cooking and for flavouring in the preparation of several local dishes.