Ammi visnaga

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Umbelliferae

Genus

Ammi

Life cycle

annual, biennial

Height

0.75 m

Spread

0.4 m

Fertility

Self fertile, Insects

Flower type

hermaphrodite

Pollinators

Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw^[3]. Chewed for their pleasant aromatic flavour^[4].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Visnaga is an effective muscle relaxant and has been used for centuries to alleviate the excruciating pain of kidney stones^[7]. Modern research has confirmed the validity of this traditional use^[7]. Visnagin contains khellin, from which particularly safe pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of asthma have been made^[7]. The seeds are diuretic and lithontripic^[8]. They contain a fatty oil that includes the substance 'khellin'. This has been shown to be of benefit in the treatment of asthma^[6]. Taken internally, the seeds have a strongly antispasmodic action on the smaller bronchial muscles^[7], they also dilate the bronchial, urinary and blood vessels without affecting blood pressure^[6]. The affect last for about 6 hours and the plant has practically no side effects^[7]. The seeds are used in the treatment of asthma, angina, coronary arteriosclerosis and kidney stones^[6]. By relaxing the muscles of the urethra, visnaga reduces the pain caused by trapped kidney stones and helps ease the stone down into the bladder^[7]. The seeds are harvested in late summer before they have fully ripened and are dried for later use^[7].

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The fruiting pedicel is used as a toothpick^[8][10][2] whilst the seeds have been used as a tooth cleaner^[7].

Environment

Range

C. Europe to W. Asia and N. Africa.

Habitat

Fields and sandy places^[1].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

light shade

Water

moderate

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline

Drainage

well drained

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position^[6], succeeding in ordinary garden soil. Tolerates a pH in the range 6.8 to 8.3. This species is not fully winter-hardy in the colder areas of Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual^[6]. This plant is sold as toothpicks in Egyptian markets^[8].

Related plants

• Ammi majusBishop's Weed
• Aciphylla colensoiWild Spaniard
• Aciphylla squarrosaSpeargrass
• Aegopodium alpestre

References

1. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

   ↩

2. Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq.

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3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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4. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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5. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

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6. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

7. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

   ↩1↩2↩3

9. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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