What is Chadon beni?

Chadon beni is a leafy kitchen herb used across the Caribbean as a seasoning. The plant is Eryngium foetidum. Its long, saw-edged leaves smell like cilantro, but stronger and sharper.

In Trinidad and Tobago it is called shado beni or bandhania. In the Dominican Republic and much of Latin America it is culantro. Cooks chop it into green seasoning, stews, rice, soups and chutneys.

It is also drunk as a home tea for colds, fever, gas and upset stomach. Those uses are traditional, not proven. Long use in a culture does not show that a remedy works, nor that it is safe.

The short verdict on evidence: there is almost no human research. What exists is test-tube and animal work. As a food herb it has a long, safe-looking track record; as a medicine it is untested.

How does Chadon beni work?

No one has shown how chadon beni works in the body of a person. Everything below comes from lab dishes and animals.

The leaf oil is rich in a compound called eryngial. In test tubes it slows some bacteria and fungi. In animal tests it has killed a gut worm called Strongyloides.

In rodents, leaf extracts have eased pain and swelling. Other rodent work found lower blood sugar after dosing. The amounts used were far above what a meal gives.

One animal study found that extracts delayed seizures brought on by a drug. That is a long way from treating epilepsy (a seizure illness) in people. It should not guide anyone's care.

The leaves also hold plant pigments and vitamin C. These mop up free radicals in a test tube. Whether eating the herb changes anything inside you is simply not known.

What forms does Chadon beni come in?

Most people meet chadon beni as fresh leaves from a market, garden or pot. The bunch is chopped into green seasoning with garlic, onion, thyme and hot pepper.

Dried, crushed leaf is sold in spice jars. The smell is much weaker than fresh. Frozen chopped leaf keeps more of the aroma.

Bottled green seasoning is sold in Caribbean groceries. It usually mixes the herb with salt, vinegar and other herbs. Check the label if you watch your salt.

As a home remedy, a few leaves are steeped in hot water as a tea. Some sellers offer capsules or tinctures (alcohol extracts) of the leaf. These are not standardised, so strength varies by brand.

The essential oil is also sold. It is very concentrated and is not a food. Do not swallow it.

Where it comes from:

Chadon beni has been used in Caribbean kitchens and home care for generations. Records of its use in Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica and the wider region go back to the 1800s and earlier among Indigenous and later Indo- and Afro-Caribbean cooks.

The plant came first from tropical America and spread to Asia, where it is also a common food herb. In Trinidad and Tobago the names shado beni and bandhania are both in daily use.

Home tradition gave the tea for colds, fever, chills, gas and "cooling" the body. In some islands the plant was called fitweed and given to calm convulsions in children.

These were household customs passed down by family, not tested treatments. This page describes them; it does not recommend them.

What does Chadon beni help with?

• Flavouring food and green seasoning: This is the use that is fully established. Chadon beni is a food herb, and it works as one. It is the backbone of Caribbean green seasoning. Cooks use it in stews, rice, fish, pelau and chutney. Nothing here is a health claim.
• Cold and flu symptoms: Households brew the leaf as a hot tea for colds, chills and fever. No human trial has tested this. A warm drink can soothe a sore throat and loosen a stuffy nose. That may be most of what people feel. See a doctor if a fever lasts more than three days.
• Gas, bloating and upset stomach: This is one of the oldest home uses of the herb. Human evidence is missing. Rodent and test-tube work hints at effects on gut muscle and gut bacteria. That is early-stage science. It does not show the tea helps your stomach.
• Pain and swelling: Rodent studies show leaf extracts can lower pain signals and swelling. The doses were high, and rats are not people. There is no trial in humans. Treat this as a lead for researchers, not a reason to skip pain care.
• High blood sugar (traditional claim): The tea has a long folk use for diabetes (high blood sugar). In rats, leaf extracts have lowered blood sugar. No human study backs this up. Do not use it in place of your diabetes medicine. Tell your doctor if you drink the tea often, so your sugar can be watched.
• High blood pressure (traditional claim): Some Caribbean households drink the tea as a "cooling" drink for pressure. There is no human evidence that it lowers blood pressure. High blood pressure often has no symptoms and can damage the heart and kidneys. It needs proper checks and treatment.
• Intestinal worms (traditional claim): Eryngial, from the leaf oil, killed Strongyloides worms in animal and lab tests. That is the strongest lab signal the plant has. It has not been tested as a treatment in people. Worm infections need a stool test and a proven medicine.
• Convulsions or "fits" (traditional claim): In parts of the Caribbean the plant is called fitweed. It was given to children to calm convulsions. One rodent study found extracts delayed drug-triggered seizures. There is no human evidence at all. Seizures can be life-threatening. A first seizure, or one lasting over five minutes, is an emergency. Call emergency services.

Which foods are rich in Chadon beni?

Chadon beni is itself a food. You will find it in Caribbean green seasoning, stews, pelau, souse, fish dishes, chutneys and pepper sauce. In Latin American and South-East Asian cooking the same herb appears as culantro or sawtooth coriander.

What are the side effects of Chadon beni?

• Allergic rash, hives or itching
• Tingling or itching in the mouth or throat
• Skin irritation from handling the fresh plant juice
• Loose stools or stomach cramp from strong tea
• Heartburn after large amounts
• Sleepiness, seen with strong extracts in animals
• A drop in blood sugar, seen in animals; unclear in people

Good to know:

Problems are rare. Millions of people eat this herb every day as food with no trouble.

Most reports involve allergy, or a rash from handling the plant. People allergic to carrot-family plants, such as celery, carrot, parsley or coriander, are the main group at risk.

Strong teas, capsules and the essential oil have not been tested for safety in people. Their risks are simply unknown.

How much Chadon beni should you take?

• Recommended daily: As a food, there is no set amount. A dish often takes one to three tablespoons of chopped fresh leaf, or a few leaves per cup of water for a home tea. Those are recipe customs, not a dose for you. Capsules and tinctures carry maker-set amounts that differ widely by brand. No health body has set a safe or useful dose. Nothing here is a personal instruction.
• Best time of day: Time of day does not matter. Cooks use it whenever they cook. People who drink the tea often take it warm in the evening, by habit rather than by evidence.
• With or without food: It is usually eaten in food, so this rarely comes up. The tea sits fine with or without a meal. If a strong tea makes you queasy, having it after food may help.
• Time to effect: As a flavour, right away. As a tea for gas or a cold, people report feeling easier within an hour. That comfort may come from the warm drink itself. For the traditional claims about sugar, pressure or worms, there is no proven effect at any point in time. It may do nothing at all.
• How long to take it: As a cooking herb, people use it daily for life with no known problem. For strong teas, capsules or extracts, no safe length of use has been studied. If you are taking it for a symptom and nothing changes in a week or two, stop and get the problem looked at.