Visnaga

Ammi visnaga

The Arabs discovered centuries ago that the small, grayish, egg-shaped, aromatic fruits of visnaga could ease a multitude of ailments, including the stabbing pain of angina pectoris, caused by a reduction in the flow of blood to the heart. Khellin, the substance in the fruits that accomplishes this feat, is described by scientists today as a selective coronary vasodilator: that is, it expands only the arteries that feed the heart, giving quick relief when angina is caused by constricted or partly blocked coronary arteries.

Khellin is also a bronchodilator, expanding the bronchi, or breathing rubes that funnel air from the throat to the lungs. Hence, as the ancient Arabs knew, it can save the life of someone who is suffocating from the terrifying bronchial spasms of asthma or severe allergies. Extracts of the fruits act as a diuretic as well, increasing the flow of urine and hence getting rid of excess body fluids. The same extracts have also been used to ease the pain of kidney stones as they scrape through the ureter-the small rube that leads from the kidney to the urinary bladder.

Unfortunately, khellin is not without its side effects. Researchers have found that it has a cumulative toxicity. Its active principles build up in the body when the medication is taken over a period of time, and this build-up can cause nausea and vomiting. For this reason the medication is no longer used in the United States. However, it is still employed by doctors in the regions around the Mediterranean Sea where it originated and where it grows in profusion.

Like its relative Queen Anne's lace, the 2-foot-tall visnaga plant has finely cut, ferny leaves. Each of its straight flower stalks is topped by a rounded cluster of countless tiny white flowers. These clusters-called umbels, because their stalks radiate from a central point like the ribs of an umbrella-are themselves made up of smaller umbels. After the flowers have dried and the seeds have matured, the small stalks of the major umbels stiffen and grow hard; this gives the plant yet one more useful function, which is expressed in a name by which it is commonly known among Arabs: the toothpick plant.

Other names

• Khella

Parts used

Seeds.

Uses

Kidney stones - Visnaga is a traditional Egyptian remedy for kidney stones. Visnaga was mentioned in the Ebers papyrus of Egypt (c. 1500 BC) and is still used there to relieve kidney stones. By relaxing the muscles of the ureter, visnaga reduces the pain caused by the trapped stone and helps ease the stone down into the bladder.
Asthma remedy - Following research into its antispasmodic properties, visnaga is now given for asthma and is safe even for children to take. Although it does not always relieve acute asthma attacks, it does help to prevent their recurrence.
Other respiratory conditions - Visnaga is an effective remedy for various respiratory problems, including bronchitis, emphysema, and whooping cough.
Circulatory herb - By relaxing the coronary arteries, visnaga helps to improve the blood supply to the heart muscle and thereby eases angina. Visnaga does not, however, reduce blood pressure.
Dental hygiene - In Andalusia in Spain, the largest and best quality visnaga were employed to clean the teeth. The high value given to the herb in general was reflected in the saying: "Oro, plata, visnaga, o nada!" (Gold, silver, visnaga, or nothing!)

Habitat & cultivation

Visnaga is native to North Africa. Visnaga grows wild in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean. Visnaga is naturalized in Australia and South America. Grown from seed, visnaga is widely cultivated. The tiny fruits containing the seeds are picked in late summer before they have fully ripened.

Research

Strong antispasmodic - Research by a pharmacologist working in Egypt in 1946 revealed that visnaga (in particular its constituents khellin and visnagin) has a powerful antispasmodic action on the smaller bronchial muscles, on the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, and on the urinary tubules. Visnaga's ability to relax the small bronchi lasts for up to 6 hours, and the plant has practically no side effects.
Khellin - Intal, an asthma medication widely used in conventional medicine, is derived chemically from khellin.

Constituents

Visnaga contains khellin (1%), visnagin, khellol glycoside, volatile oil (0.2%), flavonoids, sterols.

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