''Porophyllum ruderale'' is an herbaceous annual plant whose leaves can be used for seasoning food. The taste has been described as "somewhere between

arugula Arugula (American English) or rocket (Commonwealth English) (''Eruca vesicaria''; syns. ''Eruca sativa'' Mill., ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''sativa'' (Miller) Thell., ''Brassica eruca'' L.) is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used a ...

cilantro Coriander (;

and

rue ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bl ...

". The plant is commonly grown in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

for use in

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

s. When fully grown, the plant measures about in height and in diameter. The plant is easy to grow from seed in a well-drained soil, which should be allowed to dry between watering.

Culture

Having been used by many cultures, Porophyllum ruderale is known by many names, including Bolivian coriander, quillquiña (also spelled quirquiña or quilquiña), yerba porosa, killi, pápalo, tepegua, rupay wachi, mampuritu, pápaloquelite and summer cilantro. Despite the name "Bolivian coriander" and "summer cilantro", this plant is not botanically related to ''

Coriandrum sativum Coriander (;

''. The terms pápaloquelite and pápalo are used in

, and the herb there commonly accompanies

taco A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of filling ...

s. Not all Mexicans enjoy its taste, but some find that it improves the flavor of tacos and typical Mexican salsas and soups. In

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

it is typically used as an ingredient along with tomatoes and locotos to prepare

llajwa Llajua or llajwa () is a Bolivian chili sauce prepared from ''locotos'' (''Capsicum pubescens'') hot chili peppers, and tomatoes; sometimes onions are added to the mix. One or two seasoning herbs could be added, depending on the region and taste ...

. In

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

cuisine, pápalo is used as a condiment on traditional

cemita The ''cemita'' is a torta originally from Puebla, Mexico. Also known as ''cemita poblana'', it derives from the city (and region) of Puebla. The word refers to the sandwich as well as to the roll it is typically served on, a bread roll covered w ...

sandwiches, a regional type of Mexican

torta Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes. Usually, it refers to: * cake or pie in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines * flatbread in Spain * a t ...

. Pápalo was used in the Azteca era, but never as medicine, only as food. One study claims that pápalo exhibits some health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and aiding digestion.

Medical uses

Papalo is a plant that is used medically to reduce swelling of infected injuries. It is also known to be consumed to help with high blood pressure, treating liver ailments, and to help with stomach disorders.

References

3. Nair, P. (2017, May 14). ''Health benefits of papalo''. Value Food. https://www.valuefood.info/2096/health-benefits-of-papalo/ 4. Ravindran, P. (2018). ''The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices: Two Volume Set'' (Vol. 2). CABI.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q891381 Herbs Spices Tageteae