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Sea Holly
Eryngium maritimum
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Sea holly;[1] Sea eryngo;[1] Sea eryngium;[1] The name Eryngium is derived form the Greek, which means "spiney plant".[1] I have a thing for names and their meanings. Even your name has a meaning, look it up.
Classification: Perennial;[1] Various Eryngium species are grown as ornamental, for food, or for medicinal purposes[12]
Plant Family: Apiaceae;[1] Genus: Eryngium;[1] Species: E. maritimum;[1]
Ethnobotany: The rhizome is the most active part of the plant it is believed.[2] It was traditionally used to treat renal diseases, and as an aphrodisiac, but modern studies have found it to be beneficial for a lot more than just this![2] It is very similar to other species in the genus. Like others in this genus, it too produces antioxidant activity, and phenolic and flavonoid compounds.[10] It's been used traditionally as a diuretic, stimulant, cystotonic, stone inhibitor, aphrodisiac, expectorant, and anthelmintic.[11] The essential oils of Sea holly, from the aerial parts specifically, have been found to produce oxygenated sesquiterpenes that have anti-microbial activity against E. coli and L. monocytogenes![11] This is incredible, and a recurring find among scientist who study these plants. I don't know how many phytochemical studies that I've read that also confirm many other phytochemicals are active against E. coli., but it has been a lot!.
Natural Habitat: Coasts of Europe, including Britain, and from Scandanavia to the Mediterraneanand Baltic, including the Black Sea[8] It's closely related to Eryngium aquaticum, so you would think that it could be found in the United States, and perhaps it is. According to the University Of North Carolina website, "It's Native to Europe, and was presumably introduced to the east coast of North America."[9]
Mixes well with: I have yet to use this plant, but plan on expanding my stash. I will be experimenting with new plants used by the Native Americans in the days to come. Stay tuned, and I will update this segment when I have more experience using Eryngium maritimum, aka Sea holly.
OG Observations: It's astounding to me that there are still clowns out there who believe that "there's no science behind herbal remedies", because not only are they wrong, but immensely. In fact, I have barely scratched the surface of the scientific data that we have on this plant, and its phytochemical constituents... I could fill up this entire page with just a small fraction of the scientific literature on one specific component of the plant. It would take all day to cover verything discovered about this and other herbal remedies. Bottom line, these ethnobotanicals work, and it has been proven that they do. Despite this fact, the FDA and other socialist organizations still police the truth, and seek to destroy those who merge their academic interest, with activism, and entrepaneurship.
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemistry is an important branch of science that sets out to prove that herbal remedies really do work.[6] The FDA and other socialist organizations do not want people to believe or know this truth, as they police real medicine, and real facts, while making bogus claims that can not be backed up. I on the other hand, cite the scientific studies directly, and even quote them to prove what I'm saying is true. Phytochemist study herbal medicine in the laboratory, by isolating out complex pharmacological chemical components of those remedies, which are known as phytochemicals, and studying them for their medicinal qualities.[6] The term "isolate" is a title given to a phytochemical that's in its pure form, as it has been isolated away from the rest of the plant matter and all of its components. Phytochemistry and ethnobotany go hand and hand, as it is ethnobotanist who provide the phytochemist with the knowledge of which plants to study in the lab.[4][5] Basically, phytochemist take claims made by indigenous cultures about plants being medicinal, and set out to prove them scientifically, with astounding results.[4][5] All modern pharmaceuticals are tied back to the plant kingdom. They're either direct isolates(Morphine, isolated from Poppies), or they're an altered version of naturally recurring chemicals found in plants(like Fentanyl, and how it is not natural, but based off of natural opioids). Fentanyl has been altered in a lab by chemist.
Phytochemicals:
Phenolic compounds like trans-ferulic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin(EGCG), and rosmarinic acid, are the main constituents.[2] Epicatechin is also known as EGCG for short, and is also found in Green tea, Kratom, Kola Nut, and other plants. Studies have proven that EGCG inhibits the growth of cavities.[3] "EGCG, a natural polyphenol, has a significant inhibitory effect on S. mutans dental biofilm formation and EPS production, and thus might be a potential drug in preventing dental caries."[3] THIS is why potency matters when you're buying herbal products, or even culinary spices. Organic always means a higher potency, which matters because it is what gives the dried plant material its pharmacological value. One academic source concludes: "The plant extract showed a high diversity of pharmacologically bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic uses."[3] and: "The present findings suggest that E. maritimum is a promising phytotherapeutic species because of its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, which explains some of its traditional applications."[3] E. maritimum produces: terpenoids, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, coumarins, polyacetylenes, and steroids.[12] It also produces something called 10-hentriacontanone[12]Trans-ferulic acid: Here is a quote from an academic source on the pharmacology of Trans-ferulic acid, and it proves a point that I seek to drill home all the time... "Ferulic acid (FA), a prevalent dietary phytochemical, has many pharmacological effects, including anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation effects, and has been widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries."[7] This means that what I've been saying the whole time is true, and that not only are herbal remedies really medicine, but that fortune-500 has a motive to oppress people who directly compete with their operations. I want to see more female entrepaneurs making DIY herbal products to sell in their shops, in order to compete with these alladin jerks. Academic sources go on to state: "FA has demonstrated potential clinical applications in the treatment of pulmonary diseases"[7] More complex pharmacology on TFA: "The transforming growth factor-β1/small mothers against decapentaplegic 3 signaling pathway can be blocked by FA, thereby alleviating pulmonary fibrosis"[7] For further confirmation, the study confirms for us that: "it has been proven that FA and its derivatives have a variety of pharmacological effects, especially anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-cancer, and anti-fibrotic effects"[7]
Chlorogenic acid: Chlorogenic acid is a God-made phytochemical that's naturally recurring in the plant kingdom. It posesses many important pharmacological effects.[13] To quote one scholarly source: "In vitro and in vivo studies have found that the main pharmacological effects of chlorogenic acid are antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, hypoglycemic, lipid lowering, anticardiovascular, antimutagenic, anticancer, immunomodulatory, etc." This means that this one particular chemical, has more medicinal qualities than a hand full of pills(pharmaceuticals). Just think, medicinal plants like Sea holly(Eryngium maritimum) contain numerous phytochemical constituents, and each one has a long list of pharmacological actions that they produce. This makes herbal remedies not just a single drug, but an entire pharmacy of drugs, all designed by the same highly intelligent creator that made me and you. Useful fact: Chlorogenic acid is soluble in ethanol.[14] Remember this when making your herbal medicines! Another important tip to consider when preparing your herbal medicines, is to keep this in mind: "When heated and exposed to light, Chlorogenic acid's biological activity can be lost"[14] More details include: "It is the main active ingredient of many traditional Chinese herbal compound preparations for antibacterial and antiinflammatory purposes, for example, clearing away heat and detoxifying."[14] More properties: It has antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, anticardiovascular, antimutagenic, anticancer, immune regulation, and other biological functions.[14]
Rosmarinic acid: Academic research into the pharmacology of Rosmarinic acid has yieldded incredible results, to no surprise. "A large number of pharmacological studies have been carried out to demonstrate the various biological activities of RA such as anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-diabetes, anti-virus, anti-tumor, neuroprotection, hepatoprotection, etc."[15] This squashes the myth that there's no science to back up herbal remedies.. It turns out that there is science to back up these historic observations that some call "claims", and that science is called Phytochemistry. Furthermore: "It has also been investigated for its miscellaneous pharmacological activities including anti-oxidative activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-viral activity, anti-diabetic activity, anti-tumor activity, and neuroprotective activity in many in vitro and in vivo studies."[15] Some more findings: "The outcome of one study led to the conclusion that Rosmarinic acid may be a promising drug for osteoarthritis treatment. In another in vivo study of the mice arthritis model induced by collagen, intraperitoneal injection of Rosmarinic acid (50 mg/kg) markedly improved the arthritis index and reduced the affected paw number."[15] It also has demonstrated anti-diabetic activity in some vitro studies.[15]
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties:
Anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory;[2] Ethnobotanist have found that it was traditionally used to treat a large number of ailments, having anti-tussive, diuretic, and aphrodisiac properties.[2] Studies have been conducted by phytochemist in the lab, to investigate the effects of the rhizome extract of E. maritimum on the anti-oxidant and inflammatory response in human immune cells.[2] Another scholarly source reveals the truth to us, that these plants really are medicine, as it states: "Eryngium has shown its potential as pharmaceutical crop."[12] More miraculous findings by scientist tell us that: "Eryngium extracts or isolates have shown in vitro to have bioactivitities such as cytotoxicity against various human tumor cell lines, anti-inflammatory, anti-snake and scorpion venoms, antibacterial, antifungal, and antimalarial, antioxidant, and antihyperglycemic effects."[12]Related Ethnobotanicals: Native Americans also make use of a very close relative of this species, and that is the Eryngium aquaticum strain. Please take plant identification seriously.
Buy Sea Holly Here!
Academic citations:
[2] Cortés-Fernández, Iván, et al. "Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of rhizome aqueous extract of sea holly (Eryngium maritimum L.) on Jurkat cells." Journal of Ethnopharmacology 305 (2023): 116120.
[3] Schneider-Rayman, Mor, et al. "Effect of epigallocatechin gallate on dental biofilm of Streptococcus mutans: An in vitro study." BMC Oral Health 21 (2021): 1-11.
[6] Burrell, R. C. "Phytochemistry. What it is and how it has developed." Journal of Chemical Education 14.11 (1937): 520.
[7] Zhai, Yiman, et al. "Ferulic acid: a review of pharmacology, toxicology, and therapeutic effects on pulmonary diseases." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24.9 (2023): 8011. via https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/9/8011
[9] University Of North Carolina | Flora Of The SouthEastern United States https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/show-taxon-detail.php?taxonid=6707
[10] Rjeibi I, Saad AB, Ncib S, Souid S. 2017. Phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of Eryngium maritimum (sea holly). Journal of Coastal Life Medicine 5 (5):212-215.
[11] Erdem SA, Nabavi SF, Orhan IE, Daglia M, Izadi M, Nabavi SM. 2015. Blessings in disguise: a review of phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activity of plants belonging to the genus Eryngium. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 25: 53 DOI 10.1186/s40199-015-0136-3
[12] Wang, Ping, et al. "Phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Eryngium L.(Apiaceae)." (2012).
[13] Miao, Mingsan, and Liling Xiang. "Pharmacological action and potential targets of chlorogenic acid." Advances in pharmacology 87 (2020): 71-88.
[14] Tan, Zhijian, et al. "Extraction and purification of chlorogenic acid from ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) leaf using an ethanol/salt aqueous two-phase system." Separation and Purification Technology 132 (2014): 396-400.
[15] Guan, Huaquan, et al. "A comprehensive review of rosmarinic acid: From phytochemistry to pharmacology and its new insight." Molecules 27.10 (2022): 3292.
[4] Balick, Michael J., and Paul Alan Cox. Plants, People, and Culture : The Science of Ethnobotany. New York, Garland Science, 2020.
[5] Robbers, James E, et al. Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[1] Wikipedia contributors. (2024, September 23). Eryngium maritimum. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:33, December 10, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eryngium_maritimum
[8] Plants For A Future Archive
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov