Ammi visnaga
Dublin Core
Title
Ammi visnaga
Subject
Taxonomy
Phylum :Tracheophyta
Class :Magnoliopsida
Order :Apiales
Family :Apiaceae
Genus :Ammi
Species :Ammi visnaga
Phylum :Tracheophyta
Class :Magnoliopsida
Order :Apiales
Family :Apiaceae
Genus :Ammi
Species :Ammi visnaga
Synonyms
Ammi dilatatum St.-Lag., Ammi visnaga var. hybernonsis Sennen, Ammi visnaga var. longibracteatum Zohary, Ammi visnaga var. paui Sennen, Apium visnaga (L.) Crantz, Carum visnaga (L.) Koso-Pol., Daucus gingidium L. ex DC. [Invalid], Daucus laevis Salisb., Daucus visnaga L., Selinum visnaga Krause, Sium visnaga (L.) Stokes, Visnaga daucoides Gaertn., Visnaga vera Raf. [Unresolved]
Common name
Bishop’s weed, pick-tooth, spanish carrot, tooth pick
Description
Characteristics
An annual or biennial herb growing from a taproot erect to a maximum height of about 1.0 m. The stems are erect and highly branched.
Morphology
Leaves
Up to 20 cm long and generally oval to triangular in shape but dissected into many small linear to lance-shaped segments.
Inflorescence
A compound umbel of white flowers and highly swollen at the base, later on it becomes woody and used as toothpicks.
Flowers
Pentamerous, tetracyclic with radial symmetry, bearing five stamens and inferior ovary composed from two united carpels.
Fruit
A compressed oval-shaped structure consisting of two mericarpes and around 3 mm in length.
Root
Fattened and looks like the root of the carrot.
Chemical compound
Essential oil of A. visnaga fresh aerial parts obtained by hydroldistillation has been reported to contain isobutyl isobutyrate, linalool, 2,2-dimethylbutanoic acid, bornyl acetate, thymol and croweacin. Essential oil of A. visnaga dried fruit obtained by coventional hydroldistillation has been reported to contain α-thujene, 3-methylpentenol, β-myrcene, methylbutyl 2-methylbutaoate, α-isophorone, 2-nonyne, hexenyl isobutanoate, endo-fenchyl acetate, geranyl acetate, lavandulyl acetate, citronellyl propionate, neryl isobutanoate, lavandulyl 2-methylbutanoate, α-damascone, (Z,E)-farnesal and in trace amount of other components. A. visnaga seeds fat has been reported to contain fatty acids composition of the of palmitic acid 5%, petroselinic acid 50%, oleic acid 32%, and linoleic acid 13%. Chloroform extract of A. visnaga fruits has been reported to contain furanochromone such as khellin and visnagin. Methanol extract of A. visnaga fruits has been reported to contain furanochromone glycoside such as khellol glycoside.
Plant part used
Aerial parts and oil
Traditional uses
- A. visnaga was traditionally used in the Mediterranean for the treatment of heart conditions for thousands of years. It is thought that the mechanism of action is similar to calcium channel blocking drugs.
- This oil from this herb was also used in the treatment of kidney stones.
- Intal, an asthma drug widely used with conventional medicine, is derived chemically from khellin, a major constituent of the plant A. Visnaga along with NasalChrom.
- Khellin is structurally similar to psoralen and may stimulate melanine synthesis.
- The plant and its extracts are also popular in the treatment of vitiligo and psoriasis and are used as a lithotriptic agent.
- It is generally used to dilate bronchial, urinary and blood vessels without affecting blood pressure.
- It is also internally used as an emmenagogue to regulate menstruation, as a diuretic and in the treatment of vertigo, diabetes and kidney stones.
- An infusion of the aerial parts has also been used to treat headaches.
Medicinal uses
- Essential oil extracted from A. visnaga flowering shoot showed antibacterial activity when tested against several resistant bacteria such as Streptococcus viridans, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus after 2 days.
- The topical application of A. visnaga for hair loss has been studied. A lotion for hair scalp composed of visnadin and other constituents led to an increase in arterial and arteriolar sphygmic activity in the subpapillary plexus, leading to an improvement in local microcirculatory flow.
- A. visnaga extract or its active principals exert a relaxant effect on smooth muscles, even those of coronary arteries. It was found that intravenous injection of visnagin lowered the blood pressure with no change in the heart rate.
List of country
Mediterranean area, North and South America, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
Creator
Ammi visnaga (Lam.,1778)
Source
Publisher
Nur Athirah Roshaizi
Contributor
Nur Athirah Roshaizi
Language
English
Collection
Citation
Ammi visnaga (Lam.,1778), “Ammi visnaga ,” BIDARA, accessed February 4, 2026, https://bidara.uthm.edu.my/items/show/398.