Phak khrat hua waen | ผักคราดหัวแหวน | Acmella
Family: Asteraceae - Genus: Acmella
The paracress plant can be found all over the premises of TCDF and Eco-Logic.
Paracress is a flowering herb, also known as include toothache plant, Sichuan buttons, buzz buttons, tingflowers and electric daisy. It is a small, erect plant, it grows quickly and bears yellow flowers.
It attracts fireflies when in bloom.
Paracress is used as a medicinal remedy in various parts of the world.
Paracress can be harvested the whole year round, but is found most at the end of the rainy season.
THE PLANT
Paracress is a herbaceous plant growing from 20 to 30 centimeter tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.
THE LEAVES
The oppositely arranged leaves are smooth-edged or toothed, and usually have rough or soft hairs.
THE FLOWERS
The flower heads are usually solitary at the tips of the stem branches. There are several to many disc florets with bell-shaped throats and 4 or 5 triangular lobes, usually yellow, or sometimes orange.
CULINARY USES
For culinary purposes, small amounts of shredded fresh leaves are said to add a unique flavor to salads. Cooked leaves lose their strong flavor and may be used as leafy greens.
The flower bud has a grassy taste followed by a strong tingling or numbing sensation and often excessive salivation, with a cooling sensation in the throat.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE OF NEEDLE FLOWER
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
A decoction or infusion of the leaves and flowers is a traditional remedy for stammering, toothache, and stomatitis.
An extract of the plant has been tested against various yeasts and bacteria and was essentially inactive.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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