ABSTRACT
Description: Jambu oleoresin is traditionally extracted from all parts of the plants of the genus Spilanthes. There are at least 40 species and varieties within the genus Spilanthes that grow throughout tropical and subtropical areas, especially around swamps, pastures, coastal areas, roads and cultivated areas. The part of the plant from which the oleoresin is derived was not identi„ed in the FEMA GRAS list. Young leaves and root tips are used in salads and as a potherb in tropical Asia. S. acmella var. oleracea ˆowers have been used as a spice for foods and dentifrice ˆavoring in Japan. S. americana ˆowers are used as a spice in Columbia. Jambu oleoresin is used in India as a ˆavoring for chewing tobacco. Also called the “toothache bush” in parts of Africa and South America, as the roots are often chewed to alleviate the pain of a toothache. The liquid essential oil or resin mixture is described as having a citrus, herbal, tropical or musty odor, with a taste that is strangely effervescent, pungent, cooling and/or numbing.
