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This week on the Good Growing Podcast, we’re trying something new: toothache plant. Learn more about this interesting plant, what happens when you eat it, and how you can grow it yourself!
Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z7ywlxrKWTM
Skip to what you want to know:
00:40 – Introduction to toothache plant
05:50 – Eating toothache plant reactions
10:20 – How to grow toothache plant
13:13 – Wrap-up, thank yous, what’s up next week, and goodbye!
Toothache plant picture: 葉子, Public Domain, iNaturalist
Contact us!
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu
Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu
Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk
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Creators & Guests
Host
Host
Guest
Emily Swihart
University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator serving Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, and Stark Counties
What is Good Growing?
Talking all things horticulture, ecology, and design.
00:00:04:23 - 00:00:32:11
Welcome to the Good Growing Podcast. I'm Chris. I'm Ken. And I'm Emily. And this week we are doing, we'll call it a gardenbite, but but I think this is like our our new segment, a new thing. We're going to do this is a short episode, but we're going to be trying something. We're going to be eating something. All three of us here on, on camera for you that might be watching on YouTube.
00:00:32:15 - 00:01:01:06
If you're listening to this, it's just just the joy. Just listen to the joy of the audio. But, so, Ken you have delivered some interesting little morsel for us to snack on today. I have had this before, and, I guess I'll say to people listening or watching, if you are squeamish at all about, saliva drool.
00:01:01:08 - 00:01:26:22
I expect that when we consume these, it's going to get kind of, I don't know, a lot of spittle be flying around. So what's that word? Yeah. Yeah. We won't. We won't say that word. But, Ken, what do you have for us to try today? So we have to take plants. So this plants, so the flowers we have here.
00:01:26:24 - 00:01:46:02
And if you're watching, you can see the flowers are yellow. For this particular cultivar, they've got a red, reddish top. Apparently there are some cultivars that are solid yellow. And these are, what, half inch or quarter inch or so and size. These are a little on the small end of some of the ones I've grown earlier this year.
00:01:46:04 - 00:02:05:00
My other the care I have given my garden has definitely fallen off as the season has gone on. So early in the year, they're they're much bigger. Maybe, three quarters of an inch, almost an inch across for some of them. But the flowers eat them. And they, I mean, knowing effect, on your mouth.
00:02:05:02 - 00:02:23:14
And they were used for toothaches and things like at this toothache plant. And then when we were getting ready for this, I didn't realize you could actually eat the leaves, too, in many places. I was in Brazil, I think Madagascar, it was mentioned some of the stuff I read that the leaves are also eaten as a green, and they also have a, I said unique flavor as well.
00:02:23:14 - 00:02:29:09
And I think when you cook them and use it as a green instead of like a salad, you lose some that flavor. So
00:02:29:09 - 00:02:54:06
set the table with that. And so, Emily, have you have you ever tried to plant before? No. Nope. Totally new to this experience. From what? You. Because you both have tried it and, have warned me yet I have still agreed to participate in this experiment, because.
00:02:54:08 - 00:03:23:17
Why not? This is fun. I mean, plants are full of really cool, unique traits. Some of them, you know, are medicinal. Some of them make you drool. We'll see. I guess I am getting progressively more nervous the longer we like. Draw this out. Oh, it'll be fun. It'll be fine. I my first time I had this, I was at the Missouri Botanical Garden working with the horticulturist.
00:03:23:19 - 00:03:43:20
Brand new there. We were driving by in the Cushman cart and they said, hey, pull one of those flowers off and pop it in your mouth. So I did, and, I'm like, oh, I can't feel my mouth anymore. And I started drooling all over the place and he started laughing. It was. It was funny. But.
00:03:44:00 - 00:04:07:15
So, yeah, that that's that was my first experience with it. But but can, I guess, should you describe what is going to happen when we chew on these? Should we just do it at school in real time, or we won't be able to understand if we start chewing on these. So. Yeah. So you chew on it.
00:04:07:17 - 00:04:18:15
And to me, it's it's kind of a metallic taste to it. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. We'll find out what you think. You're going to get numb, and then the chemicals in it
00:04:19:01 - 00:04:21:16
can stimulate your salivary glands, and then you start
00:04:22:07 - 00:04:28:01
drooling, everywhere. And for me, when I've had it, the numbness. It doesn't last terribly long.
00:04:29:01 - 00:04:48:10
I've read between 2 and 20 minutes, depending on the person and how much you eat, etc., etc., etc.. So it's not terribly long. The drooling may last a little bit longer than that. Or the the excessive saliva. However you want to look at it, but it's it's not terrible. I don't think anyway, we'll put it that way.
00:04:48:12 - 00:05:14:07
That'll be great. I like your confidence, Chris. It'll be great. So before we had had discussed you can actually we we were discussing. Do you swallow it or do you spit it out? And so can you just smile like you eat it? And actually, I was reading a little bit and it was saying that this is not medical advice.
00:05:14:07 - 00:05:34:16
This is not recommended at all. But it was an interesting tidbit about how it has sometimes been used to treat ulcers. So it is safe to ingest. Can you're still with us. And so great. That's great. So okay. So I'll say when I've given it to my kids, I did not warn them first, which is really a dirty trick.
00:05:34:16 - 00:06:01:21
They immediately spit it out and there is much complaining and gnashing of teeth. But it was funny. Well I'm, I'm going to swallow this thing down in my belly so. Okay. We'll, we'll see what happens. Sorry. Are we ready? We do this one for teeth. Bottoms up.
00:06:01:23 - 00:06:38:09
Yep. It's awful. Well, it does not taste good. Okay. Or to swish it around. Oh, there's like a there is a. Like an Arctic blast just blew through my mouth. And now. Oh, the numbness sets in. Yes. Oh, gosh. Tingly. Yeah. Acidic metallic icing. Almost. Yeah. Just swallowed. Oh. Yeah. Breathe in through your mouth. It's like chewing mint gum.
00:06:38:11 - 00:06:55:18
No, it's not. It's not minty. It's a little bit the coolness when you breathe in. I really hope I'm not having an allergic reaction. Oh, oh, there's, like a tingle on the tongue. I.
00:06:55:20 - 00:07:18:22
Oh, and there's the spit. The saliva. Yep. Oh, yeah. It's starting to come. Okay. Oh, and honestly, it feels like I've swallowed a couple of times. Like the numbness or the I don't know. It feels like I have still. Oh my goodness. Hard to talk. Yeah. I feel like I have, like, plants stuck like, in the back of your throat, you know, like when you.
00:07:19:01 - 00:07:30:10
It's like a, like it gets caught. I don't think there's anything there though. I think that's just the reaction happening.
00:07:30:12 - 00:07:53:04
Oh, sweet. Okay. That was refreshing. That is cool. Kids going in for more kids going in or. Wait, he's spitting it out, I can't tell. What's he doing? Jerry, hold it on, Mike. My gums. See it that numb right now? It's just like my tongue in the roof of my mouth. Yeah, I like some of the cheeks.
00:07:53:04 - 00:08:10:06
Like on my cheeks. Now, the tongue and my cheeks are a little. They're tingling. I wouldn't say they're numb. Definitely. A tingle sensation. Yeah.
00:08:10:08 - 00:08:15:08
Let's.
00:08:15:10 - 00:08:39:03
Yeah. This has been entertaining. I hope people are enjoying this. I hope people watch. There was a lot of, like, silent. Just staring and, like, waiting for things to happen. Oh my goodness. Okay. Hey, we might be growing flowers next year, though. Grow a lot. That's right. I might even try one of these things to grow these.
00:08:39:05 - 00:08:54:05
Our very own home. Oh, goodness. Tingly is much more intense when you have to. The bills. In case you're curious, that's usually how dosage works. I suspected that's what would happen. Yeah.
00:08:54:07 - 00:09:20:15
Oh, goodness. Okay. Wow. That was. Make that a normal thing. A weekly thing, I guess. A good palate cleanser, if you. Yes. Use that into your after dinner. I need you're just swallow and spit for an hour. So, say, if somebody wanted to call that and go ahead, can I just say if people want to go we can talk about that.
00:09:20:15 - 00:09:46:23
But yes. And more comments on what you're experiencing. Oh I was just gonna say like there's like a tingle. It's like something I've not experienced before. Like it's just like, I don't know, like little bubbles, like bursting. It's just it's an odd sensation, an invisible carbohydrate, a drink or fizzing in your mouth. Little electricity kind of skidding across the roof of my mouth.
00:09:47:02 - 00:10:08:01
I don't know how to describe it. Yeah. Yeah, I held it. My gum like it's really tingly there, but, like, nowhere else is just kind of. Yeah. It's really weird feeling. It's one of those things that you have to try for yourself. It's hard to describe. I was very nervous. Like I'm glad I did this. This was kind of this is fun.
00:10:08:01 - 00:10:34:04
It wasn't like hopefully it wasn't awful. If that's the bar, we're going back. It wasn't terrible. It wasn't terrible. It wasn't terrible. So do it again. Let's talk about growing it. Because I think people all the I think our listeners will be intrigued, entertained, hopefully. Maybe inspired. You want to subject yourself to this or maybe others? Yeah. Well, this is a fun little party.
00:10:34:06 - 00:10:48:19
Party trick we go trick or. Yeah. Oh, gosh. Don't you know, don't you put this under a not recommended or adults don't give it up to kids. Give it up to your adult friends for trick or treating. Bringing in the office.
00:10:48:21 - 00:11:08:12
So for this I the stuff. I grew bigger from seed. So we got two kids who started those, in the spring, let's say probably March time frame. Transplanted them outdoors. We're growing them in a pot. These are these these are perennials, but they're tender perennials that are not going to survive our winters. Full sun, I think, to part shade.
00:11:08:12 - 00:11:33:16
They like moisture. I think that's one of the reasons why. Minor. We're not looking too good. We're now in a drought, in a lot of Illinois, and I have not been keeping up on watering pots, so they are much smaller. They've got nice green foliage, on them. Mine right now is kind of brownish, purplish because they're all stressed and stuff, but, it is a fairly attractive plant, especially when those flowers come on there.
00:11:33:18 - 00:11:57:06
Nice contrast with the green and yellow and red flowers. So, it's a relatively easy to grow as long as you keep up on the, on the water and keep that, potting media, moist and pulled apart, son. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Did you say that? Yeah. I'm still concentrating on, like, the tingling sensation. I'm. Yeah. So.
00:11:57:06 - 00:12:14:08
But it is ornament. I mean, that can be decorative. It can be nice. You do not have to eat the flowers. If you do not want to sow it, I think it's a very pretty plant. And when we had it growing at the Botanical Gardens in Saint Louis, that was was a. It's a pretty plant. That's why they put it in there.
00:12:14:10 - 00:12:36:19
Not for people to walk by and take a bite out of it, but because it was pretty. Yeah. And I was reading a little bit, it said had, it was, attractive for flier buyer flies. Which is kind of fun. I don't see that come up a lot for new plants in bloom. I know that there,
00:12:36:19 - 00:12:37:24
carnivorous.
00:12:37:24 - 00:13:10:06
Right near the entomologist. Marvelous. Yeah. Yeah. They're predatory. Yeah. Predatory. So I like fireflies. So that's another reason to plant it. Yeah. After years from next year and see if fireflies like to hang out around it. Yeah. I wonder what it is. It didn't elaborate on what caused that, appeal. So. Know, they also have bad teeth and they need to get dental work done.
00:13:10:08 - 00:13:13:00
They have to go to the toothache plants.
00:13:13:14 - 00:13:37:10
Well, that was a lot of great information about the toothache plant. I suppose if people want to give us any feedback about the weird stuff we eat, should we try to grow something else strange next year for us to try? Anything stranger that makes your mouth numb and tingly and all fizzy electrical feeling? Well, let us know in the show notes below or email us.
00:13:37:10 - 00:14:00:17
They'll be also in the show notes, so look good. Growing podcast is production of University of Illinois Extension, edited this week by, Penn Johnson. Thank you, Ken and Emily, for hanging out today. And thank you, Ken, for providing us with this nice little, afternoon treat of, spitting all over myself. Yes. Thank you. Can. This was fun.
00:14:00:19 - 00:14:09:11
Nature is wild and crazy, and I am here for trying these, unique aspects of it. So thanks for for indulging us
00:14:09:11 - 00:14:16:16
as well. Thank you for letting me subjective both of this and this. Let's do this again next week.
00:14:16:16 - 00:14:25:15
Oh, we shall do this again next week. It'll be another garden bite. And then we'll be deep into more fall gardening episodes for you after that.
00:14:25:15 - 00:14:39:06
So listeners, thank you for do what they're there. Yeah. Or the listeners, thank you for doing what you do best. And that is listening. Or if you're watching us on YouTube watching. And as always, keep on growing.
00:14:49:04 - 00:15:00:08
My teeth feel very slick, like like they've been rinsed off. Like I've just been to the dentist. Yes. There you go.
00:15:00:08 - 00:15:20:16
I'm going to hold it against my my cheek, see what happens. Okay. How's it feel, Ken? Back to normal. Yeah. This is my mouth and tongue. Still, it's not tingling, but it's not numb. But it feels like it is. This makes sense.
00:15:20:19 - 00:15:27:16
Oh man, that feels stronger than the last one. Oh well, I have a because I held it there.
00:15:27:18 - 00:15:30:00
I think this is bigger.
00:15:30:12 - 00:15:48:21
I feel like I could water my plants in my office right now. With the amount of spit coming out of my mouth. Here we go. I want to, like, keep it in there a little longer.
00:15:48:23 - 00:15:56:05
That was a bad idea. Yeah.
00:15:56:07 - 00:16:08:14
It's more into that. Yeah. Yes I have like in me I feel like I have something under my tongue. It's just numb.