FAMILY :: COMPOSITAE
TOOTHACHE PLANT, Szechuan button, Jambu, Paracress, formerly SPILANTHES ACMELLA: A creeping, vigorous tropical plant with blood-red tipped, yellow cone flowers.

Parts of the plant contain isobutylamides that have the property of numbing the mouth when chewed. The flower heads can contain as much as 1.25 percent spilanthol, a fatty acid amide, which is also present in the foliage. This compound produces a pronounced local buzzing sensation and heavy salivation because it is readily absorbed through the soft tissue of the mouth where it provides a numbing and cooling effect.

Used in regional foods to flavor salads, soups and mixed with chilies in hot sauces. This is a widely naturalized weed in most parts of the tropics and has been used as a medicinal herb and spicy food additive throughout its naturalized range,