blue eryngo, Eryngium planum

Blue or plains eryngo, or sea holly has long been a popular garden and medicinal plant. Wiki says chemists used, "Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the essential oil compounds performed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector linked to a mass spectrometer." While that is no doubt correct, it almost sounds like a herpoil sales pitch intended to snow us into a purchase. But remember that careful analysis is moot in regard to therapeutic efficacy. I do highly recommend eryngo for your garden, but not your medicine cabinet. Blue eryngo has spread from gardens into the wilds of CO, CT, MA, MI, NY, OR, SD, WI, AB, BC, ON, QC, and SK. Beal Gardens, MSU, 7/26/12. Parsley family, Apiaceae.