Khella / Toothpick-Plant - Ammi visnaga

Khella / Toothpick-Plant – a traditional medicinal plant with finely textured umbels. 

Annual medicinal and ornamental plant with finely branched white umbels and potent active compounds. It grows robustly, is easy to care for, and thrives in open ground, containers, and naturalistic gardens. Germinates reliably and self‑seeds readily. Ideal for ecological herb cultivation and wildlife‑friendly gardens.

  Origin & History

Toothpick-Plant is a traditional medicinal plant known since antiquity, valued both medically and culturally. It belongs to the family Apiaceae, the subfamily Apioideae, and the genus Ammi. The species originates from the Nile Delta, where it was already used therapeutically in ancient Egyptian medicine. From there, it spread across the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, Western Asia, and into the dry regions of southern Europe, where it still occurs in the wild today.

The German names „Bischofskraut“ and „Zahnstocher‑Ammei“ refer to the dried, hardened flower stalks traditionally used as toothpicks — a practice still documented in markets of the Middle East. The genus name Ammi, already used by Dioscorides, derives from the Greek ammos (“sand”), pointing to the plant’s preferred habitats. The species epithet visnaga is traced back to the Latin bis acutum (“double‑pointed”), referring to the shape of the fruiting structures.

Historically, Toothpick-Plant played an important role in Egyptian, Greek, and Arabic medicine. Its fruits contain characteristic furanocoumarins such as khellin and visnagin, known for their antispasmodic and vasodilatory properties. These compounds made the plant an important remedy for urinary and bladder stones, bronchial complaints, asthma, and vascular spasms for thousands of years.

 Appearance & Characteristics

Toothpick-Plant forms upright, branched stems with finely divided, light‑green leaves. The white flowers appear in flat umbels 8–12 cm across. It reaches 80–120 cm in height and is pollinated by a wide range of insects.

Plant details:

• Height: 80–120 cm

• Form: Upright, strongly branched

• Leaves: Finely divided, aromatic

• Flowers: White, flat umbels 8–12 cm across

• Flavor: Spicy‑aromatic, slightly bitter

 Usage & Cultivation Highlights

Toothpick-Plant is used for teas, infusions, tinctures, and traditional medicinal preparations. The seeds contain furanocoumarins such as khellin and visnagin, known for their antispasmodic, vasodilatory, and bronchodilating properties. It is taken internally for respiratory, cardiac, and urinary complaints, and applied externally to promote circulation. As a cut flower, it offers finely textured umbels and excellent vase life. Its spicy aroma enriches herbal blends, and the dried umbel stalks have traditionally been used as natural toothpicks.

Toothpick-Plant grows reliably both in open ground and in containers. The plant prefers sunny, well‑drained, and rather lean soils, and thrives in heat and drought. This annual, freely self‑seeding species is very low‑maintenance, requires little water, and flowers over many weeks. It attracts numerous beneficial insects and is ideal for naturalistic, low‑maintenance gardens. Thanks to its deep taproot, it is particularly sturdy and wind‑tolerant. The long flowering period provides continuous forage for pollinators, and the dried umbels remain decorative into winter. Its high heat tolerance and low susceptibility to disease make it a dependable choice for dry summers and challenging sites.

Compared with other umbellifers, Toothpick-Plant stands out as a well‑known traditional medicinal plant with notable therapeutic value – ideal for those who appreciate easy‑to‑grow annual herbs with delicate blooms for insects and cut‑flower use.