Ajos sachaMansoa alliacea

Did you know?

• Ajo is Spanish for garlic. Sacha is a Quechua word for things of the forest, or for look-alikes, so ajo sacha is roughly "forest garlic" or "false garlic"^{[9, 10]}.

• The species name alliacea means "garlic-like," from allium, the Latin word for garlic^{[11, 12]}.

• Crush or rub a leaf and it gives off a strong smell of garlic. Even the flowers carry a faint garlic scent^{[4, 13]}.

• It is not related to garlic at all. Garlic is a bulb of the amaryllis family; ajos sacha is a woody vine of the trumpet-creeper family, home of the jacaranda tree^{[1, 7, 8, 13]}.

• In Ecuador the leaves are burned to keep bad spirits away, and the plant is also used to keep insects off^[3].

• Its leaves are woven into palm-leaf thatch in Ecuador to protect roofs from pests, and researchers have tested the vine as a climbing plant for green walls^{[3, 6]}.

Origins and history

Ajos sacha is a liana, a woody vine of the rainforest that climbs other plants with tendrils; it can also grow as a shrub^{[4, 6]}. Each leaf is made of two leaflets, often with a tendril between them^{[4, 6, 13]}. The flowers are trumpets up to about 3.5 inches (9 cm) long, lavender to purple with a white throat^{[4, 7, 13]}, and they are followed by long, flat seed pods up to about 20 inches (50 cm) long^[4]. Like others in its family, it releases flat, winged seeds^{[4, 7]}.

Botanists have moved the plant between several genera, from Bignonia to Adenocalymma, Pseudocalymma and finally Mansoa^[1]. Its common names have stayed faithful to its smell. It is garlic vine in English, bejuco de ajo in Spanish, cipó-alho in Brazilian Portuguese and liane d'ail in French. In the Peruvian Amazon it is ajo sacha, and in Ecuador it is also ajo de monte or ajo waska^{[2, 4]}. Far from home it is grown as an ornamental vine in gardens and towns across the tropics^{[4, 13]}.

In its home forests, ajos sacha is a plant of the kitchen and of daily life. In Ecuador the dried leaves and bark are added as a seasoning to savory dishes^{[1, 3]}. The same leaves are burned to drive away bad spirits, the stems are burned as incense, and the plant is used to repel insects^[3]. Across the Amazon it is also one of the best-known plants of folk tradition^[5].

Traditional uses

Clinical studies of ajos sacha in people are still few, but its traditional use across the Amazon is rich^{[3, 5]}.

• Joints and muscles

  In the Amazon and in Ecuador, the bark has long been prepared for the joints and for tired muscles. Ajos sacha supports joint function and comfort.*^{[3, 5]}

• Chest and airways

  In Ecuador the leaves, stems and bark also have a long tradition of use for the respiratory system. Ajos sacha supports respiratory health.*^[3]

• A garlicky seasoning

  Where it grows, the dried leaves and bark are used to flavor savory food.^{[1, 3]}

• Antioxidant compounds

  The leaves provide naturally occurring antioxidant compounds, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins.*^[5]

Plant compounds

Like garlic, ajos sacha contains organosulfur compounds, including allyl sulfides, the same family of compounds found in garlic oil^{[4, 5, 8]}. The plant also contains naphthoquinones, plant sterols, flavonoids and anthocyanins^{[4, 5]}.