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Aztec Sweet Herb Phyla Dulcis Seeds
Packet of 50+ organically grown seeds!
This really uncommon herb is known by a heap of different names in different places.
These are a few.
Moldenke, Aztec sweet herb, Phyla scaberrima, Lippia dulcis, Bushy Lippia, Honeyherb, honey herb, Hierba Dulce, Tzopelic-xihuitl, among others.
It has a powerful sweet flavour much like the more well known Stevia and it can be used in all the same ways.
The main advantage about this fella is its productivity and hardiness.
As a perennial it produces leaves continuously, unlike Stevia which is a single season annual.
It has seeds that store very well meaning if you don’t want to plant it now it will be fine for a couple years in a cool dry cupboard. Stevia is best planted straight away as seed viability drops rapidly with time.
It is incredibly hardy meaning if you don’t water it and give it love it will still survive and produce leaves. If you do give it some water and a bit of compost every now and then the growth and production is huge. So much so we now only have a couple small pots and that provides more than me and the Mrs could ever need.
The only disadvantages is it’s growth. Being so rapid it has weed potential, but that is easy to avoid by just keeping it in a pot. The other one is the chemical in the plant that makes the sweet(sesquiterpenoid hernandulcin).
It is also attached to another chemical that makes camphor.
This means the first leaf is delicious, as are the next couple, but after half a dozen the taste gets progressively bitter and less and less enjoyable. Eventually it just tastes like it’s distant relative lantana…
This effect is very short term and if you give it a couple hours they taste great again.
These camphor chemicals are also potentially toxic in large amounts and that has prevented mass industrialized extraction, but when used in moderation as a herb or flavouring this last bit isn’t really an issue.
Couple leaves, a couple times a week, ~8years now, never been a drama and I know lots of other folks that have been eating it regularly for decades, especially in Japan.
Propagation is easy.
Nice fine grained sandy potting mix, sprinkle the seeds on top, water in well, keep moist, Bob’s your uncle!
In a month or so they will all be pumping.
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
