Everlasting Pea
Lathryus linifolius also known as "everlasting pea",“cairmeal” in Gaelic, or “heath pea”is a perennial legume native to most of Europe. You can find it naturally in grazed, low land grasslands where soils are low in nutrient and pH. It was cultivated originally for its aromatic flowers as a garden plant.
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Unlike many of the other tuberous legumes featured on this website, it is not a climbing vine. Everlasting pea's root tubers are used as food in times of famine as they were harvested like potatoes or used as flour. Raw tubers were sliced and added to hot water like tea or added to alcohols, producing a flavor similar to licorice. They have also been used medicinally to reduce alcohol levels to help people sober up faster, to relieve gas, and flavor beverages.
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Other medicinal uses this plant is reported to have include reducing feelings of hunger, which has caused some people to use it as an appetite suppressant to promote weight loss. The chemical component that causes this is probably trans-anethole which also gives off the flavor of anise and fennel.
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Reference: Smykal, Petr; Laszlo Erdos. European tuberous Lathyrus species
