It is native to Mexico and South America but is cultivated worldwide.
In the United States, where it is not well known, the name culantro sometimes causes confusion with Coriandrum sativum, the leaves of which are known as cilantro, and which culantro is even said to taste like.
E. foetidum is widely used in seasoning and marinating in the Caribbean.
It is also used extensively in Thailand, India, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia as a culinary herb.
This variety of coriander dries well, retaining good color and flavor, making it valuable in the dried herb industry.
It is sometimes used as a substitute for cilantro, but it has a much stronger taste.
Ethnomedicinal uses include treatment for burns, earache, fevers, hypertension, constipation, fits, asthma, stomach ache, worms, infertility complications, snake bites, diarrhea and malaria.