Vietnamese coriander
Persicaria odorata
Rau răm. A tropical knotweed herb that tastes cilantro-adjacent but is not Coriandrum. Loves wet heat. Doesn’t bolt like cilantro.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: rau ram
What it is
Rau răm. A tropical knotweed herb that tastes cilantro-adjacent but is not Coriandrum. Loves wet heat. Doesn’t bolt like cilantro.
Edible portions
- leaves
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 9–11 or a jar of water indoors
- Light. Part sun, moisture
- Soil. Wet, rich
- Planting. Cuttings. A pond-edge/kitchen-jar plant.
- Harvest. Tips year-round in warmth.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Vietnamese salads, soups, with duck in some dishes
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.