Ti-lo
justicia pectoralis

days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant every square foot
sunlight requirements: up to 6 hours, shade loving
look out for: mealy bugs
harvest notes: can become leggy if not harvested or pruned
season: fall, winter, spring, summer
perennial

Ti-lo is mounding perennial herb native to tropical regions of South America and the Caribbean. Commonly known as Water Willow, Ti-lo has many names such as in chapantye or zeb chapantye in Haiti. Other folk names include freshcut, chamba, curia, death angel or piri piri.

Often cultivated for it’s foliage, above ground parts are often brewed as a relaxing tea and general medicinal tonic with a wide range of uses, including ceremoniously. An important herb in times of flux or change, Tilo calms the heart and eases anxiety. It’s a nervine with an affinity for the chest and pectorals, indicated through its Latin name pectoralis. This herb is also good for those experiencing sleeplessness or nightmares because of its sedative and calming attributes. 

Its dark green leaves and stems containing coumarin, an anticoagulant, so if one is on prescription anticoagulants like warfarin, it is not recommended to consume Tilo, especially without contacting your medical practitioner. Our resident herbalist, The Garden Jules says: The flavor profile is sweet with a slight bitterness similar to a bitter amaretto. It makes a delicious herb for syrups or elixirs, syrups being water and sweetener preparations and elixirs being alcohol and sweetener preparations. I love to combine this herb with roses for a heart opening tisane. Specifically indicated for anxiety dealing with the heart, indicated by a racing heart, tight chest feeling, or heart palpitations. Be careful not to confuse this plant with Linden Tree which grows in more temperate climates and is often referred to by its Latin name of Tilia.”

Till thrives in moist soil conditions and can take full or partial sun, with full sun making the plant shorter and the leaves less tender. This plant is very easy to propagate from cuttings since it roots very readily from its joints down at the very base of the plant.