Growing Spilanthes (Toothache Plant): A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Spilanthes, commonly called the toothache plant, is grown as much as a novelty edible as an ornamental. Chewing a leaf or flower bud produces a genuine numbing, tingling sensation, traditionally used to ease tooth pain.
Easy and fast from seed
Transplanting is recommended, sowing seed 6 weeks before the last frost, a quarter inch deep. Direct-seeding in spring after the last frost also works, sown at 4 to 6 seeds every 6 inches and thinned to one plant, or a small clump, every 6 to 12 inches. Germination is quick, just 5 to 7 days at 72-76°F, and the plant establishes faster than most flowers in this dataset. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
The buds are the most potent part
While the leaves are edible and make an unusual salad addition, the small yellow-and-red flower buds carry the strongest numbing effect. Leaves can be picked at any time once the plant reaches a few inches tall, and picking continues through and after bloom; use fresh leaves for the best flavor.
Spilanthes has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for spilanthes for how it’s tracked. At 2 plants per square foot, it’s an easy, quick-to-establish conversation-starter for the Garden Designer, equally suited to a bed edge or a container.
Source: Spilanthes (Toothache Plant): Key Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Spilanthes (Toothache Plant) · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 2-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Spilanthes (Toothache Plant) tolerates either.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Spilanthes (Toothache Plant) plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 2 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 0.5-1 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Straight-species spilanthes (Spilanthes oleracea): Johnny's Selected Seeds sells this species plain, without competing named cultivars; the numbing effect and small yellow-and-red flower buds are traits of the species itself. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy spilanthes seeds
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing spilanthes (toothache plant)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
%3A%20Grown%20as%20much%20as%20a%20novelty%20edible%20as%20an%20ornamental%2C%20since%20chewing%20a%20leaf%20or%20flower%20bud%20produces%20a%20genuine%20numbing%2C%20tingling%20sensation%20traditionally%20used%20for%20tooth%20pain.)
Pin this for later
Growing Spilanthes (Toothache Plant): Grown as much as a novelty edible as an ornamental, since chewing a leaf or flower bud produces a genuine numbing, tingling sensation traditionally used for tooth pain.
Save to Pinterest