botanical record · discovered
Achiote
Bixa orellana
Achiote · Annatto · Annato · Lipsticktree · Lipstick Pod · Bija · Annoto · Arnato
At a glance
Origin / distribution: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Paraguay, Panama(Cuna), German, Hawaii, Brasil
Cultural traditions: not documented
Recorded uses: Ache(Head), Antidote, Aphrodisiac, Astringent
Science studied: ASCORBIC-ACID, ASH, BIXAGHANENE, CROCETIN
Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗
Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.
Names and identity
Family: Bixaceae
Scientific name: Bixa orellana
Common names: Achiote, Annatto, Annato, Lipsticktree, Lipstick Pod, Bija, Annoto, Arnato
POWO: 33335-2 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone
History
The source record documents this plant in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Elsewhere, Paraguay, Panama(Cuna), German, Hawaii and 5 additional places.
It records these historical or traditional applications:
- Ache(Head)
- Antidote
- Aphrodisiac
- Astringent
- Burn
- Cancer
- Coloring
- Cosmetic
show 30 more documented entries
- Depurative
- Diuretic
- Dysentery
- Epilepsy
- Erysipelas
- Excitant
- Fainting
- Fever
- Flu
- Gonorrhea
- Hair-Oil
- Inflammation
- Repellant(Insect)
- Jaundice
- Malaria
- Oliguria
- Purgative
- Stomachic
- Stomatitis
- Throat
- Unguent
- Venereal
- Diabetes
- Cordial
- Douche
- Parasiticide
- Refrigerant
- Styptic
- Tumor
- Kidney
This summary is limited to the cited source record.
Origins and distribution
- Mexico
- Dominican Republic
- Colombia
- Elsewhere
- Paraguay
- Panama(Cuna)
- German
- Hawaii
- Brasil
- Haiti
- Trinidad
- French
show 1 more documented entries
- Spanish
Documented cultural uses
- Ache(Head)
- Antidote
- Aphrodisiac
- Astringent
- Burn
- Cancer
- Coloring
- Cosmetic
- Depurative
- Diuretic
- Dysentery
- Epilepsy
show 26 more documented entries
- Erysipelas
- Excitant
- Fainting
- Fever
- Flu
- Gonorrhea
- Hair-Oil
- Inflammation
- Repellant(Insect)
- Jaundice
- Malaria
- Oliguria
- Purgative
- Stomachic
- Stomatitis
- Throat
- Unguent
- Venereal
- Diabetes
- Cordial
- Douche
- Parasiticide
- Refrigerant
- Styptic
- Tumor
- Kidney
Cultural record detail
These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.
- Ache(Head) · Mexico · "
- Antidote · Dominican Republic · "
- Antidote · Mexico · "
- Aphrodisiac · Colombia · "
- Aphrodisiac · Mexico · "
- Astringent · Elsewhere · "
- Astringent · Mexico · "
- Burn · Mexico · "
- Cancer · Paraguay · "
- Coloring · Elsewhere · "
- Cosmetic · Elsewhere · "
- Cosmetic · Panama(Cuna) · "
- Cosmetic · German · "
- Depurative · Hawaii · "
- Diuretic · Mexico · "
- Dysentery · Elsewhere · "
- Dysentery · Mexico · "
- Epilepsy · Mexico · "
- Erysipelas · Mexico · "
- Excitant · Brasil · "
- Fainting · Hawaii · "
- Fever · Dominican Republic · "
- Fever · Elsewhere · "
- Fever · Mexico · "
27 additional documented entries remain in the source record.
Contemporary uses
Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.
Scientific research
Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.
Indexed research records
- Application of melamine-starch and bixin film (Bixa orellana L.) in wound healing. · 2026 source ↗
- Chromosome-scale, single haploid assembly of achiote (Bixa orellana). · 2026 source ↗
- Amazon river prawn larvae incorporate astaxanthin in response to dietary supplementation with Bixa orellana · 2026 source ↗
Scientific compounds
Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.
- ASCORBIC-ACID
- ASH
- BIXAGHANENE
- CROCETIN
- ELLAGIC-ACID
- FAT
- FIBER
- HISTIDINE
- IRON
- ISHWARANE
- NIACIN
- PHENYLALANINE
- PHOSPHORUS
- RIBOFLAVIN
- SALICYLIC-ACID
- TOMENTOSIC-ACID
show 61 more documented entries
- CARBOHYDRATES
- BIXEIN
- CALCIUM
- CYANIDIN
- ARGININE
- BIXIN
- BETA-CAROTENE
- EO
- ISOBIXIN
- LYSINE
- NORBIXIN
- THREONINE
- ISOLEUCINE
- BIXOL
- KILOCALORIES
- PROTEIN
- LEUCINE
- NITROGEN
- TRYPTOPHAN
- VALINE
- WATER
- METHIONINE
- BETA-BETA-CAROTENE
- BIXORELLIN
- CELLULOSE
- CRYPTOXANTHIN
- HEMICELLULOSE
- HYPOLAETIN-8-BISULFATE
- HYPOLAETIN-8-SULFATE
- LIGNIN
- LUTEIN
- LUTEOLIN-7-BISULPHATE
- LUTEOLIN-7-GLUCOSIDE
- METHYL(9'Z)-APO-6'-LYCOPENOATE
- MUCILAGE
- MYRISTIC-ACID
- NEUROSPORENE
- OLEIC-ACID
- ORELLIN
- PALMITIC-ACID
- PALMITOLIC-ACID
- PECTIN
- PENTOSANS
- PHYTOENE
- PHYTOFLUENE
- SAPONINS
- SILICA
- STEARIC-ACID
- TANNINS
- THIAMIN
- WAX
- ZEAXANTHIN
- APIGENIN-7-BISULPHATE
- APIGENIN-7-GLUCOSIDE
- METHYL(E,E,E)-8'-APO-BETA-CAROTEN-8'-OATE
- METHYL(E,E,E)-APO-6'-LYCOPENOATE
- METHYL(E,E,E)-APO-8'-LYCOPENOATE
- METHYL(9Z)-APO-8'-LYCOPENOATE
- METHYL(7Z,9Z,9Z')-APO-6'-LYCOPENOATE
- METHYL-BIXIN
- METHYL(9Z)-8'-OXO-8',6-DIAPOCAROTEN-6-OATE
Legality
No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.
Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.
Reference images
Sources
Plants of the World Online (POWO) · Kew data terms; cite POWO/WCVP
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) · CC BY 3.0
show claim source mapping
- identity · DH-SRC-0030
- documented_uses · DH-SRC-0030
- compounds · DH-SRC-0030
- taxonomy · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
- common_names · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
- countries · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
- wfo_taxonomy · DH-SRC-0003 · source ↗
- cultural_records · DH-SRC-0030 · source ↗
- powo_taxonomy · DH-SRC-0001 · source ↗
- wcvp_taxonomy · DH-SRC-0002 · source ↗
CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive
Contributions and revisions
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