botanical record · discovered
Bitter Grass
Calea zacatechichi
Bitter Grass · Dog's Grass · Mexican Calea
At a glance
Origin / distribution: Mexico, CR
Cultural traditions: not documented
Recorded uses: Bilious, Colic, Inappetence, Malaria
Science studied: 1-ALPHA-ACETOXYZACATECHINOLIDE, ACETYLENES, CALEOCHROMENE-A, CALEOCHROMENE-B
Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗
Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.
Names and identity
Family: Asteraceae
Scientific name: Calea zacatechichi
Common names: Bitter Grass, Dog's Grass, Mexican Calea
History
The source record documents this plant in Mexico, CR.
It records these historical or traditional applications:
- Bilious
- Colic
- Inappetence
- Malaria
- Cholera
- Hallucinogen
- Stomach
This summary is limited to the cited source record.
Origins and distribution
- Mexico
- CR
Documented cultural uses
- Bilious
- Colic
- Inappetence
- Malaria
- Cholera
- Hallucinogen
- Stomach
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
- Mexican calea (Calea zacatechichi Schltdl.) interferes with cholinergic and dopaminergic pathways and causes neuroglial toxicity. · 2024 source ↗
- Calea zacatechichi Schltdl. (Compositae) produces anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, and increases the hippocampal activity during REM sleep in rodents. · 2020 source ↗
- Evaluation of "Dream Herb," <i>Calea zacatechichi</i>, for Nephrotoxicity Using Human Kidney Proximal Tubule Cells. · 2016 source ↗
Scientific compounds
Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.
- 1-ALPHA-ACETOXYZACATECHINOLIDE
- ACETYLENES
- CALEOCHROMENE-A
- CALEOCHROMENE-B
- CHLORHYDRIC-ACID
- GERMACROLIDES
- 1-ALPHA-HYDROXYACETOXYZACATECHINOLIDE-ACETATE
- PHOSPHORIC-ACID
- POLYACETYLENES
- SALICYLIC-ACID
- SUCCINIC-ACID
- SULFURIC-ACID
- 1-OXOZACATECHINOLIDE
- CALEINS
- CARBONIC-ACID
- 1-ALPHA-HYDROXYZACATECHINOLIDE-METHYL-ETHER
Legality
Country-specific legal status is not documented in this record.
Consult the CITES species checklist for international trade protections and listings. This is not a complete statement of local law.
Reference images
Sources
Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0
show claim source mapping
CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive
Contributions and revisions
No published revisions are documented for this record. Community submissions enter review and retain attribution before any published change.
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