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botanical illustration of Pito sico, Pluchea carolinensis

botanical record · discovered

Pito sico

Pluchea carolinensis

Pito sico · Santa maria · Cereal Bush · Cure for all, cattletongue, Sourbush, Shrubby fleabane, Sweet scent, Wild tobacco, Bitter tobacco, Coughbush, Curry plant · Cure-all · Geritout · Guerit-tout · Marsh fleabane · Sucrie Tout (Trinidad & Tobago); Cure-for-all · Tabaquillo · canela · cattletongue · cough bush · coughbush · cure for all · cure-for-all

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Haiti, Bahamas

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Ache(Head), Anodyne, Cold, Cough

Science studied: ALPHA-AMYRIN, BETA-AMYRIN-ACETATE, CHLOROGENIC-ACID, CUATHEMONES

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: Pluchea carolinensis

Common names: Pito sico, Santa maria, Cereal Bush, Cure for all, cattletongue, Sourbush, Shrubby fleabane, Sweet scent, Wild tobacco, Bitter tobacco, Coughbush, Curry plant, Cure-all, Geritout, Guerit-tout, Marsh fleabane, Sucrie Tout (Trinidad & Tobago); Cure-for-all, Tabaquillo, canela, cattletongue, cough bush, coughbush, cure for all, cure-for-all

POWO: 238803-1 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone

History

The source record documents this plant in Haiti, Bahamas.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

  • Ache(Head)
  • Anodyne
  • Cold
  • Cough
  • Diaphoretic
  • Fever
  • Cold(Head)
  • Newborn
show 5 more documented entries
  • Rheumatism
  • Puerperium
  • Expectorant
  • Shortwindedness
  • Ache(Tooth)

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

  • Haiti
  • Bahamas

Documented cultural uses

  • Ache(Head)
  • Anodyne
  • Cold
  • Cough
  • Diaphoretic
  • Fever
  • Cold(Head)
  • Newborn
  • Rheumatism
  • Puerperium
  • Expectorant
  • Shortwindedness
show 1 more documented entries
  • Ache(Tooth)

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) · Haiti · "
  • Anodyne · Bahamas · "
  • Cold · Bahamas · "
  • Cough · Bahamas · "
  • Diaphoretic · Bahamas · "
  • Fever · Haiti · "
  • Cold(Head) · Bahamas · "
  • Newborn · Bahamas · "
  • Rheumatism · Bahamas · "
  • Cough · Haiti · "
  • Puerperium · Bahamas · "
  • Expectorant · Haiti · "
  • Shortwindedness · Bahamas · "
  • Ache(Tooth) · Bahamas · "

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

  • Composition and bioactivity of Pluchea carolinensis (Jack.) G. essential oil from Martinique · 2016 source ↗
  • Chemical Characterization, Antileishmanial Activity, and Cytotoxicity Effects of the Essential Oil from Leaves of Pluchea carolinensis (Jacq.) G. Don. (Asteraceae). · 2017 source ↗
  • In vitro and in vivo activity of major constituents from Pluchea carolinensis against Leishmania amazonensis. · 2014 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

  • ALPHA-AMYRIN
  • BETA-AMYRIN-ACETATE
  • CHLOROGENIC-ACID
  • CUATHEMONES
  • FLAVONOIDS
  • STEROIDS
  • TANNINS
  • TERPENOIDS
  • THYMOHYDROQUINONE-DIMETHYLETHER
  • ALKALOIDS
  • CAMPESTEROL
  • GLUCOSIDES
  • TARAXASTERYL-ACETATE

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

Pluchea carolinensis
Pluchea carolinensis · Forest & Kim Starr

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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