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Calea ternifolia

(Redirected from Bitter-grass)

Calea ternifolia (syn. Calea zacatechichi)[1] is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America.[1] Its English language common names include bitter-grass, Mexican calea,[1] and dream herb.[2]

Calea ternifolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Calea
Species:
C. ternifolia
Binomial name
Calea ternifolia
Synonyms

Calea zacatechichi Schltdl.

It is used in traditional medicine and ritual in its native range.[3]

Uses

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In Mexico the plant is used as a herbal remedy for dysentery and fever.[3] The Zoque Popoluca people call the plant tam huñi ("bitter gum") and use it to treat diarrhea and asthma, and the Mixe people know it as poop taam ujts ("white bitter herb") and use it for stomachache and fever.[4]

The Chontal people of Oaxaca reportedly use the plant, known locally as thle-pela-kano, during divination. Isolated reports describe rituals that involve smoking a plant believed to be this species, drinking it as a tea, and placing it under a pillow to induce divinatory or lucid dreams due to its properties as an oneirogen.[5] Zacatechichi, the former species name, is a Hispanicized form of the Nahuatl word "zacatl chichic" meaning "bitter grass".[6] Users take the plant to help them remember their dreams;[2][7] known side effects include nausea and vomiting related to the taste and mild-to-severe allergic reaction.

While quite bitter if brewed in hot water, the bitterness can be considerably masked by brewing with Osmanthus flowers, which have a compatible scent profile.

Chemical composition

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Cultivated specimen

Chemical compounds isolated from this species include flavones[8] such as acacetin[9] and sesquiterpene lactones such as germacranolides.[10] The compound that is thought to cause the effects of Calea ternifolia is Caleicine a Prodrug of Eugenol a potent GABA positive modulator.[11]

Pharmacology

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Calea ternifolia and it's effects are not fully understood beyond GABA modulation from Caleicine and other GABAergic compounds. The plant is known to potentiate dreams and hypnotic states and is bioavailable through common routes of administration such as smoking and oral.

Many compounds have been isolated from the plant and suspected to cause the psychoactive effects. Notable compounds that have been isolated are:[11]

It is thought these compounds, and their respective pharmacological classes create the effects of Calea ternifolia.

Caleicine is a unique sesquiterpene compound found only in Calea ternifolia[11] and is one of many GABAergic compounds found in the plant and acts as a prodrug to the known bioactive and potent Eugenol. Caleicine is a strong candidate to be responsible the effects of Calea ternifolia as the GABA modulation Eugenol exhibits are the same that of Calea ternifolia.[15][16]

Calea ternifolias negative side effects, nausea, vomiting and delirium based hallucinations,[17] are the same that of Eugenol[16] and other GABAergic compounds.

GABA positive allosteric site modulation is found in many sedative substances such as Methaqualone, Propofol, Alcohol (Ethanol) and Zolpidem. The properties of GABA positive modulating substances typically are anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, oneirogenic, sedative, hypnotic, euphoriant, and muscle relaxant effects.

In a study, 12 participants were given extracts of Calea ternifolia and experienced effects of mild augmentation of sensorial perceptions, imaginings, thought gaps, and retrieval problems; lethargy and a short sleep with vivid dreams.[15]

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While it is not a controlled substance under federal law in the United States, some states have considered it individually. Louisiana State Act 159 specifies that it is illegal to possess if it is intended for human consumption, but not if they are intended for ornamental or landscaping use. Tennessee proposed a bill that would have made this and many other plants classified as hallucinogenic illegal, but when the bill was passed only Salvia divinorum was banned.[18]

This plant was banned in Poland in March 2009.[2][19]

Under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 in the United Kingdom, Calea is technically illegal, however as the mechanisms are not well understood, it cannot be classed as a CNS stimulant or Depressant and therefor is legal.

 
Calea ternifolia (syn. Calea zacatechichi) dream herb

Nephrotoxicity

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One study suggest that the herb may have some toxic properties towards kidneys (nephrotoxicity).[20] This is likely due to the Caleicine in the plant being metabolised into the nephrotoxic compound Eugenol that can cause liver toxicity in high doses.[16]

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American composer David Woodard, who cultivated Calea ternifolia on his San Francisco estate, composed a motet entitled "Calea Zacatechichi", which he recorded with a Hispanic choir.[21]: 34 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Calea ternifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Simonienko, K., et al. (2013). Psychoactive plant species – actual list of plants prohibited in Poland. Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Psychiatria Polska XLVII(3), 499–508.
  3. ^ a b Ferraz, A., et al. (2009). Pharmacological and genotoxic evaluation of Calea clematidea and Calea uniflora. Latin American Journal of Pharmacy 28(6), 858-62.[1]
  4. ^ Leonti, M., et al. (2003). Antiquity of medicinal plant usage in two Macro-Mayan ethnic groups (Mexico). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 88(2), 119-24.
  5. ^ Sałaga, Maciej; Fichna, Jakub; Socała, Katarzyna; Nieoczym, Dorota; Pieróg, Mateusz; Zielińska, Marta; Kowalczuk, Anna; Wlaź, Piotr (2016). "Neuropharmacological characterization of the oneirogenic Mexican plant Calea zacatechichi aqueous extract in mice". Metabolic Brain Disease. 31 (3): 631–641. doi:10.1007/s11011-016-9794-1. ISSN 0885-7490. PMC 4863909. PMID 26821073.
  6. ^ Díaz, J. L. (1979). Ethnopharmacology and taxonomy of Mexican psychodysleptic plants. J Psychedelic Drugs 11(1-2), 71–101.
  7. ^ Sanz, Camila; Zamberlan, Federico; Erowid, Earth; Erowid, Fire; Tagliazucchi, Enzo (2018). "The Experience Elicited by Hallucinogens Presents the Highest Similarity to Dreaming within a Large Database of Psychoactive Substance Reports". Frontiers in Neuroscience. 12: 7. doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00007. ISSN 1662-453X. PMC 5786560. PMID 29403350.
  8. ^ Mariano, M. V., et al. (1987). Thymol derivatives from Calea nelsonii. Phytochemistry 26(9), 2577-79.
  9. ^ Mayagoitia, L., et al. (1986). Psychopharmacologic analysis of an alleged oneirogenic plant: Calea zacatechichi. Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Ethnopharmacology 18(3), 229–43.
  10. ^ Lee, I. Y., et al. (1982). New germacranolides from Calea ternifolia and the molecular structure of 9α-Hydroxy-11, 13-Dihydro-11α, 13-Epoxyatripliciolide-8β-O-(2-Methylacrylate). Journal of Natural Products 45(3), 311-16.
  11. ^ a b c Mata, Rachel (July 2021). "Calea ternifolia Kunth, the Mexican "dream herb", a concise review". Canadian Science Publishing: 7 – via ResearchGate.
  12. ^ Onakpoya, I J (2015). "The effect of chlorogenic acid on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials". J Hum Hypertens. 29 (2): 77–81. doi:10.1038/jhh.2014.46. PMID 24943289.
  13. ^ Yang, Hyejin (2016). "α-Pinene, a Major Constituent of Pine Tree Oils, Enhances Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Mice through GABAA-benzodiazepine Receptors". Molecular Pharmacology. 90 (5): 530–539. doi:10.1124/mol.116.105080. PMID 27573669.
  14. ^ Bloch, Konrad E. (1983). "Sterol, Structure and Membrane Function". Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 14 (1): 47–92. doi:10.3109/10409238309102790. PMID 6340956.
  15. ^ a b Díaz, José Luis (1979). "Ethnopharmacology and Taxonomy of Mexican Psychodysleptic Plants". Journal of Psychedelic Drugs. 11 (1–2): 71–101. doi:10.1080/02791072.1979.10472094 – via Taylor and Francis.
  16. ^ a b c "Eugenol (Clove Oil)", LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2012, PMID 31869191, retrieved 2024-11-03
  17. ^ "CALEA ZACATECHICHI: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews". www.webmd.com. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  18. ^ Calea zacatechichi Legal Status Erowid.org. Jun 20 2006.
  19. ^ (in Polish) Dz.U. 2009 nr 63 poz. 520, Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych.
  20. ^ Mossoba, Miriam E.; Flynn, Thomas J.; Vohra, Sanah; Wiesenfeld, Paddy; Sprando, Robert L. (2016). "Evaluation of "Dream Herb," Calea zacatechichi, for Nephrotoxicity Using Human Kidney Proximal Tubule Cells". Journal of Toxicology. 2016: 1–7. doi:10.1155/2016/9794570. ISSN 1687-8191. PMC 5040790. PMID 27703475.
  21. ^ Kerekes, D., Headpress 25: William Burroughs & the Flicker Machine (Manchester: Headpress, 2003), p. 34.

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