Calea ternifolia
StarCalea ternifolia
Synonyms: Calea sororia, Calea salmeifolia, Calea tejadae, Calea leptocephala, Aschenbornia heteropoda, Calea pringlei var. rubida, Calea rugosa, Calea dichotoma, Calea acuminata var. xanthactis, Calea acuminata, Calea pringlei, Calydermos salmeifolius, Alloispermum liebmannii, Calydermos rugosus, Calea hypoleuca, Calea zacatechichi var. rugosa, Calea liebmannii, Calea zacatechichi var. macrophylla, Calea zacatechichi var. xanthina, Calea albida, Calea zacatechichi, Calea zacatechichi var. calyculata, Calea ternifolia var. calyculata, Calea ternifolia var. hypoleuca, Calea zacatechichi var. laevigata
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Calea ternifolia is the celebrated "dream herb" (thle-pela-kano) of the Chontal people of Oaxaca, Mexico, who smoke the dried leaves or drink them as a tea and place the plant beneath the pillow to induce vivid divinatory or lucid dreams (Wikipedia, citing ethnobotanical sources). It is also a Mexican folk medicine: a bitter remedy taken for digestive complaints, dysentery, diarrhea, stomachache and fever, the Zoque Popoluca knowing it as "bitter gum" and the Mixe as "white bitter herb."
Botanical Description
Calea ternifolia (often known by the synonym Calea zacatechichi), the bitter-grass or dream herb, is a shrub of the daisy family (Asteraceae), native to Mexico and Central America, where it grows in scrub, dry thickets and disturbed ground. It is a much-branched woody shrub, generally one to a few metres tall, with slender stems and opposite or whorled, ovate to lance-shaped leaves that are toothed and roughened, the foliage being conspicuously and persistently bitter to the taste. The small flower heads are clustered at the branch tips; each head contains a few cream to whitish florets enclosed in overlapping bracts, and produces the small dry one-seeded fruits (cypselae) tipped with a pappus typical of the family. The whole plant has a strong, bitter, aromatic quality. Chemically it contains flavones such as acacetin and sesquiterpene lactones (germacranolides). Long known to indigenous peoples of southern Mexico, it is the famous "dream herb," valued both for its reputed dream-enhancing effects and as a bitter folk medicine.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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