Calea ternifolia Kunth. - syn.Calea zacatechichi Schltdl. - Asteraceae - Mexican calea, bitter gras, **Bitterkraut**, Traumkraut

Annual herb, native to Central America. Plant names of Mexican indigenous cultures (bitter gum, white bitter herb) point to the traditional use as remedy for stomach-ache. \\
[Antiquity of medicinal plant usage in two Macro-Mayan ethnic groups (México). Marco Leonti, Otto Sticher, Michael Heinrich, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 88 (2003) 119-124] 

The herb contains sesquiterpene lactones of the germacranolide type (responsible for the bitterness) and flavones.

{{:calea_lactones.jpg}} neurolenin B (R=i-valerate), calein A (R=angelate) \\
[Revision of the structures of caleine A and B, germacranolide sesquiterpenes from Calea zacatechichi., Quijano, L., de Vivar, A.R., Rios, T., Phytochemistry, 18(10), 1979, 1745-1747]

"Calea zacatechichi yielded the sesquiterpene lactone zexbrevin and a new analog, several analogs of neurolenin B including calein A, two analogs of budlein A and the flavones acacetin and O-methylacacetin." \\
[Sesquiterpene lactones of //Calea zacatechichi// and //C. urticifolia//. Herz, Werner, and Narendra Kumar. Phytochemistry, Vol.19(4), 1980, 593-597]

"Caleine E and F, two new sesquiterpene lactones, were isolated from Calea zacatechichi." \\
[Two caleines from Calea zacatechichi. Martinez, Mariano, Baldomero Esquivel, and Alfredo Ortega. Phytochemistry Vol.26(7), 1987, 2104-2106]

"... elongates shallow sleep in REM stage, increases number of awakenings and helps to remember 
dreams- because of that it is called ‘dream herb’... Expected psychoactive effects and complications which can occur after intake - psychoactive effects: remembering dreams; psychic side effects: hallucinations; somatic side effects: nausea, vomiting." \\
[Psychoactive plant species - actual list of plants prohibited in Poland., Simonienko, K., et al., Psychiatria Polska XLVII(3), 2013, 499-508] [[http://www.psychiatriapolska.pl/uploads/images/PP_3_2013/Eng_ver_Simonienko.pdf]]

{{:calea_ternifolia.jpg?800}} \\
Calea ternifolia used by the Chontal people of Oaxaca, Mexico
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