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.

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 used by the Chontal people of Oaxaca, Mexico GFDL, Author: Pineali Wikimedia Commons