Common Name: Chilcuague

General Information

Heliopsis longipes is a herbaceous perennial plant producing one or more stems from a fleshy, rhizomatous rootstock; it can grow up to 40cm tall, occasionally to 80cm[].
Chilcuague roots are widely used in folk medicine and also as a food flavouring. The plant is also the source of an insecticide and has been harvested from the wild in large quantities in the past. Given the high demand for this plant, and the low abundance of its original populations, the plant has become uncommon in the wild. Both in Guanajuato and in Querétaro it is being cultivated on a domestic scale for food and medicine[, ].
The natural populations of Heliopsis longipes are already very small, so that it is not easily located. Although it is under domestic cultivation, it must be considered as highly vulnerable to extinction[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern N. America - central Mexico

Habitat

Holm oak forests; at elevations from 1,950 - 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.35 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The root is used as a food flavouring in sauces and spicy meals[, ]. It has a flavour similar to chili[]. It is added to alcoholic beverages to improve the taste[].

Medicinal

The roots are used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory diseases, kill parasites, alleviate toothache, gum diseases and muscle pains[, , ]. When the roots come into contact with oral cavity tissues, they produce numbness and a tingling sensation of the tongue, associated with a significant increase in salivary flow[].

The roots have been the subject of numerous chemical and pharmacological studies[].
The main active ingredient in the root is the alkamide 'affinin'. Both this, and an ethanol extract of the root, have shown analgesic and also stimulating actions[].
Affinin has also been shown to produce vasodilation[].
A hexane extract of the roots, of which affinin is the main constituent, has shown potential usefulness as an antiinflammatory and antiarthritic agent[].

Other Uses

The roots are used as an insecticide, having a paralyzing and toxic action against flies and other insects [, , ]. Studies have confirmed the roor has an effective insecticidal action against various insects, including the domestic house fly and the common bean weevil[]. Furthermore, the active compound 'affinin' has been found to be effective against mollusks and fungi, whilst the crude root extracts have been shown to kill a number of bacteria and fungi[].

Propagation

Seed -

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