© Thomas Brendler
Botanical Name: Bixa orellana L., Bixaceae
Common Name: Annatto
Parts Used: Seeds, leaves, bark, roots, shoots
Botanical Description: Woody tree or shrub 2-8 m tall, dense with a rounded shape and short trunk; bark dark brown; leaves green; inflorescences with pink flowers to 5 cm in diameter; capsule ovoid, covered with soft, reddish-brown spines; seeds covered with abundant orange-red pulp.
Key Active Ingredients: Annatto leaves contain flavonoids. Annatto oil is extracted from the seeds and is the main source of pigments named bixin and norbixin, which are classified as carotenoids. In addition to bixin and norbixin, annatto contains bixaghanene, bixein, bixol, crocetin, ellagic acid, ishwarane, isobixin, phenylalanine, salicylic acid, threonine, tomentosic acid, and tryptophan.
Traditional Uses: Traditional use for aphrodisiac, astringent, burns, conjunctivitis, cystitis, diabetes, diarrhoea, digestive complaints, dysentery, epilepsy, fever, flu, headache, hepatitis, high blood cholesterol, hypertension, inflammation, insect repellent, jaundice, malaria, obesity, renal problems, skin disorders, sore throat, urinary complaints, urogenital infections, wounds. Ground annatto seed powder is used in small doses for high cholesterol and hypertension.
Reported Pharmacological Activities: An ethyl alcohol extract of dried annatto fruit was shown to have in vitro activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Annatto seed extracts have been shown to raise blood glucose levels in some species of animals and to lower it in others. Preliminary investigations have indicated that annatto does exhibit hypoglycaemic properties by an increase in plasma insulin concentration as well as an increase in insulin binding on the insulin receptor due to elevated affinity of the ligand for the receptor. Bixin, extracted and used as a food colorant, has been shown to protect against ultraviolet rays and to have antioxidant and liver protective properties in clinical research.