Medicinal Properties:

Astringent, Nutritive, Emollient, Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Expectorant.

Bixaghanene, Bixein, Bixin, Bixol, Crocetin, Ellagic-acid, Ishwarane, Isobixin, Norbixin, Phenylalanine, Salicylic-acid, Threonine, Tomentosic-acid, Tryptophan.

Traditionally, the crushed seeds are usually soaked in water and then the water evaporated to make a brightly colored paste. This paste is then added to soups, cheeses and other foods to give it a bright yellow or orange color. A great deal of this annatto seed paste is exported to North America and Europe where is becomes a food coloring for margarine, cheeses and other yellow or orange foodstuffs. Many times, this food coloring replaces the very expensive saffron in many recipes and dishes around the world. The Annatto paste is also used as a natural dye for cloth and wool, and is sometimes employed in the paint, varnish, lacquer, cosmetic and soap industries.

Throughout the Rainforest, the Indigenous Tribes have used the annatto seeds as a body paint and as a fabric dye. Although mostly only the seed paste or seed oil is used today, the Rainforest Tribes have used the entire plant as medicines for centuries. A tea made with the young shoots is used by the Piura tribes as an antidysenteric, an aphrodisiac, astringent, and to treat skin problems, fevers and hepatitis. The foliage has been used to treat skin problems, liver disease and hepatitis and also as an aphrodisiac, antidysenteric, and antipyretic and has been considered good for the digestive system. An infusion of the flowers is used by the Cojedes tribes as a purgative and to avoid phlegm in newborn babies. The seeds are believed to be expectorant, the roots, digestive as well as antitussive. Annatto has been traced back to the ancient Mayan Indians who employed it as a principal coloring agent in foods, for body paints and as a coloring for arts, crafts and murals. Today in Brazilian traditional medicine, Annatto is used to treat heartburn and stomach distress caused by spicy foods, and as a mild diuretic and mild purgative while traditional medicine in Peru recommends it as a vaginal antispetic and cicatrizant, as a wash for skin infections, and for liver and stomach disorders.

Annatto seeds contain 40 to 45% cellulose, 3.5 to 5.5% sucrose, 0.3 to 0.9% essential oil, 3% fixed oil, 4.5 to 5.5% pigments, 13 to 16% protein, as well as alfa- and beta-carotenoids and other constituents. Ethyl alcohol extracts of both the dried annatto fruit and the leaves were shown to have in vitro activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; a water extract of the root was shown to have hypotensive activity in rats and smooth muscle relaxant activity in guinea pigs and a chloroform extract of dried seed was shown to have hypoglycemic activity in dogs.

Annato also contains tannins, ethereal oils, saponins, mustard oil-like substances and mono- and sesquiterpenes. Annato oil is extracted from the seeds and is the main source of the pigments, Bixin and Norbixin, which are classified as carotenoids. Bixin is used as a colorant in foods, is believed to have UV protection capabilities and has also demonstrated antioxidant and liver protective properties.

ETHNOBOTANY