Calea ternifolia Kunth, the Mexican dream herb, a concise review

Calea ternifolia Kunth (Asteraceae), the Dream Herb, is an important medicinal plant distributed from Mexico to Costa Rica. The plant is highly valued for rituals and treating several illnesses, including anorexia, upset stomach, diabetes, periodic fevers, diarrhea, bile problems, and skin diseases. This comprehensive literature survey on Calea ternifolia was performed up to January 2021. Our review focuses on traditional uses, botanical aspects, chemical constituents, quality control tests as well pharmacological and toxicological studies. Data were recorded using online scientific databases, including Scopus, Pubmed, Google Scholar, Taylor and Francis Imprints, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Science Direct, JSTOR, and SciFinder. The information was assembled from research articles, relevant books on herbal and history of medicinal plants from Mexico, theses, reports, and web pages. The more significant botanical and ethnomedical aspects were recorded, including discovering the oneirogenic use (enhancer of dreams) of C. ternifolia by the Chontal indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant contains sesquiterpenes and flavonoids as the major constituents. Some properties associated with the plant's traditional uses have been demonstrated, including spasmolytic, antidiabetic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, and antinociceptive effects. Plant's toxicity will be discussed. Solid pharmacological research provided evidence supporting the use of the dream plant for oneiromancy.

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