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Annatto / Achiote (Bixa orellana)
Materia Medica
Family: Bixaceae
Botanical name: Bixa orellana L.
Common names: Annatto, Achiote, Lipstick Tree
Parts used: Seeds (aril)
Growth habit: Shrub or small tree
Primary traditions: Tropical American culinary and dye use
Actions & Energetics
Traditional tropical American records describe the seeds primarily as a food colorant and mild spice. Some Indigenous and later sources note the seeds for digestive and skin applications. The primary modern use is as a natural dye and food color.
Botanical Description
Bixa orellana is a shrub or small tree with pink or white flowers and distinctive heart-shaped red seed pods covered in soft spines. The seeds are surrounded by a bright orange-red aril that yields the dye. The plant is native to tropical America.
Traditional Indications
Indigenous American and later tropical traditions used the seeds as a body paint, food colorant, and mild spice. Some records note the seeds for digestive complaints and external skin applications. The primary traditional and modern use remains as a dye and food coloring.
Preparations & Dosage
Seed Colorant
Seeds are soaked or ground in oil or water to extract the orange-red pigment for food and textile dyeing.
Culinary Use
The seeds or seed paste are used as a mild spice and colorant in Caribbean, Latin American, and Filipino cooking.
Constituents
The seed aril contains carotenoid pigments, principally bixin and norbixin, which produce the characteristic orange-red color. Additional compounds include tocotrienols and flavonoids.
Modern Research
Research focuses on the carotenoid pigments as natural food colors and on their antioxidant properties. Human clinical data for traditional medicinal uses remain limited. The pigment is approved as a food colorant in many countries.
Adverse Effects
Ordinary culinary and dye use is well-tolerated. Rare allergic reactions to the seed pigment have been reported in sensitive individuals.
Interactions & Contraindications
No clinically established major drug interactions are recorded for ordinary food use of the seeds.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
The seeds are widely used as a food colorant. Traditional sources do not list restrictions for ordinary culinary amounts.
Habitat & Cultivation
- Native range: Tropical America
- Habitat: Lowland tropics
- Cultivation: Grown for the seed dye in tropical regions worldwide
Harvesting & Drying
Seed pods are harvested when mature and red. The seeds are extracted and dried. The pigment is concentrated in the aril surrounding the seed.
History, Folklore & Spiritual Use
Annatto has been used by Indigenous peoples of tropical America for body paint, textile dyeing, and food coloring for centuries. The plant was later introduced to other tropical regions. The name “lipstick tree” refers to the traditional use of the red pigment as a cosmetic.
Materia Medica Summary
Annatto / Achiote (Bixa orellana) is a tropical American shrub whose seed aril yields an orange-red carotenoid dye used as a food colorant and mild spice. Traditional use centers on dyeing and culinary applications. The principal pigments are bixin and norbixin.