Annatto (Lipstick Plant, Urucum, Colorau, Achiote )
Bixa orellana

Family: Bixaceae

What it is like

Borassus aethiopium, otherwise known as African Fan Palm, Borassus Palm, or African Palmyra Palm, is a bottle shaped and smooth palm that can reach up to 25 m high when fully matured. It is named as such due to its crown composed of cluster of fan-shaped leaves. It is a dioecious species. The leaves are reportedly aphrodisiac and roots are used as mouthwash and against stomach parasites, bronchitis, sore throats and asthma. The fruit is edible fresh, dried, or cooked. Fruit juice can be obtained from immature fruits. Moreover, young seedlings, the tuberous portion of the first juvenile leaves, and the apical bud and young leaves are all consumed as vegetable. Sap can also be obtained from the plant and made into palm wine or vinegar. The leaves are used in thatching and as materials in making baskets and mats. The tree is an excellent fire break and is drought-resistant. Other Names: Bace, Bazlawar, Berembe, Buane, Buar, Cibe, Cibedje, Cibo, Daleib, Deleb palm, Delep, Difundi, Dube, Dzova, Edukanait, Edukudukut, Ekituugu, Euda, Goworo-ijhacoongo, Kambili, Katungo, Makoma, Mchapa, Mhama, Mkamu, Mtapa, Muhama, Mukae, Mupama, Mvuma, Mvumo, N'bene, Ncora, Ng'hama, Opane, Ope-okunkun, Palmier-ronier, Ron, Ronier, Thuwa, Tugo, Tugu, Umbena, Vumo, Zambaba, Zembaba.

Bixa orellana is an evergreen Tree growing to 5 m (16ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 5

Where it is found

Coastal and inland thickets. Tropical forests.

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama to Mexico.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Found In: Africa, Amazon, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Guiana, Guinea, Guin?e, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico*, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Edible portion: Seeds, Spice. The seeds are relatively tasteless. They are briefly steeped in hot oil which is then strained and cooled to be used as a flavouring in various dishes. The whole seeds can be ground into a paste with various other spices, which gives a more pronounced flavour. The seeds have a high nutritive value, containing a small amount of fatty oil (5%) and about 13% of protein. The ground seed is red and this can be used to colour foods. A yellow colour is obtained from the seed coat, and this is widely used as a colouring in margarines etc in the food industry. It is a harmless, non-carcinogenic dye . It colours butter, margarine, cheese, and chocolate. It is ground and used as a spice (Annatto) in South America.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Colouring: edible dyes

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 3

The medical properties of annatto are poorly understood, but it is a bitter, astringent, purgative herb that reputedly destroys intestinal worms, lowers fever, improves digestion and has expectorant effects. A decoction of the leaves is used as a treatment for dysentery, and to reduce vomiting during pregnancy. The leaves are applied to the head and to sprains to relieve aches. A decoction is gargled as a cure for mouth and throat infections. The leaves may also be used in baths to relieve muscular aches, fevers, colic or to get rid of worms in children. The fresh shoots are steeped in water, which is then used as a eyewash for inflamed eyes. The leaves can be picked as required and used fresh or dried. The sap from the leaf petiole is soaked in hot water with rum, then used to remove secretions from encrusted eyelids as a treatment for blepharitis. Young shoots are applied locally as a poultice on abscesses. The roots are digestive and diuretic. A decoction is taken orally to control asthma. An infusion of the root in water and rum is used to treat venereal diseases. A tea made from the root is used to treat oliguria and jaundice. The seeds are used as an aphrodisiac, emmenagogue, expectorant and vermifuge. They are used to treat asthma and nasal cavity problems. A macerated seed decoction is taken orally for the relief of fevers. In a syrup, they are used in the treatment of pharyngitis and bronchitis. The ground seeds are applied to burns in order to prevent blistering and scarring. The seeds are harvested as the fruits split open, and can be dried for later use. They can also be soaked in hot water - the resulting sediment is pressed into cakes for use in medicines and dyes. The pulp surrounding the seed is made into an astringent drink used to treat cancer, dysentery and kidney infections. The fruit pulp is used as a rub on the skin to prevent sores, probably from sunburn. The dye obtained from the seed coat is used as an antidote for prussic acid poisoning caused by eating poorly treated Manihot esculenta. Sap from the bark and crushed leaves is used as a treatment for skin rashes. A decoction of the bark is used as a treatment for malaria; angina and asthma. The leaves contain cyanidine and ellagic acid.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Bitter: Increases the appetite and stimulates digestion by acting on the mucous membranes of the mouth. Also increases the flow of bile, stimulates repair of the gut wall lining and regulates the secretion of insulin and glucogen.

Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.

Digestive: Aids digestion.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Malaria: Treats malaria - an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites spread to people through the bites of mosquitos.

Mouthwash: Treats problems such as mouth ulcers.

Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.

Other

Rating: 4

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Small flowering tree, Dye plant, Planter, Accent, Flower Border, Screening, Conservatory. Suitable for growing indoors. Agroforestry Uses: The plant is amenable to pruning and can be grown as a hedge. Plants are tolerant of hard trimming. Other Uses A red dye, known as annatto, is obtained from the fruit. The dye is obtained from the seed coat. The dye is used to colour cloth, and is also used by native people as a cosmetic for painting the skin and as a lipstick. It is also used in the cosmetic production of nail gloss, hair oil, lipstick and soap, as well as in the production of floor wax, furniture and shoe polish. The colour rapidly fades when exposed to light and air. A waxy substance that has paralytic action on mammalian intestinal parasites is present in the seed coat. Bixin extracted from the seed coat is used in India as an insect repellent. The red dye obtained from the seed is applied to the skin to repel mosquitoes and other biting insects. Annatto paste filters out the ultraviolet rays of sunlight, thereby protecting the skin from excessive sunburn. The bark from the branches of the trees yields a water-soluble gum that is similar to gum arabic. The seeds contain a characteristic pleasant-smelling essential oil. It is said that fire can be started by the friction of 2 pieces of the soft wood. A fibre for cordage has been obtained from the bark of the tree. The sapwood is whitish and the heartwood light brown or yellowish. The wood is soft, light in weight (specific gravity 0.4), porous, weak and not durable. The stems and branches are used for fuel.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.

Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.

Friction sticks: Used for starting fires when there are no matches.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Hair: Plants used as hair shampoos, tonics, to treat balding etc.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Houseplant: A plant grown indoors for decorative purposes.

Insecticide: Kills insects.

Plant support: Usually bamboos, used as canes in the garden for holding up plants.

Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.

Soap making: Plants used as an ingredient in making soaps. Does not include the essential oils, dyes and oils that are also used in making soap.

String: Plants that can be used for string or can be easily made into a string. See also Fibre. Plants for ropes may be included.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Agroforestry Services: Crop shade: Plants providing crop shade especially trees.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Agroforestry Services: Living trellis: Plants to physically support other crops.

Agroforestry Services: Windbreak: Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.

Industrial Crop: Dye: Botanical dyes replacing synthetic dyes (known as heavy polluters).

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Industrial Crop: Gum: Used as thickeners and gelling agents. Non-destructively harvested gums come from tapped trees and seed.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.