''Heliopsis longipes'' is a rare

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It has been found only in the states of

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...

, and

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...

in north-central Mexico. Locally called ''chilcuague'', Azteca gold root, and many other names, it was considered powerful medicine for the prehispanic populations of México.

Use and healing properties

The root is chewed to numb the tongue and relieve pain in the teeth and throat. It has antibiotic properties (so it is traditionally used against throat infection, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, esophagitis, gingivitis and other infections even on the skin), it is also recognized as a powerful antifungal (traditionally used against athlete's foot, onychomycosis, dandruff and candidiasis or milkweed), is analgesic, antiseptic, anesthetic it is traditionally used in the painful dentition presented by babies helping to immediately eliminate the discomfort caused by the appearance of the first teeth). It is also used as a condiment in foods and alcoholic beverages. It has depurative properties. Upon ingestion, it produces abundant secretions of bodily fluids such as saliva, sweat and urine due to its influence on the maxillary gland, which is why it was used by Chichimecas both as a condiment and as a natural medicine. The word chilcuague has its origin in the

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...

because this plant was recognized as Chilcoatl (chil for spicy and coatl for the shape of its root that looks like a snake), in the markets it is also known with the following names: herb grindstone, chil cuas, chilcuan, chilcmecatl, Aztec root, gold root, chili de palo, palo de duende, among others. When chewing it has a sialogogous effect or that stimulates the production of saliva which generates several effects in the organism, among them those produced by the digestive enzymes present in saliva (amylase and lipase), its buffering or buffering effect that supports neutralizing. The pH of the stomach and oral cavity instantaneously controlling reflux, acidity and gastritis, saliva also promotes the secretion of endorphins.

References

longipes Endemic flora of Mexico Plants described in 1879 {{Heliantheae-stub