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Lipstick tree seed pods

Bixa orellana

Photo by Adarsha B S
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

It is also known as Aploppas. The seeds of this plant were used in prehispanic times in Mexico for body painting and wall painting. Now it is used for preparing typical food that we call "cochinita pibil" it flavours and colors pork meat, its a traditional dish. In old times it was also medicinal to treat sifilis, thats what the prehispanic people used to think.

The plant bears pink flowers and bright red spiny fruits which contain red seeds. The fruits dry and harden to brown capsules.

Habitat:

America, Southeast Asia and India....

Species ID Suggestions

Lipstick tree fruit pods

Bixa orellana

Reference Link
ruchats
2

Comments (22)
Adarsha B S
@DBO: Good..unfortunately am a vegetarian....!!!! I seen that colored faces in TV!...
Adarsha B S
@Yuriana: Oh...thats just really awesome..I d love to taste that drink..Yummy! You can send pics to adarshabs.math@gmail.com... Thats so nice of you....
DDO
Adarsha, we use it to add some color to the food. Mainly fish dishes. Also, native Brazilians used to paint their faces with the color red extracted from the seeds when they went to war.
YurianaMartínez
Hi everyone! Adarsha, dont worry i have some seeds to picture them under the estereoscopic microscope, ill post them soon, once i have a little time. By the way it is not a herb, its more like a shrub or a small tree, it is perennial. We (mexicans) in the south mix it with chocolate, and we make a special drink called: tescalate. It has a nice flavour with both ingredients together and a nice brown-redish color. Ill set some seeds for germination and send some pics to you Adarsha, saludos!!
Adarsha B S
@DBO : Oh..its used in Brazilian Dishes also! Till now i heard about spanish dishes by this! Love to taste it...Can u name any of the dishes?
DDO
haven't seen one of these in forever! We call it urucum - when dried out and reduced to a fine powder, it is used in many brazilian dishes.
Adarsha B S
@Chief: Yes...see this link full... http://herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.in/2011/07/annatto-lipstick-tree-history-uses-and.html In tribal medicine it has been used as an aphrodisiac and as a mild laxative, not as strong as senna or jamalgota or the castor bean’s action. Annatto can reduce inflammation and protects the liver it is believed after clinical trials. It can also kill bacteria in the lab, and research is underway to ascertain if it can be beneficial to our health. It seems also to raise blood sugar levels but lower blood pressure.
Adarsha B S
@Chief: Yes indeed..I took photo in a trip..I still feel that i could hav taken some fruits! It is a herb, hair oil product, coloring agent!
Adarsha B S
@ChunXingWong : I too heard from Yuriana that it is used for Spanish Dishes...It is even used as a coloring agent...It has so many uses...
ChunXingWong
I have never seen such fruit in my life. I would surely love to taste it.
Adarsha B S
@Seema : Yes it is...read the following link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annatto
Adarsha B S
Oh yeah..i just googled 'Achiote'...quite a popular dish it is!!!
Seema
are the fruits used as dye? I think, it yields some red pigments..
YurianaMartínez
sure Adarsha! you are welcome, the plant and the extract to prepare the meal is called achiote in spanish :D
Adarsha B S
@YurianaMartinez: Thank you..nice information..i'd like to add these details in description with your permission. And definitley i want to taste that dish :)
YurianaMartínez
the seeds of this plant were used in prehispanic times in Mexico for body painting and wall painting. Now it is used for preparing typical food that we call "cochinita pibil" it flavours and colors pork meat, its a traditional dish. In old times it was also medicinal to treat sifilis, thats what the prehispanic people used to think.
ruchats
yup...I've seen them grow in South India...esp. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Adarsha B S
@Ruchats : Oh...this is found near my native...
ruchats
U're welcome :) I've seen them among dried flower arrangements...
Adarsha B S
@Ruchats : Yes,,,,correct,,,thank you:) Its from Lipstick tree :)
ruchats
at first it looked like a "Rambutan"...but i think it's from a "Lipstick tree" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixa_orellana
Photographed
PublishedSeptember 29, 2012

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