''Calliandra houstoniana'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s of the genus ''

Calliandra ''Calliandra'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It contains about 140 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Description ...

'' in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

Medicinal use

The

Aztecs The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...

called this plant the Tlacoxiloxochitl, and used it to aid in coughs. From '' An Aztec Herbal'': "If one is troubled by a cough, let him forthwith sip the boiled liquor of the tlaco-xilo-xochitl root skinned and ground up in water; using a part of this, with

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

, to anoint the throat. If he spits

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

also, let him take the same liquor as a drink before meals. It would help if he gnawed and chewed some of the said root, with honey. The root of the

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

called tzopelica-cococ, ground in tepid water is also of value for one with a cough; let him either drink the liquor or gnaw the root."

References

houstoniana Plants described in 1768 Taxa named by Philip Miller Taxa named by Paul Carpenter Standley {{Mimosoideae-stub