Calea ternifolia

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Calea ternifolia (syn. Calea Zacatechichi), also known as bitter-grass and dream herb, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America where it has a history of use by the Mazatec people of Oaxaca as a ritual and divinatory aid, to help induce prophetic dreams and to hear the voices of the spirits.

Although it has not been definitively proven, clinical trials have shown that calea zacatechichi is a nephrotoxic substance. Direct exposure of kidney cells to calea zacatechichi has been shown to kill cells at a scale comparable to cysplatin - a control chemical used in chemotherapy. However, this fails to take into account the method of ingestion, and it is unknown whether or not smoking or digesting the substance has any impact on nephrotoxicity. More studies are needed to determine the safety of calea zacatechichi, but it is unlikely that there will be many new studies anytime soon.

It is unknown what active chemicals are in calea zacatechichi, or how they work.