Usos

Uses

In appearance it is similar to the heliconias (Heliconia spp.). Numerous medicinal properties are attributed to the leaves, flowers and fruits, as well as to the roots. The immature fruit has a pearly red capsule that, when crushed, is used as an antipyretic and analgesic against the bite of the bullet ant (Paraponera clavata). The fruit also has a high nutritional and antioxidant content, and is harvested and consumed as an important food source by indigenous groups such as the Shuar in Ecuador and the Totonac in Mexico. From the exocarp (the outermost layer of the ripe fruit) a blue-purple dye is extracted that is widely used to dye chambira (palm fiber textiles) and other handicrafts. An oil is prepared from the seeds, used both for frying food and as a remedy against fever, nausea and vomiting.   Preparations from the rhizomes and leaves are used to counteract the symptoms of snake bites and scorpion stings in humans and dogs, bacterial infections that cause fever, gastrointestinal problems, and heart conditions manifesting as shortness of breath or chest colds. It is also used for anxiety and neurodegenerative disorders. The leaves are used to combat hypertension and cleanse the urinary tract, as well as being an effective agent for treating leishmaniasis. The Yanomami, in the Brazilian Amazon, use its stems to remedy headaches and general weakness.   A decoction of the stems, the whole plant and its roots is used to treat vaginal infections and relieve digestive ailments. It is widely used as an antipyretic and antiemetic for the treatment of wounds and malignant ulcers. In Suriname it is also used to treat epilepsy. It is effective against fungal infections. Cytotoxicity studies have shown that huitillo rhizomes have a significant and strong antiproliferative effect on tumor cells, indicating their potential as an anti-cancer agent.   The root, cooked and taken as a juice, is used to treat snake bites due to its anti-swelling, anti-hemorrhagic and neutralizing effects against venom. It has been traditionally used by the Emberá indigenous people to treat the bite of the fer-de-lance pit viper Bothrops asper in Antioquia and Chocó, Colombia. Its analgesic properties have also recently been discovered, providing relief of pain that occurs after a bite and offering a source of molecules with potential pharmaceutical use. In Suriname, the Maroon people in particular use preparations of the leaves or rhizomes, either alone or together with parts of other plants, as a blood purifying agent, to prevent infertility in women, to speed up labor, and to prevent uterine inflammation after giving birth.

Pigmento

Pigment

The huitillo yields a purple color after macerating ripe fruit’s skin. This plant offers a wide spectrum of possibilities because it produces a high-yielding pigment that easily binds to the different surfaces used. Exposure to heat is indispensable during the setting process. An intense indigo blue is the result of using only the skin. If lemon is added, the color turns purple-fuchsia, and if the pigment is mixed with white clay, the result is a pastel purple. When a fair amount of alum stone is applied, the result is a purple-royal blue shade.