Sinichuichi

Heimia salicifolia

No information is available concerning the prehistoric use of Heimia salicifolia. It is possible
that the plant was associated with the cult of Xochipilli, the Aztec god of spring and desire
(Wasson 1974*). During the nineteenth century, the plant was a recommended treatment for
syphilis (Argueta V. et al. 1994, 851*). It often has been (incorrectly) assumed that the plant
was named for the renowned Alsatian mycologist Roger Heim (cf. Psilocybe mexicana).
However, the genus Heimia, which consists of just three species, was actually named for Ernst
Ludwig Heim (1747–1834), a physician from Berlin who introduced Alexander von Humboldt
to botany (Genaust 1996, 281*). The name sinicuiche is used both for the plant and for the
drink that is prepared from it. The Mexican names sinicuiche and the
derivatives sinicuilche and sinicuil are also used for other inebriating, psychoactive, or
poisonous plants: Abrus precatorius L., Rhynchosia spp., Piscidia spp. (cf. Lonchocarpus
violaceus), and Erythrina spp. (D. McKenna 1995, 102*; Reko 1938, 145 f.*; Schultes 1970,
35*). “I drank some 25 g of a Heimia salicifolia tincture from OTJ, and the effects were
wonderful. It brought me to a state which at the time I could only describe as ‘perfection.’
Perhaps the people do not drink all of the little bottle and for that reason do not feel the75
euphoria, the wisdom. Or perhaps I became inebriated solely as a result of the alcohol it
contained: but if this was the case, then that was some strong alcohol!” Propagation occurs
through cuttings as well as the tiny seeds. The seeds are sown in seedbeds or pots. The soil must
be of a fine consistency and should be pressed down with a tile and smoothed. The seeds are
broadcast onto the soil and pressed in gently with a flat object. The seeds should then be only
moistened with a water sprayer, and not watered by pouring. The soil should be kept slightly
moist until the seeds have germinated. The seedlings do not tolerate any direct sunlight. Only
when they have developed their first true leaves can they be placed in the sun and watered
thoroughly. The soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings. When transplanting, be
aware that even very young plants develop a large root system (Grubber 1991, 61 f.*). The
plant prefers loose soils that dry quickly after watering. It thrives best in warm, dry zones and
does not tolerate frost. In central Europe, it can be kept only as a houseplant. Sinicuiche, the
Mexican “magical drink causing oblivion,” is made from the leaves: The preparation of the
drink involves laying the slightly wilted leaves in water for a day and then pressing these
thoroughly the following day. The juice obtained in this manner is allowed to ferment. In this
way, one obtains a peculiar, not unpleasant-tasting drink whose effects, however, are certainly
not due to the only low quantities of alcohol that are present but are derived from other
substances that are produced during fermentation. (Reko 1938, 142*) A more modern recipe
calls for adding one handful of freshly crushed wilted leaves per person to water and allowing
this to sit in the sun for a couple of days, whereupon the liquid will begin to ferment slightly.
One cup of this is said to induce yellowish vision and mild euphoria (D. McKenna 1995, 102*).
The cold-water extract of the leaves is sticky. Even with dosages as high as 15 g of dried leaves,
no psychoactive effects could be observed (Martínez 1994, 295*).The fresh or dried leaves can
be brewed into a tea, both alone and in combination with other herbs.The fresh herbage can be
added to 60 to 80% ethanol to produce an alcoholic extract (tincture). Twenty to 25 g of this
tincture is said to be an effective psychoactive dosage. In Mexican folk medicine, sinicuiche is
regarded as a narcotic, inebriant, diuretic, and febrifuge (Díaz 1979, 77*; Jiu 1966, 254*).
The Huastec use the bush as a medicinal bath additive (Alcorn 1984, 665*). In Mexican
folk medicine, a tea made from the leaves is thought to promote digestion (Martínez 1994,
294*). The herbage is also used in the treatment of rabies and to counteract the “evil eye”
(Argueta V. et al. 1994, 851*). The plant is widely used to treat syphilis (Malone and76
Rother 1994, 136). In Mexico, Heimia salicifolia is used primarily for ethnogynecological
purposes. Infertile women are said to be helped by a bath prepared from
sinicuiche, pericón (Tagetes lucida; cf. Tagetes spp.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L. 162 ;
cf. incense, essential oils), and lavender (Lavandula angusti folia Mill. [syn. Lavandula
officinalis Chaix]). 163 To promote conception, women are advised to drink a tea made from
sinicuiche twigs, dormilona(Mimosa pudica; cf. Mimosa spp.), gobernadora (Larrea
tridentata [DC.] Cav.), and raíz de la fuerza (“root of power”; unidentified) or raíz hijera (?)
daily. If a woman remains childless, she should consume a tea brewed from sinicuiche twigs
together with cuatecomate (Crescentia alata H.B.K.), pericón (Tagetes lucida), and maize
cobs (Zea mays). To increase fertility or treat sexual weakness and frigidity, ovarian
inflammations, and uterine ailments, the vagina should be exposed to the steam from a tea of
rosemary and sinicuiche. After giving birth, and to treat the symptoms of a potential
miscarriage, a drink made of sinicuiche, cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), pulque
(cf. Agavespp.), and piloncillo (?) should be drunk (Argueta V. et al. 1994, 851*). The Maká
Indians of Chaco, in Paraguay, use fresh Heimia leaves as an extracting plant paste for treating
wounds caused by thorns that have remained in the body. The leaves are said to simplify the
removal of the thorn and also appear to promote the healing of the wound (Arenas 1987, 290*).
The Pilagá of the Argentinean Chaco place fresh leaves onto sores, drink a decoction of the root
for stomachaches, and bathe in the decoction for scabies (Filipov 1994, 188*). The bush
contains the quinolizidine alkaloids lythrine, cryogenine (= vertine), heimine, sinicuichine,
anelisine, heimidine, lyfoline, dehydrodecodine, abresoline, demethyllasubine-I and -II,
epidemethoxyabresoline, sinine, lythridine, vesolidine, and cryofoline. Cryogenine, the main
alkaloid, has anticholinergic and antispasmodic effects (Malone and Rother 1994, 137; Scholz
and Eigner 1983, 75*). The four Lythraceae alkaloids that have been best studied are vertine (=
cryogenine), lyfoline, lythrine, and nesodine (Malone and Rother 1994). The biological
precursor of vertine is phenylalanine (Rother and Schwarting 1972). The drink brewed
from Heimia salicifolia produces only mild psychoactive effects: Sinicuiche has a weak
intoxicating effect. It induces a pleasant, slightly euphoric dizziness and numbness, and the
surroundings are perceived as being darker. Auditory hallucinations occur as the inebriated
person hears indistinct sounds from a great distance. The world around one shrinks. No
unpleasant aftereffects are known. (Scholz and Eigner 1983, 75*) There have been repeated77
reports of yellowish vision and mild auditory hallucinations, tunnel effects, and tunnel vision
(D. McKenna 1995, 102*; Rob Montgomery, pers. comm.). Chills and shivering have also been
reported (Bob Wallace, pers. Comm.). Animal experiments have demonstrated that the alkaloids
have anticholinergic and anti-spasmodic effects (D. McKenna 1995, 102*). The pharmacology
of vertine (= cryogenine) is said to be identical to that of the whole extract (Kaplan and Malone
1966). Self-experiments with the alkaloids vertine, lythrine (310 mg, corresponding to 36 to 156
g of dried branch tips), and acetylsalicylic acid did not result in any detectable psychoactivity
(Malone and Rother 1994, 142).