Chilcuague is the root of Heliopsis longipes, a small wild plant from the mountains of Central Mexico. Put a piece of it on your tongue and within a few seconds your mouth starts to tingle, then floods with saliva. In the markets where it's sold it also goes by raíz de oro, which means golden root, and cooks in the region have used it as a spice for generations.
What is chilcuague?
Chilcuague is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae, the daisy family, the same family as sunflowers and chamomile. Its genus, Heliopsis, is known in English as the oxeyes. The plant above ground is modest. The part people want is the root, a tangle of long, thin strands.
Local names recorded by Cilia-López and colleagues in their 2008 ethnobotany of the plant include chilcuague, chilcuán, pelitre, raíz de oro and raíz azteca. English sellers often call it Azteca gold root or golden root. The same study traces the word chilcuague to the Nahuatl chilmecatl. Chilli means pungent and mecatl means cord or rope, a fair description of a root that looks like string and tastes hot.
Heliopsis longipes and its garden cousin
The species name longipes is Latin for long-footed. Gardeners in North America and Europe may know the genus from Heliopsis helianthoides, the false sunflower grown in borders for its yellow flowers. Chilcuague is the Mexican relative, with a far narrower home and a root that bites.
Where it grows in Central Mexico
Heliopsis longipes grows naturally in one small part of the world. It is endemic to the Sierra de Álvarez and the Sierra Gorda, where the states of San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato and Querétaro meet, with records also from Hidalgo. It grows in oak and oak-pine forest.
When Cilia-López's team surveyed the trade, the root in the markets came from wild plants. Collectors dug 50 to 100 plants a month and tied them into 20 to 30 bundles. Those bundles, weighing 120 to 200 grams each, were sold year-round at the tianguis (open-air markets) of San Luis de la Paz, Dr. Mora and San José Iturbide in Guanajuato, Rioverde and San Ciro in San Luis Potosí, and Jalpan in Querétaro. Herb sellers split them into small 2 to 4 gram portions for single customers.
Harvesting chilcuague means digging up the whole plant, because the root is the product. The same study noted that collectors threw away the shoots of the plants they pulled. With a range this small, where and how the root is dug decides whether a patch comes back the next year.
“Oh wow, the saliva flow.”
What's in chilcuague root
The compound behind the tingle is affinin, which chemists also call spilanthol. It belongs to a group called alkamides. Measured by HPLC, chilcuague root holds 6.9 to 8.5 mg of affinin per gram, about 0.7 to 0.85% of the dried root. Researchers have also found several other alkamides in the root, along with 28 volatile compounds.
Affinin is the same molecule that gives the Brazilian plant jambu (Acmella oleracea) its buzz. With chilcuague, people use the root. Jambu is eaten for its leaves and flower buds.
What does chilcuague taste like?
For about a second it tastes earthy and a little peppery. Then the tingle takes over. It starts as a bright, electric buzz across the tongue and mouth. Your mouth waters fast. After that comes a clean, fresh feeling that stays for a while.
In Mexico people chewed the root to numb the tongue, and every piece was different. An extract spreads the sensation over the whole mouth at once, the same way every time. In a spray it's also the one form you can keep in your pocket and use in seconds, with a few sprays and nothing to prepare.
How chilcuague has been used in Mexico
In the Sierra Gorda the root goes into the cooking pot. Cilia-López's informants used it as a condiment in sauces and stews. The same study records a set of household uses. People placed a piece of root against an aching tooth or on the gums. They soaked the root in alcohol and rubbed the liquid onto sore muscles. Chilcuague was also used as a traditional custom against parasites. It was also used as an insecticide.
These are the customs of the region, passed down in families. The researchers found that older informants knew the most uses, and knowledge of the plant was thinner among younger people. If you want the detail on the tooth and gum custom, we wrote a separate piece on why people held chilcuague against their teeth.
Chilcuague benefits people ask about, and what they report
Search for chilcuague benefits and you'll find long lists. Much of what's written draws on tradition and on lab research into the root's alkamides. What we can tell you first-hand is what people feel, because we watch it happen. Mara runs sample days on the street where people try Dragon Breath, our chilcuague extract spray, for the first time, and customers send in reaction videos.
On one reaction video, a customer's first words after a single spray were "Oh wow, the saliva flow." Another, on camera, said "Definitely energized." Both clips were filmed in the seconds after that person's first spray.
Verified buyers write in too. Mitchell S. kept it short: "Epic. Must buy". Cheryl, who ordered the 3-pack, wrote "Great stuff! Love that there's an organic version of this".
If you're weighing it against a mint breath spray, we've compared natural breath sprays side by side.
How Mara makes Dragon Breath
Dragon Breath starts with wild-harvested chilcuague root from Central Mexico. The Mara team harvests from specific growth zones with the help of local elders. The root is dual-extracted in organic solutions and bottled in Miron violet glass, which keeps light off the extract and adds significant longevity to the quality and potency of the extract. It's vegan, gluten free, sugar free and non-GMO.
Start with one spray into your mouth. Once you know the feeling, you can go up to five. A 50 ml bottle gives 250+ sprays and fits in a pocket.
Trying chilcuague for the first time
With a spray, aim one spray onto your tongue and close your mouth. The earthy, peppery taste lasts a second or two. The buzz follows across the tongue and mouth, and then the saliva arrives. Give it a minute before you decide whether you want more. Once you know the feeling, you can build up to five sprays.
Forms you can buy
Chilcuague reaches buyers in a handful of shapes:
- Dried whole root, sold in bundles at Mexican markets and online
- Ground root powder
- Tinctures and liquid extracts in dropper bottles
- Mouth sprays made from an extract
Each form tingles differently and keeps differently. Our guide to chilcuague powder versus root, tincture and spray goes through them one by one. If you're ready to buy, read what to check on a chilcuague label first, because plenty of listings never name the species.
Chilcuague considerations
The expected effect is the one you're buying it for, a strong tingle and a rush of saliva that fades on its own. Dragon Breath's product page carries one recommendation: "If you're pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or allergic to plants in the daisy family, ask your doctor before using it."
Is chilcuague "natural botox"?
No. The botox comparison you'll see online traces back to a cosmetic serum made from a different plant, Acmella, the jambu or toothache plant. The two plants both contain affinin, but the serum was never made from chilcuague. Be wary of any chilcuague listing that uses the word botox.
Questions people ask
Is chilcuague the same as golden root?
Yes. Golden root is a translation of raíz de oro, one of the Spanish market names for Heliopsis longipes. Be aware that "golden root" is also used for unrelated plants, so check the species name.
Is chilcuague the same as akarkara?
No. Akarkara usually means Anacyclus pyrethrum, a North African root, and sometimes the jambu plant. We set out the differences in chilcuague vs akarkara.
Is chilcuague the same as the toothache plant?
No. The toothache plant is Acmella oleracea, also called jambu, a different species in the same daisy family. Both contain affinin, so both make the mouth tingle. We compare the two in spilanthes tincture vs chilcuague extract.
Can you cook with chilcuague?
Yes. In the Sierra Gorda it's used as a condiment in sauces and stews.
Where does Dragon Breath's chilcuague come from?
Central Mexico. The root is wild-harvested from growth zones the Mara team selects with the help of local elders.
