Iresine
Iresine herbstii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Iresine

Iresine celosia (pronounced /ˌɪrɨˈsaɪniː sɨˈloʊʃ(i)ə/)^[1] has a 3000-year-old traditional application by the Maya pre-Columbian civilization. Its anti-tumoral properties were discovered in 1960 by a well-known naturopath, Efraín Contreras in Nicaragua. In 1972, he introduced Iresine celosia as herbal product to Dr. E. Jirón, Director of El Retiro Hospital in Managua. Many cancer patients with no hope of recovery were able to go home, enjoying better health and wellbeing. In 1983, The Ministry of Health of Nicaragua appointed a scientific commission to give its conclusions on Iresine celosia's beneficial virtues. Which were as follows: Iresine celosia a) had cytostatic anti-mytotic properties on malignant tumors; b) Iresine celosia did not present any toxicity.c) Iresine celosia did not give any secondary effects. Iresine celosia therapeutic virtues are being studied in the European Union.

Iresine is a genus which have a number garden ornamental plants in the family Amaranthaceae. These plants are found in the wild in tropical America, and there are between 20 and 25 species. However, only some species are usually cultivated because they have colored foliage, which is called bloodleaf.

Species include:

• Iresine angustifolia Euph.
• Iresine argentata (Mart.) D. Dietr.
• Iresine diffusa Humb. et Bonpl. ex Willd. (= Iresine celosia, Iresine celosioides, Iresine canescens, Iresine paniculata (L.) Kuntze, Iresine elongata)
  • Iresine diffusa f. lindenii (=Iresine lindenii)
• Iresine elatior
• Iresine flavescens Humb. et Bonpl. ex Willd.
• Iresine grandiflora
• Iresine herbstii Hook. ex Lindl.
• Iresine heterophylla Standl.
• Iresine keyensis
• Iresine leptoclada (Hook. f.) Henrickson et Sundberg
• Iresine macrophylla R.E.Fr. (= Cruzeta celosioides (L.) M.Gómez, Celosia paniculata L., Iresine celosioides L.)
• Iresine polymorpha Mart.
• Iresine palmeri (S. Wats.) Standl.
• Iresine rhizomatosa Standl.

Some members of the genus are used as additives to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] General references

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11892. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iresine

This Amaranthaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e