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Herb library · Spice · Bixa orellana

Annatto

The red seed coating of a tropical American shrub, used as a spice and food color in Latin American and Caribbean cooking and to color cheese, butter and snacks worldwide. Studies in people are few; rare, sometimes severe allergic reactions are its main known risk.

Traditional use

Indigenous peoples of the Americas used the seed paste as a body paint and dye and the leaves as medicine; early Caribbean writers record it in chocolate, sauces and soups. It is the achiote of Mexican and Central American cooking. In the US, annatto extract has been an approved food color since 1963. In Jamaica in the early 1700s, Barham recorded that the paste was put in chocolate and that Spanish settlers colored their sauces and soups with it.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Heart-risk markers: in a 2023 Colombian trial, 105 healthy adults ate two eggs a day, with or without annatto, or egg whites, for 8 weeks; blood fats did not change in any group. It shows no harm to these markers, not a benefit.

  • Insufficient

    Leaf preparations: a 2014 review found few human studies of annatto leaf; one 6-month study of 750 mg of leaf powder a day found no serious side effects. Its other reported effects come from animal studies.

  • Insufficient

    Scars on the skin: in a 2025 trial after foot and ankle surgery, a Bixa (urucu) ointment gave scars that looked better at 6 weeks than a control ointment; the authors say the sample was small and follow-up short.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • AllergyAnnatto can cause allergic reactions. A 1991 case report describes hives, swelling and severe low blood pressure within 20 minutes of eating a cereal colored with annatto, and a 2009 report found an allergy to cheese caused by annatto. A 2001 review, written by authors from the color industry, calls reactions rare.
  • ConditionPeople with recurring hives: the same review says annatto may make symptoms worse in some of them, though the studies lacked placebo controls.
  • NoteOn food labels in the US it appears as annatto or annatto extract, a color additive that does not require batch certification (FDA). If you react to colored cheese, crackers or snacks, check for it.
  • NoteIn the 2025 ointment trial, two people had a local skin reaction and itching that cleared when they stopped.
  • PregnancyNo pregnancy or breastfeeding safety information was found in the sources used here. Keep to food amounts.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“Anotto is commonly put in chocolate; and the Spaniards mix it with their sauces, and broths, or soups, which gives them a saffron colour, and a pleasant taste.”
Henry Barham, Hortus Americanus (1794), p. 5. See the page of Hortus Americanus, p. 5 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Hortus Americanus, p. 5
“Anotto is commonly put in chocolate; and the Spaniards mix it with their sauces, and broths, or soups, which gives them a saffron colour, and a pleasant taste.”
John Lunan, Hortus Jamaicensis (1814), vol. 1, p. 28. See the page of Hortus Jamaicensis, vol. 1, p. 28 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Hortus Jamaicensis, vol. 1, p. 28

Sources

  1. Summary of Color Additives for Use in the United States in Foods, Drugs, Cosmetics, and Medical Devices — FDA (opens in a new tab) · FDA · read September 25, 2026
  2. Anaphylaxis to annatto dye: a case report (Ann Allergy, 1991) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Allergy for cheese: evidence for an IgE-mediated reaction from the natural dye annatto (Allergy, 2009) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. The role of natural color additives in food allergy (Adv Food Nutr Res, 2001) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. Consumption of eggs alone or enriched with annatto (Bixa orellana L.) does not increase cardiovascular risk in healthy adults: a randomized clinical trial, the Eggant study (Nutrients, 2023) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  6. Safety and efficacy of Bixa orellana (achiote, annatto) leaf extracts (Phytother Res, 2014) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  7. Topical Bixa orellana for postoperative wound healing: a prospective randomized controlled trial (Foot Ankle Orthop, 2025) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.