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Herb library · Herb · Neurolaena lobata

Jackass bitters

An intensely bitter leaf that is one of the most used bush medicines in Trinidad and across the Caribbean and Central America, mainly for fever and colds. Its compounds are active in lab and animal studies, but no study in people was found.

Traditional use

In a 2015 survey across Trinidad, zebapique (jackass bitters) was the second most cited medicinal plant and the most cited for fever: the leaves are made into an infusion or decoction, soaked in alcohol, or crushed for their juice, and taken for fever, colds and coughs, diabetes and "womb infection". The survey describes the infusion as very bitter and used throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Among the Cakchiquel (Kaqchikel) Maya of Guatemala it is used for type 2 diabetes.

What studies show

No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.

  • Insufficient

    Fever, infection and inflammation: extracts and their sesquiterpene lactones act against malaria and other parasites in the lab and reduce inflammation in cells and in rats. No trial in people has tested them.

  • Insufficient

    Blood sugar: a study of plants used by the Cakchiquel Maya for diabetes tested its effect in animals and on digestive enzymes in the lab, not in people.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteIts active compounds (sesquiterpene lactones) are potent in lab studies, and safety in people is unknown. The Trinidad survey cites a mouse study that found no harm at high single doses, which does not show it is safe to take regularly.
  • InteractionIt is taken for diabetes. If you use diabetes medicine, it could add to its effect; tell your clinician and watch for low blood sugar.
  • PregnancyNo safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding was found in the sources used here. Avoid it unless your clinician agrees.
  • 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.

Sources

  1. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Trinidad (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2015) — full text on PubMed Central (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Pharmacological insight into the anti-inflammatory activity of sesquiterpene lactones from Neurolaena lobata (Phytomedicine, 2014) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Antiprotozoal activity of Neurolaena lobata (Phytother Res, 2001) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. Hypoglycemic activity of medicinal plants used among the Cakchiquels in Guatemala for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2019) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Trinidad (J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2015) — full text on PubMed Central (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.