Muicle - justicia spicigera is a plant that has been used from the pre-Hispanic era to contemporary times in Mexico. It has been used in traditional medicine for healing diseases such as dysentery, diabetes, leukemia, and anemia, just to mention some human disorders. After extraction with water, it is also used to make indigo dye vats for dyeing baskets, crafts, and clothes.
The pigments, as a powder, have been studied for use in colouring foods. The dyeing characteristics of the J. spicigera pigments have antioxidant properties due to the flavonoids content. Since this plant was used for making infusions to treat some diseases, today J. spicigera is being studied primarily for its dyeing and antioxidant properties. Its uses are in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Justicia spicigera (Mexican honeysuckle) is a dicotyledonous plant belonging to the acanthaceae family. J. spicigera is also known by various names:Chak lool, ts'i'its, get ink, bisil k'aax, cross k'aax tsiits, and ichkan are Maya words in the Yucatan Peninsula.Charatzicua in Tarascan in Michoacán; * Micle, mohintle, mohintli and mohuite in Hidalgo;Moitli, mayotte, moyotli, mozote, and muhin the Huasteca in San Luis Potosí.Trumpet and blue grass in Veracruz and tsi'isand uhaa-ink-Spanish in Zapotec in Oaxaca.
