IngredientsThe genus Crataegus comprises 13 species distributed across Mexico, among which Crataegus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC., commonly known as Mexican hawthorn or tejocote, belongs to the family Rosaceae, subfamily Amygdaloideae, tribe Maleae. It is a deciduous fruit-bearing tree of considerable ethnobotanical and medicinal significance in Mesoamerican cultures.
The popular common and commercial names of Crataegus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC. include "tejocote," "manzanita," "tejocotera," and Mexican hawthorn. All Crataegus species are commonly known in Mexico as tejocote, a word originating from the Nahuatl term tetl-xocotl, which means "wild or hard sour fruit." More specifically, tejocote is derived from the Nahuatl language Texocotl, from "tetl" meaning "hard" and "xocotl" meaning sour, translating as "sour fruit" or "hard fruit."
This species is distributed in Guatemala and Mexico — specifically in the states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, MĂ©xico, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, QuerĂ©taro, San Luis PotosĂ, and Veracruz — and is widely cultivated in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and El Salvador. Tejocote is the most common name for specimens of the genus Crataegus in Mexico, and although several Crataegus species are found there, only C. mexicana is a recognized cultivated species.
The main useful parts of this plant are the fruits, leaves, and roots, which are mainly used in the traditions of the Nahua, a large group of Indigenous peoples of Mexico and El Salvador. The fruits of these species are eaten fresh, in jam, compote, or in decoctions to obtain hot beverages. Due to its high pectin content, the fruit is also processed to extract pectin for food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile uses.
As a dietary supplement, tejocote — particularly the root — is marketed in several forms. These include:
This medicinal and edible plant species is widely marketed for weight loss and for treatment of cardiovascular, inflammatory, neurological, and respiratory conditions; however, several commercial products marketed as "RaĂz de Tejocote" for weight loss are frequently adulterated with other plants, other Crataegus species, or other parts of genuine C. mexicana.
Tejocote is a fruit with medicinal properties since pre-Hispanic times, valued due to its high content of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, minerals, oligomeric procyanidins, triterpenes, carotenes, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and catecholamines. The culinary significance of tejocote in Mexican cuisine traces back to pre-Columbian times, when indigenous groups like the Aztecs incorporated the fruit into their diets and markets, as evidenced by archaeological and ethnobotanical records of its use in Mesoamerican food systems.
The fruits, leaves, and roots were mainly used in the traditions of the Nahua peoples of Mexico and El Salvador, who employed them for treating gastrointestinal ailments. In Mexican folk medicine, Crataegus mexicana has been traditionally employed for its diuretic properties, aiding in kidney disorders and blood purification through infusions of leaves and flowers.
Decoctions prepared from the leaves, fruits, and flowers of Crataegus spp. have been used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of several respiratory diseases such as cough, cold, and bronchitis, as a diuretic, and to improve coronary blood flow. In some parts of Mexico, tejocote is taken for treating flu and cough, and also to prevent several cardiovascular diseases. The fruit has long been used in traditional Mexican culture for the treatment of cough, urinary retention, and breathing difficulty.
Tejocote fruit has been traditionally utilized in All Saints and Christmas celebrations, mainly as an essential element for decorating the altars on the Day of the Dead celebration, and as an ingredient of the traditional ponche, a hot fruit punch beverage specially prepared during these days. In the traditional parties called posadas that take place before Christmas, tejocote fresh fruits are found inside piñatas, which are decorated boxes containing fruits, candies, and little gifts. Tejocote is also culturally significant during Mexican festivities, notably in "DĂa de los Muertos" and Christmas "posadas," where the fruits are incorporated into dishes, syrups, hot beverages, and used to fill piñatas.
Tejocote fruits are also processed to make jellies, marmalades, syrups, and traditional candies. A mixture of tejocote paste, sugar, and chili powder produces a popular Mexican candy called rielitos, because it resembles a tiny train rail.
Traditionally, tejocote has been harvested by many citizens and village inhabitants for their own needs and used in folk medicine for treatment of hypertension, obesity, and menopause, and improving memory in Mexico. The root and fruit are used in Mexican traditional medicine; a Mexican hawthorn root infusion is used as a diuretic and as a remedy for diarrhea.
The tejocote fruit and leaves contain many chemical compounds including flavonoids such as vitexin, quercetin, and rutin; oligomeric proanthocyanidins; triterpene acids; organic acids; sterols; and amines such as phenylethylamine, tyramine, isobutylamine, and acetylcholine. The flavonoids identified in flowers of Mexican hawthorns include quercetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnosyl-(1→6)glucoside, and quercetin 3-O-rhamnosyl-(1→2)-[rhamnosyl-(1→6)]glucoside.
An analysis by HPLC of the fruit (peel and pulp) revealed the presence of epicatechin, quercetin 3-D-galactoside, ascorbic acid, procyanidin B2, and chlorogenic acid, while vitexin and catechin were identified in the seeds. Chlorogenic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-catechin, quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin glycosides have been identified in ethanolic extracts obtained from the fruits of C. mexicana and related Mexican Crataegus species.
Ursolic, corosolic, and euscaphic acids have been identified in methanolic extracts obtained from the leaves and flowers of related Mexican Crataegus species. For a related Mexican hawthorn (C. rosei), six triterpene acids — ursolic, oleanolic, euscaphic, maslinic, corosolic, and alphitolic acids — were identified as the main constituents of the most biologically active fraction.
The fruit's phytochemical profile includes high content of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, minerals, oligomeric procyanidins, triterpenes, carotenes, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and catecholamines. Nutritionally, the fruits provide significant vitamin C, with levels ranging from 27.5 to 84.2 mg per 100 g of fresh weight across various genotypes. The fruit has a notably high pectin content, which is processed for food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile applications.
The identified amines in C. mexicana tissues include phenylethylamine, tyramine, isobutylamine, and acetylcholine. These compounds are of pharmacological interest because they can influence vascular tone and autonomic signaling, though their specific roles in tejocote's biological effects in humans have not been established in clinical trials.
Phytochemical studies on this species are limited. Much of the broader chemical characterization available in the scientific literature concerns related Crataegus species (principally the European C. monogyna, C. laevigata, and the Asian C. pinnatifida), and direct extrapolation to C. mexicana requires caution.
In one study, a quantified methanolic extract with vasodilator activity was developed from Crataegus mexicana leaves, with (–)-epicatechin and rutin selected as chemical markers, given their pharmacological activity and consistent presence in C. mexicana specimens collected in different years. Both the leaf extracts tested showed antioxidant effect and elicited significant vasodilator activity. For a closely related Mexican species (C. rosei), the most active fraction produced a potent vasodilator effect, and this effect was found to be dependent on the nitric oxide/cGMP pathway. These are preclinical (ex vivo) findings; no human vasodilatory trials of C. mexicana specifically have been published.
A presumed mechanism behind tejocote root's ability to promote weight loss is the high pectin content within the root, which has been associated with early satiety. One presumed mechanism for weight loss is the high pectin content of the tejocote root, which has been associated with early satiety; supplier-reported side effects include GI upset and myalgias, the former presumably from the high pectin content. These mechanistic claims have not been tested in controlled clinical trials specific to tejocote.
Some of the polyphenolic compounds in tejocote are structural analogues to cardiac glycosides, inhibiting the sodium-potassium pump and mimicking the cardiovascular effects of digoxin; falsely elevated digoxin levels have been documented in those consuming tejocote. Similar to other species of hawthorn, tejocote root may cross-react with some commercial digoxin assays, resulting in a falsely elevated level.
Various compounds in tejocote are reported to have cytotoxic, gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antimicrobial activities. These activities have been explored in preclinical contexts for the broader Crataegus genus, but species-specific human evidence for C. mexicana is absent.
Root infusions of Crataegus mexicana, C. pubescens, and C. presl, containing active constituents like tannins and flavonoids, may act as antidiabetic agents. This is based on an ethnopharmacological review and has not been substantiated by human clinical trials.
Tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) root is a supplement promoted online through social media for weight loss and is readily available from online retailers. Tejocote, a product of the hawthorn tree and a common staple of Hispanic culinary practices and traditional medicine, has recently gained traction in the United States and Mexico as a means to achieve rapid effortless weight loss.
Evidence strength: Absent (no clinical trials). The continued demand for alternative, seemingly convenient weight loss methods has spurred use of over-the-counter herbal supplements not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration; these compounds often possess wide-ranging side effect profiles with scant documented research. No published, peer-reviewed randomized or controlled human clinical trial evaluating tejocote root for weight loss could be identified in the scientific literature. The weight-loss indication is supported only by the proposed pectin-satiety mechanism and traditional use, not by prospective human study data.
Across the genus Crataegus, hawthorn extract is used as an adjunct to conventional treatment in patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association classes I–III) due to its positive inotropic, antiarrhythmic, and vasodilating properties. A number of randomized, controlled trials have been carried out to study the effect of different preparations of Crataegus on congestive heart failure; the majority of hawthorn clinical trials have been performed with WS 1442, a dry extract from hawthorn leaves with flowers using ethanol 45% as solvent. However, these trials were conducted with European and Asian Crataegus species, not C. mexicana specifically.
Evidence for C. mexicana specifically: Preclinical only. As of the most recent published review, there are no clinical reports of the use of Mexican Crataegus species to treat cardiovascular diseases. The vasorelaxant and antioxidant activities of C. mexicana leaf extracts have been demonstrated in ex vivo (non-human) laboratory settings only.
Decoctions prepared from the leaves, fruits, and flowers of Crataegus spp. have been used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as cough, cold, and bronchitis. Evidence strength: Traditional use only; no controlled clinical studies.
Root infusions of Crataegus mexicana and related Mexican species, which contain tannins and flavonoids, may act as antidiabetic agents. Evidence strength: Preclinical and ethnopharmacological only. No human clinical studies specific to C. mexicana and blood glucose management are available.
In Mexican folk medicine, Crataegus mexicana has been traditionally employed for its diuretic properties, aiding in kidney disorders and blood purification through infusions of leaves and flowers. A Mexican hawthorn root infusion is also used as a diuretic and as a remedy for diarrhea. Evidence strength: Traditional use only; no controlled clinical studies.
The antioxidant potential of tejocote and related Mexican hawthorns is supported by phytochemical evidence for the presence of flavonoids, procyanidins, and polyphenols. Studies have shown that C. mexicana leaf extracts elicit antioxidant effects in laboratory settings. Evidence strength: In vitro / preclinical only; no human clinical trials.
Compounds found in tejocote are associated with the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, immune diseases, respiratory problems such as colds and cough, neurological problems, eye disease, reproductive organ disease, and conditions of the liver and kidneys. These associations derive from ethnobotanical records and in vitro/animal research. The body systems with the most documented (if still preclinical or case-report) evidence include:
No standardized, pharmacopeial dosage recommendation for Crataegus mexicana root or fruit has been established by any regulatory body. Dosage information found in the literature is limited and primarily derived from case reports of adverse events and commercial product descriptions, not from controlled dosing studies.
In one published case report, a 16-year-old girl presented to an emergency department after ingesting eight pieces of her mother's tejocote root weight-loss supplement; at arrival, she was drowsy, had active vomiting and diarrhea, and had a heart rate of 57 with normal respirations. In the immune thrombocytopenic purpura case report, a 51-year-old female with a history of hypothyroidism presented after consuming the supplement. In another case report, a 51-year-old female with no history of bleeding disorders took the tejocote root for weight loss over six weeks, which caused her platelets to drop as low as 25,000/microliter.
In the preclinical vasodilator research, a quantified methanolic extract with vasodilator activity was developed from Crataegus mexicana leaves, with standardization performed relative to (–)-epicatechin and rutin; however, this work was conducted in ex vivo tissue preparations, not in humans, and no human-equivalent dose was established.
Certain dietary supplements labeled as tejocote root (Crataegus mexicana) have been tested and found to be substituted with yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia), a poisonous plant native to Mexico and Central America. Nine of 10 products labeled as tejocote were confirmed to contain yellow oleander, with no evidence of tejocote root, in a study using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography–accurate mass-time of flight mass spectrometry. The FDA tested nine samples labeled as tejocote, some sold on popular sites like Amazon and Etsy, and found them to contain yellow oleander.
Recent DNA fingerprinting of a product labeled as containing tejocote root under the brand name Alipotec determined that the product was 100% yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia). Yellow oleander contains the cardenolide thevetin B, which has the same clinical effects as other cardenolides, such as digoxin.
Three compounds — thevetin B, neriifolin, and digitoxigenin — clearly distinguish between tejocote and yellow oleander samples and can be detected by modern spectrometric analysis. Regulatory bodies including the FDA, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) of Brazil, and the Federal Committee for Protection from Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) of Mexico have issued warnings regarding supplements labeled as tejocote due to the presence of toxic cardiac glycosides such as thevetin A, thevetin B, and neriifolin.
The FDA found that ingestion of yellow oleander can cause neurologic, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular adverse health effects that may be severe or even fatal. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cardiac changes, and dysrhythmia.
The CDC detailed an emergency room doctor calling the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System in 2022 to report a 23-month-old child experiencing cardiac issues after consuming the mother's tejocote root marketed for weight loss. Clinicians need to be aware that persons with signs and symptoms of cardiac glycoside exposure might have been exposed to products labeled as tejocote, Nuez de la India, or other supplements marketed for weight loss. Persons who are exposed to yellow oleander with evidence of toxicity might have a positive serum digoxin result on immunoassays caused by cross-reactivity and might respond to Digoxin Immune Fab (FAB), though higher doses of FAB may be required for the reversal of yellow oleander toxicity than typically used in cases of digoxin toxicity.
A growing number of clinical case reports have documented serious adverse effects associated with tejocote supplement use. The extent to which these result from genuine C. mexicana vs. oleander adulteration remains, in many cases, uncertain due to the high prevalence of adulterated products. The following reports are cited in the peer-reviewed medical literature as associated with tejocote supplementation:
Tejocote root is often promoted for weight loss and marketed under the brand name Alipotec®; this agent is readily available in naturopathic shops and online for purchase without any U.S. FDA indication for medicinal merit. This herbal supplement has largely evaded regulation by governing bodies in both countries despite documentation of several potentially serious adverse effects associated with its use.
Regarding interactions, the cross-reactivity with digoxin immunoassays presents a clinically important diagnostic pitfall. Serum digoxin assays are not reliable for detection of thevetin B and cardiac glycosides other than digoxin; laboratory-reported digoxin levels do not accurately reflect serum levels of other cardiac glycosides. Additionally, one published report describes a novel drug–drug interaction between tejocote and famotidine experienced by a patient.
Dietary supplement samples labelled as containing tejocote were analysed using mass spectrometry and DNA barcoding analysis; results demonstrated that Alipotec samples contained ingredients from a different species — yellow oleander instead of tejocote. This investigation was described as the first to use an integrated approach of both chemical and genomic profiling for authentication of a dietary supplement containing tejocote. The 2025 microscopy-based study published in Plants (MDPI) by Adams et al. provides anatomical markers using light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy to enable botanical authentication of genuine C. mexicana root, highlighting the critical importance of macroscopic and microscopic validation before chemical profiling.
Tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) has a well-documented history in Mesoamerican traditional medicine, a rich phytochemical profile featuring flavonoids, oligomeric procyanidins, triterpene acids, vitamins, and pectin, and preliminary in vitro and ex vivo evidence for vasodilatory and antioxidant activities. Across the broader Crataegus genus, there is a body of randomized controlled trial evidence supporting cardiovascular benefits, but this evidence applies primarily to European and Asian species, not to C. mexicana specifically. As of current published data, there are no clinical reports of the use of Mexican Crataegus species to treat cardiovascular diseases in humans. The weight-loss application — for which tejocote root supplements are most widely sold today — lacks any controlled clinical trial evidence. The supplement market for tejocote is severely compromised by widespread adulteration: nine of ten products labeled as tejocote were found to contain yellow oleander, with no evidence of actual tejocote root. Multiple published case reports document serious adverse events including cardiac arrhythmias, pericarditis, immune thrombocytopenia, and liver injury in consumers of tejocote supplements.
Health conditions that Tejocote may help support.
Body systems that Tejocote may help support.
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