The chia (Salvia hispanica): past, present and future of an ancient Mexican crop

A Historical Review of the Scientific and Common Nomenclature Associated with Chia: From Salvia hispanica to Salvia mexicana and Chian to Salba

“…Chia is derived linguistically from the Nahua term "Chian" which in Mexica language means "oily", and still today although considered a pseurocereal, chia is best known as an oilseed [7,31]. Based on this grammatical nomenclature as an adjective suggested the Mexica people referred to all species of the genus Salvia as chian [32].…”

“…The confusion began to intensify when it became clear that chia was being used for plants of non-Salvia genus species such as amaranth (Amaranthus hypocondriacus) [17]; chan (Hyptis suaveolens) [15], plantago (Plantago psyllim) [14], and huazontle (Chenopodium nuttalliae) [16]. The use of the word chia used to describe at least four distinct plants throughout history was perhaps a result of the comings and goings of the Spanish brigades landing in Mexico who were apparently unassuming of the ancient terms and correct botanical usage [7], but according to Sosa-Baldivia et al [32], there is no scientific evidence to support this hypothesis. Regarding amaranth as an aside, in the Codex of Mendoza [25], there is indication that the Spanish knew quite well of this plant and its uses, and so this ancient grain and leafy green vegetable species and the other amaranth plants were in Spanish language terms collectively called Bledo (pig weed).…”

Preliminary Observations About Forage Potential of Chia

“…We postulated that Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) has potential as a forage crop given that it should be suitable due to its' short day length flowering response which should delay its flowering and help in producing and maintaining desirable vegetative growth. Chia is a short-day plant; however, some reports indicate existence of long-day Chia germplasm (Caruso et al, 2018;Sosa-Baldivia et al, 2018).…”

“…Almost 4,500 years ago in Mesoamerica, Chia was used as food and medicine. However, just only in three centuries, Chia became a forgotten crop and remained an unknown crop for many years (Sosa-Baldivia et al, 2018). The Chia crop was rescued thanks to a small group of farmers in Jalisco, Guerrero, and Puebla.…”

“…Today its value as crop and food is so high and their cultivation and consumption are currently taking place in 30 countries. It is asserted that after 500 years of lethargy Chia will be the Sleeping Beauty of Mexico (Sosa-Baldivia et al, 2018). in the diet of the western world.…”