Background: The use of plants for therapeutic purposes is a common practice in Peru and the world; however, there is a poor ethnobotanical, ethnopharmacological and toxicological information´s systematization, especially if the plant is a native species from a country where there is an inadequate sanity control. Culcitium canescens is a native plant from high Andean areas, widely used for its medicinal properties. This plant has five scientific