The name Catuaba (/kəˈtwɑːbə/ kə-TWAH-bə, via Portuguese from Guarani) is used for the infusions of the bark of a number of trees native to Brazil. The most widely used barks are derived from the trees Trichilia catigua[1] and Erythroxylum vaccinifolium. Other catuaba preparations use the bark of trees from the following genera or families: Anemopaegma, Ilex, Micropholis, Phyllanthus, Secondatia, Tetragastris and species from the Myrtaceae. Local synonyms are Chuchuhuasha, Tatuaba, Pau de Reposta, Piratancara and Caramuru.

It is often claimed that catuaba is derived from the tree Erythroxylum catuaba, but this tree has been described only once, in 1904, and it is not known today to what tree this name referred. E. catuaba is therefore not a recognised species.[2]

Uses

edit

A commercial liquid preparation, Catuama, contains multiple ingredients, one of these being catuaba from Trichilia catigua (28.23%), in addition to Guarana (40.31%), Ptychopetalum olcaloides (28.23%) and Ginger (3.26%).[3]

An infusion of the bark is used in traditional Brazilian medicine as an aphrodisiac and central nervous system stimulant. These claims have not been confirmed in scientific studies. Catuaba (Trichilia catigua) was found to increase the release of Serotonin as well as Dopamine in rats.[3] Catuaba (Erythroxylum vacciniifolium) contains the alkaloids catuabine A, B and C.[4] A study by Manabe et al. (1992) showed that catuaba extracts from Catuaba casca (Erythroxylum catuaba Arr. Cam.) were useful in preventing potentially lethal bacterial infections and HIV infection in mice.[5]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Daolio C, Beltrame FL, Ferreira AG, Cass QB, Cortez DA, Ferreira MM (2008). "Classification of commercial Catuaba samples by NMR, HPLC and chemometrics". Phytochemical Analysis. 19 (3): 218–228. Bibcode:2008PChAn..19..218D. doi:10.1002/pca.1019. ISSN 1099-1565. PMID 17890569. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  2. ^ Kletter C, Glasl S, Presser A, Werner I, Gottfried R, Narantuya S, Cellek S, Haslinger E, Jurenitsch J (2004-11-01). "Morphological, Chemical and Functional Analysis of Catuaba Preparations". Planta Medica. 70 (10): 993–1000. doi:10.1055/s-2004-832627. PMID 15490329.
  3. ^ a b Campos MM, Fernandes ES, Ferreira J, Santos AR, Calixto JB (2005-10-01). "Antidepressant-like effects of Trichilia catigua (Catuaba) extract: evidence for dopaminergic-mediated mechanisms". Psychopharmacology. 182 (1): 45–53. doi:10.1007/s00213-005-0052-1. ISSN 1432-2072. PMID 15991001. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  4. ^ Graf E, Lude W (1977). "Alkaloide aus Erythroxylum vacciniifolium MARTIUS, 1. Mitt. Isolierung von Catuabin A, B und C". Archiv der Pharmazie. 310 (12): 1005–1010. doi:10.1002/ardp.19773101211. ISSN 1521-4184. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  5. ^ Manabe H, Sakagami H, Ishizone H, et al. (1992). "Effects of Catuaba extracts on microbial and HIV infection". In Vivo. 6 (2): 161–5. PMID 1525337.

References

edit

Catuaba is a medicinal plant found in Brazil in the Amazon region that contains an incredible abundance of plant life – more than half of the planet's vegetation.

The most famous of all Brazilian aphrodisiac plants and is the result of the blend of four main medicinal herbs from the Brazilian Amazon:

Catuaba (Trichilla catigua) (28.23%) Ginger (Zingiber officinale) (3.26%) Guarana (Paullinia cupana) (40.31%) and Muirapuama (Ptychopetalum olacoides) (28.23%)

Cautuba Aphrodisiac: How To Use, Benefits and Contraindications! Archived 2019-06-23 at the Wayback Machine