Catuaba Explained

The name Catuaba (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 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.

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 (Kletter et al.; 2004).

Local synonyms are Chuchuhuasha, Tatuaba, Pau de Reposta, Piratancara and Caramuru. A commercial liquid preparation, Catuama, contains multiple ingredients, one of these being catuaba from Trichilia catigua.

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. In catuaba is found a group of three alkaloids dubbed catuabine A, B and C.

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.^[1]

References

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• Campos, M. M. . Fernandes, E. S. . Ferreira, J. . Santos A. R. . Calixto, J. B. . Antidepressant-like effects of Trichilia catigua (Catuaba) extract: evidence for dopaminergic-mediated mechanisms . Psychopharmacology . Berlin . 2005 . 182 . 1 . 45–53 . 15991001 . 10.1007/s00213-005-0052-1 . 22530162 .
• Castellani, D. C. . 2003 . Produção de óleo essencial em Catuaba (Trichilia catigua) e Negramina (Siparuna guianensis) em função da época de colheita . Anais do II Simpósio Brasileiro de Óleos Essenciais - Diagnóstico e Perspectivas 2003 . Campinas . Documento IAC 74 . 0102-4477 .
• Daly, D.C. . The genus Tetragastris and the forests of eastern Brazil. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae - III . Kew Bulletin . 1990 . 45 . 1 . 179–194 . 10.2307/4114446 . 0075-5974 . 4114446 . 1990KewBu..45..179D . CODEN KEWBAF .
• Book: da Silva, A. J. . 1904 . Estudo botânico e chímico da catuaba (Erythroxylaceae catuaba do Norte) - These de doutoramento da Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia . Reprint published in 3 parts in Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, as cited below as da Silva, A. J. (2004, 2005)
• da Silva, A. J. . Estudo botânico e chímico da catuaba (Erythroxylaceae catuaba do Norte), Parte I: Histórico, habitat, synonimia e botânica da catuaba . Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia. 14 . 1 . 67–77 . 2004 . 0102-695X . 10.1590/S0102-695X2004000100009 . CODEN RBFAEL . free .
• da Silva, A. J. . Estudo botânico e chímico da catuaba (Erythroxylaceae catuaba do Norte), Parte II: Histórico, habitat, synonimia e botânica da catuaba . Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia. 0102-695X . 2004 . 14 . 2 . 145–151 . 10.1590/S0102-695X2004000200008 . CODEN RBFAEL . free .
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• Encyclopedia: da Silva, R. A. D. . 1929 . Catuaba (Anemopaegma mirandum (Chamisso) Alph. De Candolle) . Pharmacopeia dos Estados Unidos do Brasil . Companhia Editora Nacional . São Paulo, Brasil . 194, 385 .
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• 10.1016/0378-8741(81)90057-X . Evans, W. C. . The comparative phytochemistry of the genus Erythroxylon . Journal of Ethnopharmacology . 3 . 2–3 . 265–277 . 1981 . 0378-8741 . 7242110 .
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• Glasl, S. . Presser, A. . Werner, I. . Haslinger, E. . Jurenitsch, J. . Tropane alkaloids from a Brazilian bark traded as "Catuaba" . Scientia Pharmaceutica . 71 . 2 . 113–119 . 2003 . 0036-8709 . CODEN SCPHA4 . 10.3797/scipharm.aut-03-12 . free .
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• 10.1002/ardp.19773101211 . 610675 . Graf, E. . Lude, W. . Alkaloide aus Erythroxylum vacciniifolium Martius, 1. Mitt. Isolierung von Catuabin A, B und C . Archiv der Pharmazie . Weinheim . 310 . 12 . 1005–1010 . 1977 . 86305332 . 0365-6233 .
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• Hamet, R. . Sur l'origine botanique des drogues designees au Brasil sous le nom de Catuaba . Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences . 203 . 1178–1179 . 1936 . 0001-4036 . CODEN COREAF .
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• Pizzolatti M. G. . Venson, A. F. . Smânia, A. Jr. . Smânia, E. F. A. . Braz-Filho, R. . Two epimeric flavalignans from Trichilia catigua (Meliaceae) with antimicrobial activity . Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C . 57 . 5–6 . 483–488 . 2002 . 0939-5075 . CODEN ZNCBDA . 10.1515/znc-2002-5-614 . 12132689 . 6356869 .
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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%) andMuirapuama (Ptychopetalum olacoides) (28.23%)

Cautuba Aphrodisiac: How To Use, Benefits and Contraindications!

Notes and References

1. Manabe H, Sakagami H, Ishizone H . Effects of Catuaba extracts on microbial and HIV infection . In Vivo . 6 . 2 . 161–5 . 1992 . 1525337 . etal.