- Alchornea castaneifolia
Taxobox
name = Iporuru
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Malpighiales
familia =Euphorbiaceae
subfamilia =Acalyphoideae
tribus =Alchorneae
subtribus =Alchorneinae
genus =Alchornea
species = "A. castaneifolia"
binomial = "Alchornea castaneifolia"
binomial_authority = (Bonpl. exWilld. )A.Juss. "Alchornea castaneifolia" (Iporuru, Iporoni, Iporuro, Ipururo, Ipurosa, Macochihua, Niando, Pajaro;
syn. "Hermesia castaneifolia" Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) is amedicinal plant native toAmazon Rainforest vegetation inBrazil .Traditional medicine
For centuries the indigenous peoples of the Amazon have used the bark and leaves of iporuru ("Alchornea castaneifolia") for many different purposes and prepared it in many different ways. The "Alchornea castaneifolia" plant commonly is used with other plants during shamanistic training and, sometimes is an ingredient in
ayahuasca (a hallucinogenic, multi-herb decoction used by South Americanshaman s). Throughout the Amazon the bark or leaves of iporuro aretincture d (generally with the localrum , called "aguardiente") as a local remedy for rheumatism,arthritis , colds, and muscle pains. Iporuro ("Alchornea castaneifolia") is well known to the indigenous peoples ofPeru for relieving the symptoms ofosteoarthritis , and in aiding flexibility and range of motion. The Candochi-Shapra and the Shipibo Indian tribes use both the bark and roots of iporuro for treatingrheumatism . To preventdiarrhea , members of theTikuna tribe take 1 tbsp. of "Alchornea castaneifolia" bark decoction before meals. The pain-relieving properties of iporuru appear in topical treatments; crushed leaves are rubbed on painful joints and are beaten into a paste to apply to painfulstingray wounds.It is sometimes sold as "Iporuro 10x Extract."
"Little research has been done to catalog completely the
phytochemical s in iporuru. Initial screening has revealed it to containsteroid s,saponin s,phenols ,flavonol s,flavone s,tannin s,xanthone s, andalkaloids . Theanti-inflammatory properties of iporuru are attributed to a group of alkaloids, including one calledalchorneine , which are found in the bark of iporuru as well as several other species ofAlchornea ." [ [http://www.rain-tree.com/iporuru.htm www.rain-tree.com] ]ee also
*
List of plants of Amazon Rainforest vegetation of Brazil External links
* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?430342 Germplasm Resources Information Network: "Alchornea castaneifolia"]
* [http://www.rain-tree.com/iporuru.htm Tropical Plant Database: "Alchornea castaneifolia"]References
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