''Alchornea castaneifolia'' (iporuru, iporoni, iporuro, ipururo, ipurosa, macochihua, niando, pajaro;

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''Hermesia castaneifolia'' Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) is a medicinal plant native to

Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

vegetation in Brazil.

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 American shamans). Throughout the Amazon the bark or leaves of iporuro are tinctured (generally with the local rum, called ''aguardiente'') as a local remedy for rheumatism,

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

, colds, and muscle pains. Iporuro (''Alchornea castaneifolia'') is well known to the indigenous peoples of Peru for relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis, and in aiding flexibility and range of motion. The Candochi-Shapra and the

Shipibo The Shipibo-Conibo are an indigenous people along the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Formerly two groups, the Shipibo and the Conibo, they eventually became one distinct tribe through intermarriage and communal ritual and are c ...

Indian tribes use both the bark and roots of iporuro for

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

. To prevent diarrhea, members of the

Tikuna tribe The Ticuna (also Magüta, Tucuna, Tikuna, or Tukuna) are an indigenous people of Brazil (36,000'')'', Colombia (6,000), and Peru (7,000). They are the most numerous tribe in the Brazilian Amazon. History The Ticuna were originally a tribe that ...

take one tablespoon 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 painful

stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...

wounds. Little research has been done to catalog completely the

phytochemical Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants, generally to help them resist fungi, bacteria and plant virus infections, and also consumption by insects and other animals. The name comes . Some phytochemicals have been used as poisons ...

s in iporuru. Initial screening has revealed it to contain

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

saponin Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...

s, alkaloids and natural phenols ( flavonols, flavones, tannins, xanthonoids). The putative anti-inflammatory properties of iporuru are attributed to a group of alkaloids, including one called

alchorneine Alchorneine is an imidazopyrimidine alkaloid found in trees in the genus ''Alchornea'' such as ''Alchornea castaneifolia'', '' Alchornea floribunda'' or ''Alchornea cordifolia ''Alchornea cordifolia'' is a shrub or small tree distributed thro ...

, which are found in the bark of iporuru as well as several other species of '' Alchornea''.www.rain-tree.com
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References

External links

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Alchorneae Ayahuasca Flora of the Amazon Medicinal plants of South America Trees of Peru Trees of Brazil Taxa named by Aimé Bonpland {{medicinal-plant-stub