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Muira
Puama Ptychopetalum
olacoides Botanical Name: Ptychopetalum
olacoides Place of Origin: Brazil Other titles: Marapuama, Potency Wood, Potenzholz
Description: Muira puama has long
been valued as an aphrodisiac and a tonic for the nervous system. It is known to
be soothing and helpful for nervous exhaustion, stress, and trauma, and helps
alleviate symptoms of depression. It is also used in formulations designed to
treat male pattern baldness. Authors: I. R. Siqueira;
D. R. Lara; D. Silva; F. S. Gaieski; D. S. Nunes; E.
Elisabetsky DOI:
10.1076/phbi.36.5.327.4657 Publication
Frequency:
12 issues per year Published
in:
Abstract Roots of Ptychopetalum olacoides Bentham (Olacaceae), known as Marapuama,
are prepared in alcoholic infusion for treating “nervous weakness” by
Amazonian Caboclos. “Nervous weakness” can be described as a syndrome having
several symptoms, among which the following are emphasized: lassitude,
depression, sexual impotence and tremors. Based on ethnopharmacological data, we
have considered the hypothesis that PO may have psychopharmacological effects,
by interacting with different neurotransmitter systems: (i) the dopaminergic
system, considering its use as an appetite modulator and to counteract tremors,
as well as for its alleged sexual arousing properties; (ii) the noradrenergic
system, again for its use against tremors and/or depression; and/or (iii) the
serotonergic system, also related to depression and sexual arousal. This paper
reports that P. olacoides hydroalcoholic extract potentiated yohimbine-induced
lethality, rever sed reserpine-induced ptosis and prevented apomorphine-induced
stereotypy. The data indicates that P. olacoides has central nervous system
effects and supports the hypothesis of its interaction with dopaminergic and/or
noradrenergic systems. Ptychopetalum olacoides, a traditional
Amazonian "nerve tonic", possesses anticholinesterase activity. Author: Siqueira,-I-R;
Fochesatto,-C; da-Silva,-A-L; Nunes,-D-S; Battastini,-A-M; Netto,-C-A;
Elisabetsky,-E Citation: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 2003 Jun; 75(3):
645-50 The cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer disease (AD)
has provided the rationale for the current pharmacotherapy of this disease, in
an attempt to downgrade the cognitive decline caused by cholinergic deficits.
Nevertheless, the search for potent and long-acting acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
inhibitors that exert minimal side effects to AD patients is still an ongoing
effort. Amazonian communities use traditional remedies prepared with
Ptychopetalum olacoides (PO, Olacaceae) roots for treating various central
nervous system conditions, including those associated with aging. The fact that
PO ethanol extract (POEE) has been found to facilitate memory retrieval in the
step down procedure in young and aged mice prompt us to evaluate its effects on
AChE activity in memory relevant brain areas. POEE significantly inhibited AChE
activity in vitro in a dose- and time-dependent manner in rat frontal cortex,
hippocampus and striatum; a significant inhibition was also found in these same
brain areas of aged (14 months) mice after acute administration of POEE (100
mg/kg ip). We propose that such AChE inhibitory activity is a neurochemical
correlate of a number of therapeutic properties traditionally claimed for P.
olacoides, particularly those associated with cognition Ptychopetalum olacoides Also
known as "Marapuama" or Muira-Puama and called "potency
wood," is a bush or small tree up to 4 meters in height and is native to
the Brazilian Amazon Rain Forest. All
parts of the plants have been used medicinally, but the bark and roots are the
primary parts of the plant utilized. It has long been used in the Amazon by
indigenous peoples for a number of purposes and found its way into herbal
medicine in South America and Europe in the 1920's. Indigenous tribes in Brazil
use the roots and bark taken internally as a tea for treating sexual debility
and impotency, neuromuscular problems, rheumatism, grippe, cardiac asthenia,
gastrointestinal asthenia and to prevent baldness(E). Ptychopelatum
Olacoides has a long history in herbal medicine as an aphrodisiac, a tonic for
the nervous system an antirheumatic and for gastrointestinal disorders(F, G). In
1925, a pharamacological study was published on Ptychopelatum Olacoides which
indicated it effectiveness in treating disorders of the nervous system and
sexual impotency which indicated that "permanent effect is produced in
locomotor ataxia, neuralgias of long standing, chronic rheumatism, and partial
paralysis." (H) In 1930, Penna wrote about Marapuama in his book and cited
physiological and therapeutic experiments conducted in France by Dr. Rebourgeon
which confirmed the efficacy of the plant for "gastrointestinal and
circulatory asthenia and impotency of the genital organs."(I) Two
closely related species of Ptychopetalum were used interchangeably when it
became popular in the 1920's and 30's - Ptychopelatum Olacoides and Ptyhopelatum
Uncinatum and a third species, Liriosma ovata, (which also had a common name of
Marapuama) was used as well.(J) Early European explorers noted the indigenous
uses and the aphrodisiac qualities of Marapuama and brought it back to Europe,
where it has become part of the herbal medicine of England.(K) Because of the
long history of use of Ptychopelatum in England, it is still listed in the
British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, a noted source on herbal medicine from the British
Herbal Medicine Association, where it is recommended for the treatment of
dysentery and impotence.(L) It has been in the Brazilian Pharmacopeia since the
1940's.(M) REFERENCES: E
- Schultes, R.E., and Raffauf, 1990. The Healing Forest. Medicinal and Toxic
Plants of the Northwest Amazonia, R.F. Dioscorides Press, 1990. F
- Bernardes, Antonio, 1984 A Pocketbook of Brazilian Herbs, Editora e Arta Ltda.
Brazil. E
- Schultes, R.E., and Raffauf, 1990. The Healing Forest. Medicinal and Toxic
Plants of the Northwest Amazonia, R.F. Dioscorides Press, 1990. G
- Murray, Michael T., 1995. The Healing Power of Herbs, Prima Publishing. H
- Dias Da Silva, Rodolpho, 1925. "Medicinal plants of Brazil. Botanical and
pharmacognostic studies. Marapuama," I
- Penna, M. 1930. Notas Sobre Plantas Brasileriras. Araujo Penn & Cia., Rio
de Janeiro, 1930 pp 258. J
- Anselmino, Elisabeth, 1933., "Ancestral sources of Marapuama." Ach.
Pharm. 271, 296-314 K
- Mowrey, Daniel B. Ph.D., 1993. Herbal Tonic Therapies, Keats Publishing, Inc. L
- British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 1983. British Herbal Medicine Association, West
York, England, pp. 132-133. M
- "Marapuama, Ptychopetalum olacoides." 1956. Brazilian Pharmacopeia.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family: Olacaceae Genus: Ptychopetalum Species: olacoides Synonyms: None Common Names: Muira puama, potency wood, marapuama, marapama, muiratã, muiratam, pau-homen, potenzholz Part Used: Bark and root From The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||