Myrcia sphaerocarpa
Encyclopedia
Myrcia sphaerocarpa is native to the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...

 of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

. The root extract, known as "Pedra Hume de Kaá" is used by the natives as a powerful healing poultice. Research has been conducted on it in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 as an anti-diabetic drug.

See also

  • Myrcia spp.
    Myrcia
    Myrcia is a genus of the flowering plant family Myrtaceae.Selected species* Myrcia albobrunnea* Myrcia albo-tomentosa DC.* Myrcia almasensis* Myrcia bella Cambess.* Myrcia calcicola...



Pedra hume caá is a medium-sized shrub that grows in drier regions of the Amazon and other parts of Brazil. In Brazil, the common name pedra hume caá refers to three species of myrcia plants that are used interchangeably-Myrcia salicifolia, Myrcia uniflorus, and Myrcia sphaerocarpa. It is unknown if reports on pedra hume caá can be applied to other species in the myrcia genus.

Pedra hume caá has been used by indigenous tribes in the rainforest for diabetes, diarrhea, and dysentery. The Taiwanos tribe (in northwest Amazonia) considers the leaves to be an astringent and uses them for persistent diarrhea. Pedra hume caá has had a place in Brazilian traditional medicine for many years.

It remains a very popular natural remedy for diabetes throughout South America; the traditional use is a simple leaf tea with a pleasant, slightly sweet taste. It is also used for hypertension (high blood pressure), enteritis (inflammation of the bowels), hemorrhage, and mouth ulcers.
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