Psychotria poeppigiana
Encyclopedia
Psychotria poeppigiana is a plant
species
in the family
Rubiaceae
; a common name is Sore-mouth Bush, though it is not very often used.
It ranges widely in the tropical Americas
, from Chiapas
, Oaxaca
, Tabasco
and Veracruz
in Mexico
to the very north of Argentina
. It does not occur on the Pacific side of the American cordillera
however, and is thus absent from El Salvador
and Chile
. It is probably also absent from Uruguay
and Paraguay
.
P. poeppigiana is a large shrub
. The inflorescence
s are carried upright or semi-erect and are surrounded by large bract
s, colored a conspicuous red, that attract pollinator
s. The flowers themselves are inconspicuous, with the small yellow petal
s and sepal
s forming a narrow corollar tube. Pollinators are mainly hummingbird
s, namely small hermit
(Phaethornithinae) species like the Black-throated Hermit
(Phaethornis atrimentalis), Straight-billed Hermit
(P. bourcieri) and Reddish Hermit
(P. ruber). They do not insert their bills deeply into the small flowers, and thus the pollinators of the Sore-mouth Bush include curved- and straight-billed species alike.
. This widespread plant has been described under a variety of names, today all considered synonyms:
A subspecies
has been named:
Local names include:
people of Maranhão
(Brazil
) use its flowers as a "hunting fetish", a magical talisman
to facilitate hunting. As the Tulane University
anthropologist
and historical ecologist
William Balée
describes it,
Psychotria poeppigiana has several uses in folk medicine
; it is widely used as a painkiller besides having some more specialized applications. The Tiriyó
of Surinam crush and boil the plant and use the resulting decoction to treat headache
s, sprain
s, rheumatism
, muscular pains and bruise
s. The Wayana
, also of Surinam, grind the bark and apply it raw to a particular rash
known to them as poispoisi. The bract
s are crushed to release the sap, which is then applied into the ear canal
to relieve earaches. The decoction from the inflorescence
, boiled whole, is credited with antitussive qualities and used as a whooping cough remedy and more generally to treat respiratory tract
infections, as are decoctions of the leaves of ssp. barcellana.
It also contains dimethyltryptamine
, though as suggested by the use native peoples make of it probably not in quantities to render it strongly psychedelic
.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
; a common name is Sore-mouth Bush, though it is not very often used.
It ranges widely in the tropical Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, from Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to the very north of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It does not occur on the Pacific side of the American cordillera
American cordillera
The American Cordillera is a cordillera that consists of an essentially continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica. From north to south, this sequence of overlapping and parallel ranges begins with the...
however, and is thus absent from El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is probably also absent from Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
.
P. poeppigiana is a large shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are carried upright or semi-erect and are surrounded by large bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s, colored a conspicuous red, that attract pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s. The flowers themselves are inconspicuous, with the small yellow petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s and sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s forming a narrow corollar tube. Pollinators are mainly hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, namely small hermit
Hermit (hummingbird)
The hermits are tropical and subtropical hummingbirds in the subfamily Phaethornithinae, comprising 30–40 species in six genera. They occur from southern Mexico, through Central America, to South America as far south as northern Argentina....
(Phaethornithinae) species like the Black-throated Hermit
Black-throated Hermit
The Black-throated Hermit is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. This small hermit is found in the western Amazon in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.-References:...
(Phaethornis atrimentalis), Straight-billed Hermit
Straight-billed Hermit
The Straight-billed Hermit is a species of bird in the Trochilidae family, the hummingbirds.It is found in the Guyanas of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana; also the northern Amazon Basin of Brazil, and Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; it is in eastern Venezuela and the Orinoco River Basin...
(P. bourcieri) and Reddish Hermit
Reddish Hermit
The Reddish Hermit is a species of bird in the Trochilidae family, the hummingbirds. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and in the Guianas. At 7.5 cm and a weight under 3 grams, it is among the smallest of the hermits and smallest birds overall...
(P. ruber). They do not insert their bills deeply into the small flowers, and thus the pollinators of the Sore-mouth Bush include curved- and straight-billed species alike.
Taxonomy and names
The scientific name honours the botanist Eduard Friedrich PoeppigEduard Friedrich Poeppig
Eduard Friedrich Poeppig was a German botanist, zoologist and explorer.-Biography:He was born in Plauen, Saxony. He studied medicine and natural history at the University of Leipzig, graduating with a medical degree. On graduation, the rector of the university gave him a botanical mission to North...
. This widespread plant has been described under a variety of names, today all considered synonyms:
- Callicocca tomentosa (Aubl.) J.F.Gmel.
- Cephaelis hirsuta M.Martens & Galeotti
- Cephaelis tomentosa (Aubl.) Vahl
- Cephaelis vultusmimi Dwyer
- Evea tomentosa (Aubl.) Standl.
- Psychotria hirsuta (M.Martens & Galeotti) Müll. Arg. ex Mart.
- Tapogomea tomentosa Aubl.
- Uragoga poeppigiana (Müll. Arg.) Kuntze
- Uragoga tomentosa (Aubl.) K.Schum.
A subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
has been named:
- Psychotria poeppigiana ssp. barcellana (Muell. Arg.) Steyerm.
Local names include:
- Carib languages:
- Guiana Carib: yo-nu-ne-mah (Akuriyó), ku-ri-lu eh-nah-pe-da (TiriyóTiriyó languageThe Tiriyó language , is spoken by approximately 2,000 people living in several villages on both sides of the Brazil-Suriname border in Northern Amazonia. It is a relatively healthy language, learned by all children as their mother tongue and actively used in all areas of life by its speakers...
) - North Amazonian Carib: kaia-eno-mio (Akawaio)
- Central Carib: pe-yah-o-tih-puh (WayanaWayanaThe Wayana are a Carib-speaking people located in the south-eastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Surinam, and French Guiana...
)
- Guiana Carib: yo-nu-ne-mah (Akuriyó), ku-ri-lu eh-nah-pe-da (Tiriyó
- Creole languageCreole languageA creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
s: radie zore (French Guiana CreoleFrench Guiana CreoleFrench Guiana Creole is a French-lexified creole language spoken in French Guiana, and to a lesser degree, in Suriname and Guyana. It resembles Antillean Creole, but there are some lexical and grammatical differences between them...
), soldier's cap (Guyanese Creole) - Tupí–Guaraní languages: tapi'i-kanami (Ka'aporKa'aporThe Ka'apor are a distinct ethnic group of indigenous Brazilians living on a protected reserve in the state of Maranhão. They were the subject of a book by anthropologist Dr...
), meaning "tapirTapirA Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
-kanami". Kanami is the Ka'apor term for poison used in fishingFish toxinsFish toxins or fish stupifying plants have historically been used by many hunter gatherer cultures to stun fish, so that the fish become easy to collect by hand. Some of these toxins paralyse fish, others work by reducing oxygen content in water...
prepared from ClibadiumClibadiumClibadium is a genus of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It contains the following species:* Clibadium alatum* Clibadium harlingii* Clibadium manabiense* Clibadium mexiae* Clibadium napoense* Clibadium pastazense...
. The name references both plant's (real or presumed) property of making animals more accessible to hunters (see below).
Use by humans
The Ka'aporKa'apor
The Ka'apor are a distinct ethnic group of indigenous Brazilians living on a protected reserve in the state of Maranhão. They were the subject of a book by anthropologist Dr...
people of Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
(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...
) use its flowers as a "hunting fetish", a magical talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
to facilitate hunting. As the Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and historical ecologist
Historical ecology
Historical ecology is a research program that focuses on the interaction between humans and the environments in which they live. Rather than concentrating on one specific event, historical ecology aims to study and understand this interaction across both time and space in order to gain a full...
William Balée
William Balée
William Balée is a professor of anthropology and environmental studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was born in the Miami, Florida area and educated at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where he received a B.A. in Anthropology before moving on to Columbia University in...
describes it,
"... flowers of Psychotria poeppigiana [...] are wrapped in a piece of cloth and affixed to a dog's collar so that it may more easily find the enormous, highly desirable, and decidedly uncommon tapirTapirA Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
"
Psychotria poeppigiana has several uses in folk medicine
Folk medicine
-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...
; it is widely used as a painkiller besides having some more specialized applications. The Tiriyó
Tiriyó
The Tiriyó usually call themselves tarëno, etymologically 'people from here, local people'. They are approximately 2,000 and live in several major villages and a number of minor villages in the border zone between Brazil and Suriname...
of Surinam crush and boil the plant and use the resulting decoction to treat headache
Headache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
s, sprain
Sprain
A sprain is an injury in a joint, caused by the ligament being stretched beyond its capacity. A muscular tear caused in the same manner is referred to as a strain. In cases where either ligament or muscle tissue is torn, immobilization and surgical repair may be necessary...
s, rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
, muscular pains and bruise
Bruise
A bruise, also called a contusion, is a type of relatively minor hematoma of tissue in which capillaries and sometimes venules are damaged by trauma, allowing blood to seep into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Bruises can involve capillaries at the level of skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle,...
s. The Wayana
Wayana
The Wayana are a Carib-speaking people located in the south-eastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Surinam, and French Guiana...
, also of Surinam, grind the bark and apply it raw to a particular rash
Rash
A rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and...
known to them as poispoisi. The bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s are crushed to release the sap, which is then applied into the ear canal
Ear canal
The ear canal , is a tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The human ear canal extends from the pinna to the eardrum and is about 35 mm in length and 5 to 10 mm in diameter....
to relieve earaches. The decoction from the inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
, boiled whole, is credited with antitussive qualities and used as a whooping cough remedy and more generally to treat respiratory tract
Respiratory tract
In humans the respiratory tract is the part of the anatomy involved with the process of respiration.The respiratory tract is divided into 3 segments:*Upper respiratory tract: nose and nasal passages, paranasal sinuses, and throat or pharynx...
infections, as are decoctions of the leaves of ssp. barcellana.
It also contains dimethyltryptamine
Dimethyltryptamine
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound of the tryptamine family. DMT is found in several plants, and also in trace amounts in humans and other mammals, where it is originally derived from the essential amino acid tryptophan, and ultimately produced by the enzyme INMT...
, though as suggested by the use native peoples make of it probably not in quantities to render it strongly psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
.
