Brosimum acutifolium / Murure / Moraceae (Mulberry family)

Information

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Other Names

Ahua Jonra, Amapá Doce, Bois Mondan, Bururé, Congona, Leche-Caspi, Manichi, Mercuio-vegetal, Mercurio Vegetal, Mercurio-da-terra-firma, Morure, Muira-Piranga, Murare, Murure, Murure-Vermelho, Mururi, Quecho, Takini, Takweni, Tamamuri, Tauni, Urupi, Vegetable Mercury.

Description

Brosimum acutifolium is a large canopy tree of the Amazon rainforest that grows 15 to 25 m high. In traditional medicine "the bark is used as an anti-inflammatory and a treatment for rheumatism"(3). It has also been used in magic to protect from bad spells. Brosimum acutifolium goes by different local names including Murure, Tamamuri and Takini. In the Guiana Plateau a potion prepared from the latex of the tree is used in shamanism.

Contents

Brosimum acutifolium bark contains flavans, flavanoids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, benezoids, and steroids. Many of these chemicals are novel ones never before seen by scientists, including 6 chemicals they have named "acutifolins" and 13 chemicals named "brosimacutins".(2)
The latex of the subspecies Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg contains bufotenin (5-hydroxy-dimethyltryptamine). This is the same alkaloid found in Anadenthara sp., Mucuna pruriens, and several toads of the Bufo genus. (1)(3)

Historical

Shipibo-Conibo Indians on the Ucayali River in the Peruvian Amazon have a legend about Brosimum acutifolium or Tamamuri as they call it. They believe that when a man ingests the white latex of the Tamamuri tree that he will father light-skinned male children. They also use the bark medicinally (in decoctions). The Wayãpi Indians in Guyana also attribute magical properties to the tree. They believe the latex of the tree will help protect them from witchcraft and bad spells. Brosimum acutifolium is widely used in herbal medicine in South America. Shamans of several peoples in Suriname, French Guiana, and the region east of the Para in Brazil have used the latex of the tree for its visionary properties.(2)(3)

Plant Description

Brosimum acutifolium is a large canopy tree of the Amazon rainforest that grows 15 to 25 m high. It produces a white to light pink latex when the smooth trunk bark is wounded or the leaf stems are broken from the branches. It has oblong veined leaves about 8-15 cm long by 4-5 cm wide. Brosimum acutifolium is found throughout the lower elevations of the Amazon basin, usually growing alongside streams and rivers where its fruits (similar to a fig but with one large seed inside) are eaten by fish when it falls from the tree. (2)

References

(1) Bufotenin, Wikipedia article.
(2) Tamamuri, Raintree nutrition.
(3) Identification of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (bufotenine) in takini (Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg, Moraceae), a shamanic potion used in the Guiana Plateau, Moretti C, Gaillard Y, Grenand P, Bévalot F, Prévosto JM (2006)