''Virola sebifera'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

in the family

Myristicaceae The Myristicaceae are a family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, '' Myristica fragr ...

, from North and South America.Markus Wiesenauer, Suzann Kirschner-Brouns: Homöopathie - Das große Handbuch, Gräfe & Unzer Verlag, 2007,

Description

''V. sebifera'' is a tall, thin tree which grows tall. The leaves are simple and grow up to long. The small flowers are single-sexed and are found in

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s. The fruit is reddish, oval-shaped, and about long and about in diameter. The individual ''

Virola ''Virola'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nutmeg family, Myristicaceae. It includes medium-sized trees native to rainforests of the tropical Americas, ranging from southern Mexico to Bolivia and southern Brazil. Species are known commonl ...

'' trees, which include 40 to 60 species, are difficult to differentiate from one another.Christian Rätsch: ''Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen''. AT Verlag, 2007, 8. Auflage,

Vernacular names

English: red ucuuba. Portuguese: Ucuúba-do-cerrado.

Chemical constituents

The bark of the tree is rich in

tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widely applied to any large po ...

and also the

hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...

Andreas Kelich: Halluzinogene Rauschdrogen: Botanischer Teil: Virola spp.: V. sebifera
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dimethyltryptamine Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), also known as ''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (''N'',''N''-DMT), is a Psychedelic drug, serotonergic hallucinogen and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug of the substituted tryptamine, tryptamine family tha ...

(DMT), as well as

5-MeO-DMT 5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine), also known as ''O''-methylbufotenin or mebufotenin (), is a naturally occurring psychedelic of the tryptamine family. It is found in a wide variety of plant species, and is also secreted by ...

. The ripe seeds contain fatty acid

glyceride Glycerides, also known as acylglycerols, are esters formed from glycerol and fatty acids, and are generally very hydrophobic. Glycerol has three hydroxyl functional groups, which can be esterified with one, two, or three fatty acids to form mo ...

s, especially laurodimyristin and

trimyristin Trimyristin is a saturated fat and the triglyceride of myristic acid with the chemical formula C45H86O6. Trimyristin is a white to yellowish-gray solid that is insoluble in water, but soluble in ethanol, acetone, benzene, chloroform, dichlorometh ...

.Karl Hiller, Matthias F. Melzig, ''Lexikon der Arzneipflanzen und Drogen'', 2 Bände, Genehmigte Sonderausgabe für den area verlag, 2006, The bark contains 0.065% to 0.25% alkaloids, most of which are DMT and 5-MeO-DMT. The "juice or gum" of the bark seems to have the highest concentrations of alkaloids (up to 8%).

Uses

Industrial uses

Seeds from ''V. sebifera'' are processed to obtain the fats, which are yellow and aromatic. They smell like

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...

. The fats also become rancid quickly. They are used industrially in the production of fats, candles, and soaps. This virola fat possesses properties similar to

cocoa butter Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible Vegetable oil, fat extracted from the cocoa bean (''Theobroma cacao''). It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter h ...

and

shea butter Shea butter ( , , or ; ) is a fat (triglyceride; mainly oleic acid and stearic acid) extracted from the nut of the African shea tree ('' Vitellaria paradoxa''). It is ivory in color when raw and commonly dyed yellow with borututu root or ...

. The wood of ''V. sebifera'' has a density around .

Homeopathy and traditional uses

The smoke of the inner bark of the tree is used by

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

s of the indigenous people of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

in cases of fever conditions, or cooked for driving out evil ghosts. The homeopathic concoction ''Myristica sebifera'' (abbreviation: ''Myris'') is derived from the fresh, red juice from the injured bark of the tree. Homeopathic practice uses it for such ailments as

abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pre ...

es,

phlegmon A phlegmon is a localized area of acute inflammation of the soft tissues. It is a descriptive term which may be used for inflammation related to a bacterial infection or non-infectious causes (e.g. pancreatitis). Most commonly, it is used in con ...

paronychia Paronychia is an inflammation of the skin around the nail, often due to bacteria or fungi. Its sudden (acute) occurrence is usually due to the bacterium ''Staphylococcus aureus''. Gradual (chronic) occurrences are typically caused by fungi ...

, furuncle,

anal fissure An anal fissure is a break or tear in the skin of the anal canal. Anal fissures may be noticed by bright red anal bleeding on toilet paper and undergarments, or sometimes in the toilet. If acute they are painful after defecation, but with chro ...

s, infections of the

parotid gland The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the m ...

, bacterially infected

tonsilitis Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and ...

, and others.Homöopathisches Repetorium, Deutsche Homöopathie Union (DHU)Mohinder Singh Jus, ''Praktische Materia Medica. Arzneimittellehre von A-Z'', Homöosana, 2004, As of date, there is no empirical evidence supporting any medical effectiveness of ''Myristica sebifera''. Any physiological efficacy would be highly implausible from a biochemical standpoint. Edzard Ernst: The truth about homeopathy. (PDF-Datei; 55 kB) In: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 65(2), 2008, 163–4, Epub 2007 Sep 13. PMID 17875194

References

External links

Virola sebifera - Photo Gallery

Photos of ''Virola sebifera''

Climate Change and the effects on ''Virola sebifera''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1634458 sebifera Flora of Central America Flora of Southern America Flora of the Cerrado Flora of Costa Rica Flora of Panama Flora of Colombia Flora of Brazil Medicinal plants of Central America Medicinal plants of South America