Macela is a medium-sized aromatic annual herb. It is indigenous to much of tropical South and Central America and found throughout Brazil including the Amazon Rainforest. It produces small white flowers with yellow centers and serrated green leaves.

Called Macela or Marcela in Brazil, it has been used in natural medicine for many years there. The flowers and/or the dried plant is prepared into a tea with five grams of herb to a liter of boiling water and used for nervous colic, epilepsy, and gastric problems.⁽¹⁾ It is also used as an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and analgesic for gastric disturbances, diarrhea and dysentery, and as a sedative and emmenagogue in herbal medicine and by local people in Brazil.^{(2, 3)} In Argentina, 20 grams of the flowers are infused in a liter of hot water and taken to help regulate menstruation and for asthma.⁽⁴⁾ In Uruguay, it is used much the same way; for stomach, digestion and gastrointestinal disorders, as an emmenagogue and menstrual regulator and as a sedative and antispasmodic.⁽⁵⁾

Phytochemical analysis of Macela shows that it is a rich source of flavonoids included novel ones never before seen in science. Much of its active properties are attributed to these flavonoids as well as other sequiterpenes and monoterpenes isolated in the plant.^{(6, 7)} Macela has been of recent clinical interest and its uses in natural medicine have been validated by science since the mid 1980's. In animal studies with mice and rats, Macela demonstrated analgesic, anti-inflammatory and smooth muscle relaxant properties internally (gastrointestinal muscles) and externally without toxicity.^{(8, 9)} This may well explain why Macela has long been used effectively for many types of gastrointestinal difficulties as well as asthma. In vitro studies have demonstrated that Macela is molluscidal, and mutagenic against salmonella and E. coli which could explain it's uses against dysentery, diarrhea and infections.^{(2, 10, 11)}

With its potential anti-HIV properties combined with its immunostimulant actions, Macela could (and should) be the subject of futher AIDS research. Until then, a simple Macela tea is still a highly effective natural remedy for many types of gastrointestinal complaints, especially where inflammation and spasms occur. Many practitioners in South and North America are using Macela in tea or capsules for spastic colon, Crohn's, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and for a general digestive aid. Although not studied by scientists, many natural health practitioners in South America still use Macela to help regulate menstrual periods as it has been used for many years with reported good results.

J Ethnopharmacol 1995 Jan;45(1):35-41
Mutagenicity, insecticidal and trypanocidal activity of some Paraguayan Asteraceae
Rojas de Arias A, Ferro E, Inchausti A, Ascurra M, Acosta N, Rodriguez E, Fournet A
The insecticidal, moulting inhibition and trypanocidal effects of crude extracts of 7 Paraguayan Asteraceae were evaluated on Triatoma infestans and bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, respectively. Both mutagenicity and toxicity were evaluated by sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in human peripheral lymphocyte culture and by the lethality test of Artemia salina. The ethanolic extracts from Chromolaena christieana (stem and bark), Achyrocline satureoides (leaves andflowers) and Mikania cordifolia (root and stem), at a concentration of 250 micrograms/ml, showed the highest percentage of lysis on bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The extracts of Chromolaena christieana and Achyrocline satureoides also presented high mutagenic and toxic capacity when they were evaluated by the SCEs assay and Artemia salina test, respectively. Insecticidal activity was only observed in the hexane extract of flowers of Achyrocline satureoides (45% of mortality), when 0.05 microgram of crude concentration was applied on Triatoma infestans. The ethanolic extracts of stem from Mikania cordifolia and Vernonia brasiliana inhibited the moulting of Triatoma infestans when it was compared with their controls. Since no ethnobotanical information on these plants has been found related to similar use in Paraguay, our findings suggest, for the first time, the potential anti-trypanocidal and moulting inhibition of these Asteraceae.

"Brunfeslia is known to play a part in shamanistic practises... Shamans consider B. grandiflora a spritual guide (T. Plowman 1977)." 21 "SOLANACEAE
" Brunfelsia Linnaeus
The 40 species of Brunfelsia are woody shrubs or small trees native to tropical South America and the West Indies. Several species are cultivated as ornamentals in warm regions.
Species of Brunfelsia are rich in scopoletin, a furocoumarin which is claimed to be antiinflammatory (Iyer, 1977). An alkaloid, hopeanine, has been described from B. hopeana (Gellert, 1978) and its pharmacology has been reported (Iyer, 1978). The chemistry and medicinal uses of the genus have been reviewed. (Plowman, 1977).
Brunfelsia grandiflora D. Don, Edinb. New Phil. journ. (Apr.-Oct 1829) 26 and Brunfelsia grandiflora D. Don., subsp.schultesit, Plowman, Bot. Mus. Leafl., Harvard Univ. 23 (1973) 259, t. 18.
chiricaspi picudo, chiricaspi salvaje, chiricaspi chacruco (Ketchwa); hu-ha-hai, yai-huha-hai (Siona); chi-pi-ri-tsontinba-ka (Kofin); borrachero, chiric sanango, sanango (Col., Peru) C 10795; G-B 4586; PI 2090; P 575; K 2880; U 9748; D 865; SRS 24108; AAU
32904, 33234
The type collection of Brunfelsia grandiflora subsp. schultesii -SRS 24108-is very positively alkaloidal. The subspecies is widely cultivated (in Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela), whereas B. grandiflora itself is still found wild. Both are employed as additives to the ayahuasca hallucinogen, and both have a broad therapeutic spectrum ranging from the treatment of yellow fever to snake bite. The most effective parts of the plants are considered to be the roots. The most widely employed medicinal uses are those to treat syphilis and rheumatism and for their diuretic and diaphoretic properties. Both are highly regarded as agents to treat fevers because of the curious sensation of chills which they produce. Brunfelsia grandiflora has been employed as an ichthyotoxic plant; both are toxic to cattle, and subsp. schultesii has been the source of problems to owners of cattle in the Trapecio Amazonico of Colombia. The Kofans and the Siona-Secoyas of Ecuador utilize this species as a hallucinogen, the latter group using it also as an abortifacient.

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 1991;86 Suppl 2:67-70
Genotoxicity of plant extracts
Vargas VM, Guidobono RR, Henriques JA
Departamento do Meio Ambiente, Secretaria da Saude e Meio Ambiente, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
Aqueous extracts of seven species used in Brazilian popular medicine (Achyrocline satureoides, Iodina rhombifolia, Desmodium incanum, Baccharis anomala, Tibouchina asperior, Luehea divaricata, Maytenus ilicifolia) were screened to the presence of mutagenic activity in the Ames test (Salmonella/microsome). Positive results were obtained for A. satureoides, B. anomala and L. divaricata with microsomal activation. As shown elsewhere (Vargas et al., 1990) the metabolites of A. satureoides extract also show the capacity to induce prophage and/or SOS response in microscreen phage induction assay and SOS spot chromotest.

Mutat Res 1990 Jan;240(1):13-18
Mutagenic and genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of Achyrocline satureoides in prokaryotic organisms.
Vargas VM, Motta VE, Leitao AC, Henriques JA
Departamento do Meio Ambiente, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Aqueous extracts of Achyrocline satureoides (Marcela and/or Macela) were tested for the presence of genotoxic activity in microorganisms. This species belongs to the family Compositae and is used on a large scale by the population of South Brazil. The extracts showed genotoxic activity in the presence of S9 mix in the Ames test TA100, TA98 and TA102 strains, 'SOS' spot chromotest and Microscreen phage-induction assay. The positive results were related to the presence of quercetin and caffeic acid in the aqueous extracts.

Arzneimittelforschung 1984;34(6):659-661
Immunostimulant action of polysaccharides (heteroglycans) from higher plants. Preliminary communication.
[Article in German]
Wagner H, Proksch A, Riess-Maurer I, Vollmar A, Odenthal S, Stuppner H, Jurcic K, Le Turdu M, Heur YH
From the water or alcaline-water extracts of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench and -angustifolia DC., Eupatorium cannabinum L. and -perfoliatum L., Chamomilla recutita (L.) (Rauscher), Calendula officinalis L., Baptisia tinctoria (L.) R.B., Achyrocline satureoides DC., Arnica montana L., Sabal serrulata Roem et Schult. and Eleutherococcus senticosus Maxim. polysaccharide fractions with molecular weights in the range of 25 000 to 500 000 and higher have been isolated, which, according to the granulocytes- and carbon clearance tests, showed significant immunostimulating activities. The isolated compounds belong to the group of water-soluble, acidic heteroglycanes. The linkages in the different polysaccharides do not represent a uniform structure type.