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MANACÁ
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Brunfelsia
Species: uniflorus, grandiflora
Common Names: Manacá, Manacán,
Chiric sanango, Chuchuwasha, Manaka,Vegetable Mercury, Managá Caa, Gambá, Jeratacaca
Part Used: Root, Bark
DESCRIPTION
Properties/Actions:
 Abortifacient, Alterative, Analgesic, Anesthetic, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Rheumatic, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emmenagogue, Hypotensive, Hypothermal, Laxative, Narcotic, Purgative
Phytochemicals:
 Aesculetin, Brunfelsene, Hopeanine, Lactic Acid, Manaceine, Manacine, Starch, Mandragorine, Scopoletin, Tartaric Acid, Quinic Acid
Traditional Remedy:
 One-half cup root or leaf decoction 1-2 times daily or 1-2 ml of a 4:1 tincture twice daily. See Traditional Herbal Remedies Preparation Methods page if necessary for definitions.
ETHNOBOTANY: WORLDWIDE USES
Dutch
 Alterative
Brazil
 Diuretic, Purgative, Rheumatism
Ecuador
 Analgesic, Arthritis, Cold, Flu, Uterine, Venereal
Elsewhere
Alterative, Diuretic, Laxative, Rheumatism
French
 Scrofula
German
 Rheumatism
Peru
 Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Arthritis, Back Pain, Bite(Snake), Bronchitis, Colds, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Fever, Kidney, Lung Disease, Rheumatism, Syphilis, Tuberculosis, Ulcers, Uterine, Venereal
Manacá is a medium sized shrubby tree growing up to 8 meters in height and is indigenous to the Amazon Rainforest. It can be found in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela. It is often cultivated as an ornamental because it produces pretty yellowish-white flowers and a perfume is extracted from the flowers. In Brazil, Manacá is known by several botanical names including Brunfelsia uniflorus, Brunfelsia grandiflora, and Franciscea uniflora. In Europe, it is known as Brunfelsia hopeana.
Manacá has a long history of indigenous use in the Rainforest as both a medicinal plant and a magical plant. It's common name Manacá, comes from the Tupi Indians in Brazil, who named it after the most beautiful girl in the tribe, Manacán, because of its beautiful flowers. It is a sacred and spiritual plant used by the Shamans and Curanderos in ayahuasca, in special initiation ceremonies and for bad luck.(1) In the Amazon, the root of Manacá is infused with aguardiente (rum) for rheumatism and venereal disease.(1) A decoction of leaves is used externally by indigenous people in Peru for arthritis and rheumatism.(2) Indigenous tribes in Peru take a decoction of the root for chills.(3) Indigenous tribes in the Northwest Amazon consider Manacá to be a diaphoretic and diuretic and use it for fever, rheumatism, snakebite, syphilis and yellow fever.(4) Curanderos and herbal healers along the Amazon river and in Ecuador use a root decoction to treat arthritis, rheumatism, colds and flu, uterine pain and cramps, venereal diseases and to clean the blood while using a poultice of the leaves as a topical analgesic.(5) Another Amazonian Curandero near Pucallpa, Peru uses a root tea for adult fevers, arthritis and rheumatism, back pain, common colds and bronchitis, lung disease and tuberculosis, snake bite, and as an enema for kidney disorders and ulcers.(6)
The root of Manacá is said to stimulate the lymphatic system, and it has long been used for syphilis earning the name "vegetable mercury."(7) In herbal medicine Manacá is considered abortifacient, alterative, anesthetic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, hypertensive, hypothermal, laxative, and narcotic and is employed for arthritis, rheumatism, scrofula and syphilis.(7 - 9) Practitioners and herbalists in the United States use Manacá as a diuretic, purgative, and anti-inflammatory to treat arthritis and rheumatism, sexually transmitted diseases, and to stimulate the lymphatic system and disperse uric acid.(10 - 12)
The active constituents of Manacá include two alkaloids called, Manaceine and Manacine, scopoletin and Aesculetin. Manaceine and Manacine are thought to be responsible for stimulating the lymphatic system(7) while Aesculetin has demonstrated analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Scopoletin is a well known phytochemical which has demonstrated analgesic, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antitumor, CNS-stimulant, cancer-preventive, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, myorelaxant, spasmolytic and uterosedative activity. Root extracts of Manacá have demonstrated marked anti-inflammatory activity in at least two clinical experiments.(7, 13, 14)

Footnotes:
  1. Duke, James & Vasquez, Rudolfo, 1994 Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, CRC Press., Boca Raton, FL

  2. Valdizan, H., and Maldonado, A., 1982., La Medicina Popular Peruana, Imp. Torres Aquirre., Lima, Peru.

  3. Vasquez, M.R., 1990. Useful Plants of Amazonian Peru., Spanish Typescript. Second Draft. Filed with USDA'a National Agricultural Library

  4. Schultes, R.E., and Raffauf, 1990. The Healing Forest. Medicinal and Toxic Plants of the Northwest Amazonia, R.F. Dioscorides Press, 1990.

  5. Leslie Taylor, Personal field notes with Curandero Jose Guerra Cabrerra near the village of Tam Hisaco. September, 1997, with Curandera Consuela Garcia of the Ecuadorian Ashur tribe, April, 1997, and with Curandero Don Antonio Montero at ACEER, Peru. August 1996

  6. Rios, Marlene Dbkin de, 1992, Amazon Healer, The Life and Times of an Urban Shaman. Avery Publishing Group, Carden City Park, NY

  7. Duke, JA, CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs 1985. Ed. CRC Press Boca Raton, FL

  8. Duke, JA, & Wain, KK., Medicinal Plants of the World. Computer index with more than 85,000 entreies, 3 vols., 1981, 1654.

  9. List, PH., & Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis., Vols. 2 to 6., Springer-Verlag. Berlin. 1969-1979.

  10. Schwontkowski, Dr. Donna, 1993. HERBS OF THE AMAZON, Traditional and Common Uses, Science Student BrainTrust Publishing, Utah.

  11. Powerful and Unusual Herbs from the Amazon and China, 1993. The World Preservation Society, Inc.

  12. Easterling, J. 1993 Traditional Uses of Rainforest Botanicals.

  13. Ruppelt BM, et al. Pharmacological screening of plants recommended by folk medicine as anti-snake venom--I. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 1991

  14. Iyer RP, et al. Brunfelsia hopeana I: Hippocratic screening and antiinflammatory evaluation. Lloydia, 1977 Jul-Aug
REFERENCED QUOTES
"Manaca has anti-rheumatic and diuretic properties and is also used as a purgative (causing bowel evacuation). It has been used to treat syphilis, snakebites, and Yellow Fever." 2 "Manaca has one of the most beautiful flowers in the Amazon rainforest. The root is said to stimulate the lymphatic system. In folk remedies it has been used for arthritis, rheumatism, scrofula, and syphilis. Some extracts show marked anti-inflammatory tendencies." 3 "Manaca has been used to treat conditions associated with sexually transmitted infections. It also disperses uric acid." 10 "Brunfelsia grandiflora D. Don ssp. schultesii Plowman. Solanaceae. "Chiric sanango", "Chuchuwasha", "Moca pari". Sometimes cultivated as an ornamental or medicinal plant. Curanderos add it to ayahuasca or to prepare special initiations. Also used for bad luck. Around Pucallpa, the leaf decoction is used internally for arthritis and rheumatism (VDF). Root infusion with aguardiente for rheumatism and venereal diseases. "Boras" take the root decoction for chills (RVM). Amazonians take the plant, regarded as diaphoretic and diuretic, for fever, rheumatism, snakebite, syphilis and yellow fever (SAR). The main phytochemical is scopoletin, which induces psychopharmacologic effects. Also: tartaric acid, lactic acid, quinic acid, etc. (RVM)." 20 "This woody shrub is a multipurpose plant found only in the wild. It is employed as an addition to the yaje' drink, and in a wide spectrum of therapeutic uses ranging from the treatment of yellow fever to snake bite; like other species, it is valued highly as a febrifuge because of the sensation of chills that follow ingestion. The Siona-Secoyas of Ecuador employ it as an abortifacient."
"Brunfelsia grandiflora is wide-ranging and polymorphic, occuring in western South America from Venezuela south to Boliva... Since this subspecies is widely cultivated for medicinal and ornamental purposes, some activity of man has undoubtedly influenced its present distribution. The principal use of this subspecies is as an additive to the hallucinogenic caapi drink. For this purpose, pieces of the root are preferred, but the leaves may also be employed. It is currently under investigation for possible cardiovascular activity."
"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.
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