Mulungu is a medium sized, well branched tree growing up to eight to ten meters in height and indigenous to northern Brazil, parts of Peru and topical areas in Central America. It produces a profusion of pretty reddish-orange flowers at the end of the tree's many branches and is sometimes called a coral tree because the flowers are the same color as coral. It produces black seed pods with large red and black seeds inside which are sometimes used by indigenous peoples to make necklaces and jewelry. Mulungu is known by several botanical names including Erythrina mulungu, Erythrina crista-galli, and Erythrina verna.

There are over 100 species of Erythrina in the tropics, several of which are used by indigenous peoples as medicines, insecticides and fish poisons.⁽¹⁾ Mulungu has long been used in Brazil by indigenous people as a natural sedative. In herbal medicine it is considered an excellent sedative to calm agitation, nervous coughs and other nervous system problems including insomnia.^{(2, 3)} It is also widely used for asthma, bronchitis, gingivitis, hepatitis, inflammation in the liver and spleen, to clear obstructions in the liver, intermittent fevers and to treat insomnia.^{(2, 3)} Herbalists and practitioners in the U.S. use Mulungu to quiet hysteria from trauma or shock, as a mild hypnotic sedative to calm the nervous system, to treat insomnia and promote healthy sleeping patterns by sedating overactive neurotransmitters, to regulate heart palpations, hepatitis, and liver disorders.^{(4 - 7)} Positive regulatory effects on heart palpitations and decreased blood pressure have been reported, and Dr. Schowontkowski recommends Mulungu for hernias, stomachaches, epilepsy and to help augment milk flow as well.⁽⁶⁾

Mulungu's hypotensive and heart regulatory activity was studied and attributed to a group of alkaloids.⁽⁸⁾ Much research has been performed on Erythrina alkaloids in the last decade as they represent a group of very active chemicals with various properties and are almost always present to some degree in all Erythrina species of plants.⁽⁹⁾ Many of these alkaloids have demonstrated piscicide, anti-inflammatory, cardioactive, narcotic and hypnotic activities.^{(1, 9, 10)} One novel alkaloid was discovered mulungu, cristamidine. It's positive effect on the liver was recently demonstrated in a recent clinical study.⁽¹¹⁾ Isoflavones have also been identified in Mulungu.⁽¹²⁾

2 "Mulungu has been used to quiet hysteria from trauma or shock. It helps to balance neurotransmitters and promote peaceful sleep. It can help regulate heart palpitations and helps to regulate excess heart yang. It also can be used for hepatitis and liver dysfunctions."

3 "Actions: Encourages healthy sleep patterns, Quiets hysteria. TRADITIONAL USE: Mulungu has been used to quiet hysteria from traumas or shock. Promotes healthy sleeping patterns by sedating overactive neurotransmissions. Regulates heart palpitations. Has been used for insomnia, hepatitis and liver dysfunctions and to aid the blood MERIDIAN INDICATIONS: Clears inner congestion, Sedates excessive Heart Yang. EVA POINTS: Circulation, Heart, Liver"

11 " Mulungu is used in Brazil and Peru as a mild hypnotic sedative to calm the nervous system, eliminate hysteria, decrease insomnia and promote healthy sleeping patterns by sedating overactive neurotransmitters. Mulungu has also been used to treat epilepsy."

21 "Erythrina Linnaeus
There are more than 100 species of Erythrina-trees, shrubs, and rarely herbs with woody rootstocks. They occur in the tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres, rarely in temperate areas. Most species are heavily armed with spines. The branches take root easily, and many species are employed as living fences or hedges. Several are fish poisons. The flowers of some are edible.
A few have alkaloids used as medicine or as insecticides; alkaloids are prominent in the species which have been chemically examined. A review of their chemistry has appeared (Chawla, 1983). The alkaloids of E. indica (Nguyen, 1983) and E. americans (Aguilar, 1981) have been described as hypnotic. Cyanogenic glucosides were found in E. americans (Lucas, 1984) and E. sigmoidea (Formum, 1983) and isoflavonoids in E. cristigalli (Inamura, 1981).
REFERENCES:
Aguilar, A. I., F. Giral and 0. Espep, Phytochemistry 20 (1981) 2061.
Chawla, H. M. and S. S. Chibbes, J. Sci. Ind. Res. 40 (1981) 313.
Fomum, Z. T., J. F. Ayafor and J. T. Mbafor, Tertrahedron Lett. 24 (1983) 4127.
Inamura, H., M. Ho and H. Ohashi, Gifu Daigaku Nogakubu Kenyu Hokoku, (1981) 77 (C. A. 96:196524y).
Lucas, B. and A. Sotelo, Nutr. Rep. Int. 29 (1984) 711.
Nguyen, X. T., T. H. Nguyen and H. P. Dang, Rev. Pharm. (1983) 82
(C.A.101:136303s)."