Brazilian beautyleaf / Guanandi
Calophyllum brasiliense
Photo credit: maurohalpern
Safety information
Safety information
Toxicity: Stem-bark extracts showed low toxicity at effective doses in rodent assays; however several isolated mammea-type coumarins are cytotoxic in vitro, so concentrated fractions warrant caution.
Contraindications: Pregnancy and lactation (no data); concentrated extracts (cytotoxic constituents); insufficient human data overall.
Interactions: Not well characterized; theoretical caution with antiretrovirals (calanolide is an RT inhibitor) and with other cytotoxic/hepatically-metabolized agents.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Pregnancy and lactation: no data.
Evidence level
Supported by laboratory or animal studies; not yet confirmed in humans.
Preparations
resin applied topically · latex/resin
Part used: latex/resin
bark infusion/decoction · stem bark
Part used: stem bark
Traditional use: rheumatism, varicose/vein problems, hemorrhoids, gastric ulcers, bronchitis, gastric/hepatic disturbances and pain
Proposed mechanism: mammea-type coumarins and calanolide-type dipyranocoumarins — antibacterial, anti-M. tuberculosis, antileishmanial/trypanocidal, HIV-1 RT-inhibitory (calanolide); some coumarins cytotoxic
Dosage note (descriptive only): avoid self-prepared concentrated bark extracts
Associated conditions
Nutritional notes
Not relevant (medicinal/timber tree).
Healing traditions
Sources (2)
- Trends in chemical and pharmacological research on Calophyllum brasiliense and C. inophyllum, PMC7089286, 2020
- Anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity and cytotoxicity of Calophyllum brasiliense, PMC4131784, 2014