Hebanthe erianthos

Hebanthe erianthos (many synonyms, including Iresine erianthos and Pfaffia paniculata),[1] known as suma or Brazilian ginseng, is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. The specific epithet is also spelt "eriantha", although the basionym is Iresine erianthos.[2]

Suma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Hebanthe
Species:
H. erianthos
Binomial name
Hebanthe erianthos
(Poir.) Pedersen
Synonyms[1]
  • Celosia eriantha Vahl ex Moq.
  • Gomphrena erianthos (Poir.) Moq.
  • Gomphrena paniculata (Mart.) Moq.
  • Gomphrena paniculata f. ovatifolia Heimerl
  • Hebanthe paniculata Mart.
  • Hebanthe paniculata f. ovatifolia (Heimerl) Borsch & Pedersen
  • Hebanthe virgata Mart.
  • Iresine erianthos Poir.
  • Iresine paniculata (Mart.) Spreng.
  • Iresine tenuis Suess.
  • Iresine virgata Spreng.
  • Pfaffia erianthos (Poir.) Kuntze
  • Pfaffia laurifolia Chodat
  • Pfaffia paniculata (Mart.) Kuntze
  • Pfaffia paniculata f. lanceolata R.E.Fr.
  • Pfaffia paraguayensis Chodat
  • Xeraea paniculata (Mart.) Kuntze

The root of this rambling ground vine found in South America is used traditionally as a medicine and tonic. Nicknamed "para tudo" in Brasil, which means "for everything", suma is a traditional herbal medicine.[3] The indigenous peoples of the Amazon region have used suma root for generations for a wide variety of health purposes, including as a general tonic; as an energy, rejuvenating, and sexual tonic; a calming agent; to treat ulcers; and as a cure-all for at least 300 years.[4]

The root contains phytochemicals including saponins (pfaffosides),[5] pfaffic acid, beta-ecdysterone, glycosides, and nortriterpenes.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Hebanthe erianthos (Poir.) Pedersen". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  2. "Hebanthe erianthe (Poir.) Pedersen". The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  3. Vieira, Roberto F. (1999) Conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants in Brazil. p. 152–159. In: J. Janick (ed.), Perspectives on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA.
  4. Leslie Taylor (2005). "The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs". Tropical Plants Database.
  5. "Triterpenoids from Brazilian Ginseng, Pfaffia paniculata" Jing Li, Atul N. Jadhav, Ikhlas A. Khan Tropical Plant Database Archived May 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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