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]
| Hebanthe erianthos | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Hebanthe |
| Species: | H. erianthos
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| Binomial name | |
| Hebanthe erianthos (Poir.) Pedersen
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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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
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Hebanthe erianthos (Poir.) Pedersen". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
- ^ "Hebanthe erianthe (Poir.) Pedersen". The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Leslie Taylor (2005). "The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs". Tropical Plants Database.
- ^ "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