Benefits of Catauba Bark | Interstellar Blends

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Catuaba Bark

The Catuaba tree or Anemopaegma mirandum is a small flowering tree native to the Amazon. The scientific name for this tree is Erthroxylum Vacciniifolium and belongs to a larger family of trees. In Brazil, hundreds of years ago the native tribe of Tupi came across the tree and had discovered that the bark from this tree had a p h r o d ì s ì a c qualities. The bark of the tree is often times referred to as trichilia catuaga.

This amazing tree produces yellow flowers and a fruit that is not safe to ingest. The bark however is what is harvested because of its medicinal properties.

When consuming catuaba tea it would give the user e r ø t ì c type dreams and stimulate the I i b i d o; it then became part of the Tupi culture to utilize. Presently this tree is one of the most popular Amazonian a p h r o d ì s ì a c plants in the world and the ingredient itself is in many male e n h â n c e m e n t pills.

But why exactly does the Catuaba Tree stimulate the I i b i do? Catuaba bark is known to be a stimulant and is closely related to the c ø c a plant in Brazilian herbal medicine. However this tree does not actually contain the alkaloids that are found in the cøca plant. Catuaba does contain 3 different type of alkaloids that are believed to stimulate the Iibido into its natural rhythmic function. It was found that some of the trees even contain a compound called y o h ì m b ì n e which is another type of natural a p h r o d ì s ì a c.

Studies have been conducted on animal models and it was shown that the bark from the tree can enhance e r e c t i Ie strength by opening the blood vessels, which allows for more blood flow. The catauaba tree may show signs of neurological benefits because of the antioxidants within the tree. It has also been shown to increase the brain's sensitivity to dopamine which in turn makes c o ì t u s even more pleasurable.

If you are looking for a more natural approach to enhancing your IIbido this plant medicine along with ginkgo bilobo, DHEÅ, and Maca have been shown to improve s e x u a I function. In other studies it showed Panax ginseng may also assist with treating e r e c t i I e dysfunction. While there are many other modalities to assist with the enhancement of I i b i d o such as breath work, and yoga, if you are going the herbal path the Catuaba extract within the Interstellar Blends Thunder and Niagra may be right up your alley.

Benefits of Catuaba Bark

Anti Depressant - A study published in 2005 demonstrated anti depressant effects of catuaba extract on mice. It was used on the forced swimming model to determine if it is effective and concluded that there are certain active compounds in catuaba that had antidepressant effects. The researchers even went on to say that the purified constituents within the bark were showing great potential for future interest in depressive disorders. (Article)(Article)

L i b i d ø Enhancement- While the western side of the world may still look onto this tree with huge skepticism, it has been shown in Brazil that this medicinal tree has been utilized for many years and has had proven success within their communities. However, studies suggested that the quality and content of the supplement varies and is dependent on dosage. (Article)(Article)

Anti-Microbial - A study published in 1992 was conducted on mice and showed the alkaloids from the catuaba bark had a strong protective effect. These same mice were given leather doses of E.Coli and Staph- a very opportunistic infection that can affect HIV patients. The extract from the catuaba inhibited HIV from spreading into cells and warded off infections. The researchers then concluded that catuaba may have a potential in fighting opportunistic infections within HIV patients. (Article)

Neuroprotective— In one study Catuaba bark extract was demonstrated to provide neuroprotection against oxidative stress induced by different neurotoxic agents in rat hippocampal slices. Antioxidant compounds were involved in T. catigua neuroprotective effects and may be useful in preventingcellular damage triggered by oxidative stress observed in acute and chronic neuropathological situations. (Article)(Article)

Antiviral Activity for Herpesvirus—A study evaluated the antiviral activity of Catuaba extract in the replication of the Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), bovine herpesvirus (BoHV-1) and poliovirus (PV-1) and showed high virucidal effect and high ability to inhibit viral adsorption, for all virus. (Article)

Anti-Inflammatory -In a study named "Inhibition of platelet phospholipase A2 activity by Catuaba extract suggests anti-inflammatory properties", showed that the inflammation process was completely inhibited when an extract of Catuaba was administered at around 120microg/ML. These results suggests the catuaba extract showed promise as a natural anti-inflammatory measure. (Article)

Parkinson's Disease - A study published in the Journal of Brain Research in 2008 found when utilizing Catuaba extracts the plant has a cytoprotective effect on Rotenone-induced apoptosis in human neuroblastomas SH-SY5Y cells. This result suggests that the commercial extracts from the catuaba tree showed a promising response against Parkinson's Disease. (Article)

Skin Protection - A study titled "Potent protecting effects of Catuaba (Anemopaegma mirandum) extract1s against hydroperoxide-induced cytotoxicity" showed when utilizing Catuaba extract it contained an active ingredient named Cinchonains lla and llb which protected the cells from various toxic effects of squalene monohydroperoxide within rats. (Article)

Memory and cognitive enhancement— Results of a study on mice showed that catuaba extract demonstrated memory and cognitive improvement as measured by an increased latency in the step-down inhibitory avoidance test. (Article) (Article) (Article) (Article)

Anti-diabetic—A study showed that Catuaba extract improved glucose homeostasis and endocrine pancreas morphology and inhibited the development of diabetic nephropathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats. (Article)