Cha' de Bugre -- Home

ABOUT CHA' DE BUGRE EXTRACT

Chá de bugre is a small tree growing 8-12 meters in height with a trunk 30-40 cm in diameter. It is indigenous to Brazil and can be found growing predominately in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, Acre and Goias. It is also found in tropical forest areas of Argentina and Paraguay. In Brazil, the tree is botanically classified as Cordia salicifolia and in Paraguay the same tree is classified as Cordia ecalyculata. In Brazil, it is commonly called café do mato (coffee of the woods) because it produces a red fruit resembling a coffee bean which is roasted and brewed into tea as a coffee substitute.

Cha' de bugre is a very popular plant in Brazil, and sold in great quantities in the cities of Bahia, Goias, and Minas Gerais. It is especially well known in the more remote areas in the interior of Brazil, where the local population consume the plant in abundance because of family lore regarding Cha' de bugre's beneficial effects on diet and health. It is not commercially grown for use, and therefore is hightly sought after and sold for high prices in the cities along the coast to the elite of society.

Cha' de bugre contains bitter caffeine and various plant sterols. It's extract is brewed in large drums at times of festival in Brazil and the people drink it believing that it sustains their energy throughout the lengthy celebrations.

Because Chá de bugre is a commonly sold and popular natural product in Brazil, very little clinical research or research interest has been shown among the country's scientific community.

Published Scientific Studies of Cha' de Bugre

All available third-party research on chá de bugre can be found at PubMed. A partial listing of the published research on chá de bugre is shown below:

Wound Healing Actions:
Saito, M. L., et al. “Morfodiagnose e identificacao cromatografica em camada delgada de chá de bugre - Cordia ecalyculata Vell." Rev. Bras. Farm. 1986; 67: 1-16.

Antimicrobial & Cytotoxic Actions:
Hayashi, K., et al. “Antiviral activity of an extract of Cordia salicifolia on herpes simplex virus type 1.” Planta Med. 1990; 56(5): 439-43.
Arisawa, M., et al. “Cell growth inhibition of KB cells by plant extracts.” Natural Medicines 1994; 48(4): 338-347.

Cardiotonic Actions:
Matsunaga, K., et al. “Excitatory and inhibitory effects of Paraguayan medicinal plants Equisetum giganteum, Acanthpspermum australe, Allophylus edlis and Cordia salicifolia on contraction of rabbit aorta and giunea-pig left atrium.” Natural Medicines 1997; 51: 478-481.

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