Contact Info

Join us

ERYTHRINA MULUNGU

Erythrina Mulungu 2
Erythrina Mulungu Product illustration
Erythrina Mulungu 3

Botanical name:

Erythrina mulungu (and closely related coral trees sold as mulungu)

Alternative names:

Mulungu, corticeira, flor-de-coral, pau-imortal

Main indications:

  • evening calm / sleep, in folk use
  • tension ease, in folk use
  • pain ease, in folk use

THIS PLANT IS PART OF THE HOJAS DEL ESPÍRITU ANACONDA HERBAL FORMULA.

Short characteristics:

Mulungu is Erythrina, a coral-flowered tree whose bark and flowers are a sedative folk material in Brazil and neighboring tropical America. People brew it for evening calm, tension, and pain. It can cause heavy drowsiness. That sleepy bark tea is the story.

The alkaloids that belong here are erythrinian: erythravine, 11α-hydroxyerythravine and kin (Flausino 2007, mice). Mitraphylline is a cat’s-claw compound — drop it. Onusic 2002 is a rat anxiolytic-like paper, not depression. Animal work is not an anticonvulsant or antidepressant drug.

Used in Hojas del Espíritu Anaconda. Related: passiflora. This site sells nothing.

The usual way of use:

About a teaspoon of bark per cup. Cold start, bring to a boil, simmer 15 minutes — or pour boiling water over the bark and simmer. Evening is the usual time.

Extracts follow the label. This site sells nothing.

WARNING: Heavy drowsiness. Not an anticonvulsant or antidepressant. Do not use before driving, in pregnancy, or stacked with other sedatives unless a clinician says so. Low blood pressure: ask first.

Composition

Erythrinian alkaloids (erythravine, 11α-hydroxyerythravine). Not mitraphylline. “Hepatoprotective so safer” was brochure talk — dropped.

Traditional use

Folk evening bark and flower. Formula: Hojas del Espíritu Anaconda. Related: passiflora.

Precautions

Drowsiness, driving, pregnancy, other sedatives. Not a seizure or depression drug. Rat and mouse papers stay labeled as such.

Opened studies

  • Onusic et al. (2002). Erythrina mulungu extract in the elevated T-maze (rat). Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. Rat anxiolytic-like; not depression. doi:10.1590/s0100-879×2002000400013.

  • Flausino et al. (2007). Anxiolytic effects of erythrinian alkaloids from Erythrina mulungu in mice. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin. Isolated alkaloids in mice. PMID 17268084 · doi:10.1248/bpb.30.375.