IngredientsThe name Catuaba (pronounced /kəˈtwɑːbə/, Brazilian Portuguese: [katuˈabɐ]; ultimately from Guarani) is used for the infusions of the bark of a number of trees native to Brazil. This immediately signals one of the most important facts about catuaba as a commercial ingredient: it is not a single botanical species but a collective name applied to bark preparations from multiple distinct tree taxa.
The Brazilian plants known and used as catuaba are represented by more than twenty different species; however, the plant most commonly found in Brazil as "catuaba" is the species Trichilia catigua A. Juss. The most widely used barks are derived from the trees Trichilia catigua and Erythroxylum vaccinifolium. Other catuaba preparations use the bark of trees from the following genera or families: Anemopaegma, Ilex, Micropholis, Phyllanthus, Secondatia, Tetragastris and species from the Myrtaceae.
"Big Catuaba" — Trichilia catigua A. Juss. (Family Meliaceae)
Trichilia catigua A. Juss., a member of the Meliaceae family, represents the primary species known as catuaba in Brazilian folk medicine. This small evergreen tree typically reaches heights of 3–10 meters, with a bole diameter of 15–20 cm and an elongated, dense crown. It is native to the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, occurring in states such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo, as well as in southern and southeastern regions; the species extends to Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. In Brazil, this species is referred to locally as catigua and angelim-rosa.
"Small Catuaba" — Erythroxylum vaccinifolium / Erythroxylum catuaba (Family Erythroxylaceae)
Erythroxylum catuaba is a vigorous-growing, small tree that produces yellow and orange flowers and small, dark yellow, oval-shaped, inedible fruit. It grows in the northern part of Brazil in Amazonas, Para, Pernambuco, Bahia, Maranhao, and Alagoas. It is often claimed that catuaba is derived from the tree Erythroxylum catuaba, but this tree has been described only once, in 1904, and it is not known today to what tree this name referred. E. catuaba is therefore not a recognised species. In current botanical and pharmacological literature, the species Erythroxylum vaccinifolium Martius is instead recognized as the source of the alkaloids historically attributed to "small catuaba."
Fourteen commercial samples of the popular Brazilian aphrodisiac catuaba specified as bark drugs of Anemopaegma, Erythroxylum and Trichilia species were examined for identity and purity. Only a minority of the examined catuaba samples contained the crude drugs claimed on the labels. More than half of the products were adulterated with different crude drugs. The majority of the samples contained a bark originating from Trichilia catigua. The TLC fingerprints confirmed the heterogeneity; in 50% of the samples tropane alkaloids of various concentrations were detected.
Local synonyms are Chuchuhuasha, Tatuaba, Pau de Reposta, Piratancara, and Caramuru. The term "Catuaba" originates from the Tupi language, spoken by the Tupi-Guarani people of Brazil, meaning "what gives strength to the Indian."
Parts used are the bark and root. Catuaba is commonly available in the form of extracts, capsules, teas, and tinctures. A commercial liquid preparation, Catuama, contains multiple ingredients, one of these being catuaba from Trichilia catigua (28.23%), in addition to Guarana (40.31%), Ptychopetalum olacoides (28.23%) and Zingiber officinale (3.26%).
Catuaba has a long history of use in herbal medicine as an aphrodisiac. The Tupi Indians in Brazil first discovered the aphrodisiac qualities of the plant and over the last few centuries they have composed many songs praising its wonders and abilities. Indigenous and local peoples have used catuaba for generations.
In the cultural fabric of indigenous groups, catuaba carried deep significance, often incorporated into rituals to bolster stamina, symbolizing the interconnectedness of human endurance and the forest's bounty. Oral narratives portrayed the plant as a source of invigorating power, passed down through generations to reinforce communal well-being and reproductive health.
Following Brazil's independence in 1822, catuaba began to appear in documented Brazilian botanical and medicinal literature during the mid-19th century, marking its shift from isolated indigenous applications to more widespread popular use.
In the Brazilian state of Minas there is a saying, "Until a father reaches 60, the son is his; after that, the son is catuaba's!" In Brazilian herbal medicine today, catuaba is considered a central nervous system stimulant with aphrodisiac properties.
The most common popular form of preparation is as garrafada (the maceration of the barks in alcoholic drinks, usually 38–48% alcohol). Generally in Brazil, a standard infusion (bark tea) and an alcohol tincture are also employed. The preparation of catuaba varies among different tribes, but common methods include decoctions, infusions, and tinctures. The bark is typically dried, ground, and boiled to extract its active compounds. The resulting liquid is consumed as a tea or applied topically.
Traditional and folk applications have been recorded across multiple domains:
The main phytochemical compounds identified in the barks of T. catigua are flavalignans, flavan-3-ols, and flavonoids, which are associated with its antioxidant activity.
More specifically, the bark contains high concentrations of polyphenols including flavan-3-ols (procyanidin B2, epicatechin, catechin), flavalignans (cinchonains Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb), and phenylpropanoid derivatives (chlorogenic acid).
The flavalignans (flavanols substituted with phenylpropanoids) cinchonains IIa, Ia, and Ib, and proanthocyanidins were isolated in extracts obtained from barks of T. catigua. A mixture of flavalignans, including cinchonains (also found in quinine bark), was isolated from the bark of Trichilia catigua and reported to have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancerous properties. Many of catuaba's medicinal uses are attributed to some of these cinchonains, especially cinchonain Ia and Ib. Research on these two natural plant chemicals shows they possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities.
A few chemical studies have indicated the presence of omega-phenyl alkanes, omega-phenyl alkanoic acids, omega-phenyl-gamma-lactones, alkyl-gamma-lactones, alkenyl-gamma-lactones, and fatty acids, besides β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and a mixture of flavalignans, in T. catigua extracts.
Other identified compounds include cedrelone, geraniol, catuabine A, B, and C, chlorogenic acid, cinchonain Ic and Id, and gallic acid derivatives.
Catuaba (Erythroxylum vaccinifolium) contains the alkaloids catuabine A, B, and C. These are tropane alkaloids — structurally related to, but pharmacologically distinct from, the alkaloids in Erythroxylum coca. The TLC fingerprints confirmed the heterogeneity; in 50% of commercial samples tropane alkaloids of various concentrations were detected. TLC and HPLC methods for separation and identification of the tropane alkaloids were developed. The structure elucidation of the two main alkaloids, catuabine D and its hydroxymethyl derivative, is presented.
Studies conducted on the chemical composition of the genus Trichilia have isolated and identified 334 different compounds such as monoterpenes, diterpenes, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, limonoids, steroids, coumarins, lignans, flavonoids, amino acid, phenolic acids, and lactones.
Significant evidence is provided for a dopamine-mediated antidepressant-like effect of the active principle(s) present in the hydroalcoholic extract of T. catigua in mice and rats when in vivo and in vitro strategies were employed. The antinociceptive and antidepressant effects are attributed mainly to dopaminergic action, and were also described for the commercial preparation Catuama containing T. catigua, Paullinia cupana, Ptychopetalum olacoides, and Zingiber officinale.
Catuaba's dopaminergic and serotonergic effects are important for its antinociceptive and antidepressant effects, and may also contribute to its neuroprotective and pro-cognitive effects.
The inhibition of AChE demonstrated for T. catigua extracts may be due to the presence of high contents of cinchonains IIa, Ia, and Ib, which are flavalignans — flavanols substituted with phenylpropanoids. Antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity were observed for all polarity extracts, with the most potent activity found in the hydroalcoholic extract (EC₅₀ = 43 μg/mL and IC₅₀ = 142 μg/mL for DPPH scavenger and acetylcholinesterase inhibition, respectively).
The main constituents of T. catigua exhibited potent antioxidant activity, which is important in the prevention of cellular damage triggered by oxidative stress in acute and chronic neuropathological conditions. Several studies confirm that ethanolic or hydroalcoholic extracts of catuaba have the most potent antioxidant effect. The 70% ethanolic extract of catuaba at concentrations from 10 to 100 μg/mL protected hippocampal neurons in vitro from oxidative stress and increased the survival after ischemia and reperfusion, or in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, sodium nitroprusside, and nitropropionic acid.
Research demonstrates that the medicinal herb Catuama produces significant vasorelaxation responses in vessels from different animal species, and shows that its effects are in great part dependent on the release of nitric oxide or NO-derived substances. However, evidence is not uniform across all tissue types: Antunes et al. (2001) showed that Catuama is capable of inducing relaxation of the rabbit corpus cavernosum in vitro, but in this case, its effects do not seem to rely on the production of nitric oxide.
The bark of Trichilia catigua, popularly known as "big catuaba," is traditionally used in Brazilian folk medicine for its neuroactive potential as a memory stimulant, and for antinociceptive and antidepressant effects. In vitro studies have assessed its capacity to inhibit monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A), which is one mechanism proposed for its mood-modulating properties.
Note: The overwhelming majority of the scientific evidence for catuaba is preclinical (in vitro cell studies and in vivo animal models). Human clinical evidence is extremely limited and, where it exists, involves the multi-ingredient product Catuama rather than isolated catuaba. All areas below reflect this reality.
Traditional claim: Catuaba (both big and small) has been the most popular herbal medicine in Brazilian folk medicine for its use as an aphrodisiac and tonic for well over a century.
Preclinical evidence: The effects of the Brazilian herbal medicine Catuama and each of its plant constituents — Paullinia cupana, Trichilia catigua, Zingiber officinalis, and Ptychopetalum olacoides — were investigated on rabbit corpus cavernosum (RbCC) using a bioassay cascade. Catuama caused short-lived and dose-dependent relaxations (11% ± 7%, 26% ± 5% and 82% ± 9%, at doses of 1, 3, and 10 mg, respectively). The extract of T. catigua evoked long-lasting relaxations of RbCC strips, which were occasionally preceded by a brief contractile effect. The extract of P. cupana was the most active in relaxing RbCC strips.
Evidence strength: Despite its longstanding traditional use, the scientific evidence supporting catuaba's efficacy for erectile dysfunction is minimal and low quality. Only a handful of preclinical studies — primarily in animal models — have examined its effects, some showing mild aphrodisiac or pro-erectile activity (often using extracts in non-human doses). Human clinical trials are lacking, and there are no robust studies confirming its effectiveness or safety for ED in people. The aphrodisiac claim, while deeply culturally embedded, remains unconfirmed by controlled human trials.
Preclinical evidence: Acute oral treatment with the extract of T. catigua produced antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming model in both mice and rats. The antidepressant-like effects of T. catigua extract were assessed in two species of rodents (mice and rats) by means of in vivo (forced swimming test) and in vitro (monoamine reuptake and release in synaptosomal preparations) approaches.
Additionally, Catuama augmented the release of serotonin and dopamine in rat brain synaptosomal membranes. The authors concluded that Catuama might be useful for the clinical management of moderate and mild depressive states, alone or in association with current antidepressant drugs.
Evidence strength: All antidepressant findings are preclinical (rodent models). The conclusion about clinical management of depression was drawn by researchers from animal study data; no controlled human clinical trial specific to catuaba's antidepressant effect has been published in the peer-reviewed literature.
Preclinical evidence: Trichilia catigua has been found to provide significant neuroprotective effects, measured by the lowered oxidative damage found in the hippocampus of mice treated with the botanical, and subjected to cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. The researchers from this study suggested T. catigua worked better for this purpose as a preventative than a treatment.
Trichilia catigua (catuaba) bark extract exerts neuroprotection against oxidative stress induced by different neurotoxic agents in rat hippocampal slices. This traditional Brazilian herbal medicine exhibits beneficial behavioral effects in experimental models of neuropathologies and protects rat hippocampal slices from oxidative stress induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury. Investigators examined the protective effects of T. catigua against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-, sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-, and 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA)-induced neurotoxicity in rat hippocampal slices.
In vitro multimodal testing validated the traditional use of T. catigua bark for its neuroactive and neuroprotective potential. A novel approach upon its application towards the management of neurodegenerative and related symptomatology was likewise demonstrated.
Memory/cognitive evidence (mixed): The treatment of laboratory animals with hydroalcoholic extract did not protect rats from cold immobilization stress and did not prevent the scopolamine-induced amnesia in mice — contradicting some earlier rodent findings and illustrating the inconsistency of results across different experimental models.
Evidence strength: Purely preclinical; no human clinical data on cognition or neuroprotection exist for catuaba.
Pre-clinical studies with T. catigua extracts have identified pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antinociceptive, pro-memory, and neuroprotective effects against ischemia and oxidative stress.
Some of the biological activities of T. catigua have been shown to derive from its ability to exert protective and/or inhibitory effects against reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can impair energy metabolism through oxidative stress mechanisms.
Evidence strength: Animal and in vitro data only. No human clinical trials on pain or inflammation have been conducted with catuaba specifically.
Pretreatment of mice with hot water and alkaline extracts of Catuaba casca effectively protected them from lethal infection with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The extracts significantly inhibited both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced cytopathic effect and the expression of HIV antigen in HIV-infected cell cultures. Their anti-HIV activity was shown to be induced, at least in part, via the inhibition of HIV adsorption to the cells. The data suggest a medicinal potential of catuaba extracts against opportunistic infection in HIV patients.
Regarding herpes and poliovirus, a study evaluated the antiviral activity of the crude extract and aqueous and ethyl acetate fractions obtained from T. catigua in the replication of Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), bovine herpesvirus (BoHV-1), and poliovirus (PV-1). The cytotoxicity was analyzed by MTT assay and the antiviral effect was determined by the addition of extracts (0.25 to 100.0 μg/mL), before, during, and after viral infection, by plaque reduction assay in HEp-2 cell culture. The crude extract, aqueous fraction, and ethyl acetate fraction showed low toxicity (CC₅₀ >400 μg/mL) and low inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀), ranging from 2.44–34.25 μg/mL for herpesvirus and 0.67–1.8 μg/mL for PV-1, associated with high selectivity index. The tested compounds showed high virucidal effect and high ability to inhibit viral adsorption. The combination index demonstrated a synergic effect for the fractions compared to acyclovir.
Evidence strength: In vivo mouse models and in vitro cell-culture data. No human clinical studies on antimicrobial or antiviral applications have been published.
Catuama has also been found able to both revert and prevent ventricular fibrillation in the isolated rabbit heart, and the T. catigua extract is probably the main agent responsible for these actions.
Evidence strength: Isolated organ (ex vivo rabbit heart) experiments. No human data on cardiac effects.
Trichilia catigua is used in folk medicine for the treatment of fatigue, stress, impotence, and memory deficit. The main phytochemical compounds identified in the barks are flavalignans, flavan-3-ols, and flavonoids, which are associated with its antioxidant activity. Pre-clinical studies with T. catigua extracts have identified many pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antinociceptive, pro-memory, and neuroprotective effects against ischemia and oxidative stress.
These popular uses are typical of an adaptogen, which is supposed to decrease the consequences of stress and improve physical and cognitive performances both in healthy and ill patients. However, the empirical antifatigue and adaptogenic characterization of catuaba is based on traditional use and preclinical models rather than on controlled human trials.
In vivo studies (stress, fatigue, and memory) were carried out with adult male mice and rats treated with hydroalcoholic extract in doses of 25–300 mg/kg (p.o.).
In Brazil, a herbal medicinal extract named Catuama containing a mixture of Paullinia cupana (guarana), Trichilia catigua (catuaba), Ptychopetalum olacoides (muirapuama), and Zingiber officinale (ginger) is used as a body stimulant, energetic tonic, and aphrodisiac. The published clinical toxicology study investigated the chronic administration of 25 mL Catuama twice a day during 28 days for any toxic effect on healthy human volunteers of both sexes.
The appropriate dose of catuaba depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for catuaba. No established therapeutic dosage has been defined for any specific catuaba species in any recognized pharmacopoeia or regulatory monograph for standalone use.
Based on the collective traditional use and preclinical research, catuaba is associated with the following body systems:
In Brazil, Catuama — containing T. catigua, guarana, muirapuama, and ginger — is used as a body stimulant, energetic tonic, and aphrodisiac. The published clinical toxicology study investigated the chronic administration of 25 mL Catuama twice a day during 28 days for any toxic effect on healthy human volunteers of both sexes. No severe adverse reactions or haematological and biochemical changes were reported.
No serious adverse reactions were reported; however, some minor side effects related to treatment were reported: 3 women reported a change in feces color, 1 woman reported a stomachache, 1 woman reported insomnia for 1 day, and 1 woman reported an increase in evacuation frequency.
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that catuaba extract impaired implantation in female rats, raising concerns about its safety during pregnancy. Although human studies are lacking, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals are advised to avoid catuaba as a precaution.
Because catuaba acts on neurotransmitters and inhibits MAO-A, it may interact with antidepressants, MAOIs, or SSRIs. Individuals using prescription medication that affects serotonin or dopamine are advised to consult a healthcare provider before using catuaba.
To date, no formal toxicity studies have been done specifically on catuaba, but its long history of use in Brazil has reported no toxicity or ill effects. The lack of formal toxicological profiling is a meaningful gap in the evidence base.
Only a minority of examined commercial catuaba samples contained the crude drugs claimed on the labels. More than half of the products were adulterated with different crude drugs. This represents a significant safety concern, as consumers may receive botanicals other than those intended. It is often claimed that catuaba is derived from the tree Erythroxylum catuaba, but this tree has been described only once, in 1904, and it is not known today to what tree this name referred; E. catuaba is therefore not a recognized species. The taxonomic ambiguity compounds quality-control challenges throughout the supply chain.
When taken by mouth: there isn't enough reliable information to know if catuaba is safe or what the side effects might be. The only formal human clinical data derive from the 28-day Catuama multi-ingredient trial and do not allow conclusions to be drawn specifically about isolated catuaba.
Health conditions that Catuaba may help support.
Body systems that Catuaba may help support.
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