Tea from Pods with Seeds of <i>Libidibia ferrea</i> (Jucá) Does Not Attenuate Inflammatory Reaction of Acute Colitis in Rats.
Fagiani MAB, Andrade APM, Pereira ACP, Zulli AS, Estopa BME, Rosa BLG, Mello FA, Gonçalves GV, Ferreira IB, Pereira LG, Genaro SC, Santarém CL, Lenquiste SA.
Medicinal Plants
If you've ever reached for a traditional herbal remedy during a gut flare-up, this study is a reminder that 'natural' doesn't mean safe — a plant widely used in folk medicine actively worsened gut inflammation in this trial.
Researchers tested whether a tea brewed from the pods and seeds of a Brazilian tree called Jucá could help heal gut inflammation, similar to how a prescription drug does. Instead of helping, the rats that drank the tea actually got sicker — they ate and drank less, and their intestines showed more damage than the untreated sick group. The good news is that the tea didn't hurt the liver, but it clearly made the gut problem worse rather than better.
Key Findings
Rats given Jucá tea showed significantly higher disease activity scores on days 1 and 7 (P=.000 and P=.004) compared to untreated colitis controls.
Histopathological total damage scores were significantly worse in the Jucá group (P=.017), indicating more severe intestinal lesions.
Jucá tea did not cause liver toxicity (ALT levels, P=.04) but did lower albumin levels (P=.00), suggesting possible nutritional or protein-metabolism effects.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A tea made from Jucá tree pods and seeds failed to reduce inflammation in rats with colitis and actually worsened intestinal damage and disease symptoms, though it did not harm the liver.
Abstract Preview
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Jucá tea for curative treatment in rats with acute colitis. A total of 40 male <i>Wistar</i> rats (<i>n</i> = 10 per group) were fed a commercial ration ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Libidibia ferrea, formerly Caesalpinia ferrea, and commonly known as Brazilian ironwood, leopardtree or jucá, is a tree found in Brazil.