Pterodon emarginatus

Among rural dwellers of the Caatinga–Cerrado transition in Pernambuco and the semi-arid Caatinga of Ceará, decoctions of the dried branches or bark of Pterodon emarginatus have been used to “wash” rheumatic joints and to drink for coughs and bronchitis, according to Di Stasi et al., 2002. In the southern Caatinga of Minas Gerais, healers record infusions or strong teas of the seed coat as a throat gargle and a gentle internal drink for throat pain, as reported by Harter et al., 2012. In the Caatinga of Bahia, traditional practitioners use a maceration of the ground seeds to loosen phlegm, either by sipping the “macerate tea” with honey or by dripping the liquid into the nose for sinusitis, as described by Albuquerque et al., 2007. The same seed maceration is employed topically for arthritic limbs by rural healers in Goiás and Minas Gerais, and internally for asthma and bronchitis, as reviewed by Di Stasi et al., 2002. Leaf infusions or decoctions have also been used locally in the Brazilian Northeast for inflammatory pains, and are documented in ethnobotanical surveys of the Cerrado (see Albuquerque et al., 2007). Across these regions the plant part varies—seeds for respiratory complaints and rheumatism; branches/bark for coughs and joint bathing; leaves for anti-inflammatory teas—reflecting a diversity of preparation methods that fit each therapeutic need.

To prepare a mild seed infusion, grind 3–5 g of well-dried, mature seeds and place the coarse powder in a pot. Add 250 ml of freshly boiled water, cover, and steep for 5–10 minutes. Strain and drink up to one cup daily, optionally sweetened with a little honey. This gentle “seed tea” is used in the Caatinga for coughs and sore throats (Harter et al., 2012). A separate maceration can be made by grinding 10–20 g of seeds, adding 250 ml of water, and macerating 6–12 hours with occasional shaking; the liquid is drunk in small doses (one to two tablespoonfuls) as an expectorant or used topically on inflamed joints, a method noted by Albuquerque et al., 2007. These preparations are generally strong in flavor and should not be used during pregnancy or by children without professional guidance, as ethanol extracts of the seeds show central depressant effects in animal tests (Vieira et al., 2016).

Phytochemically, Pterodon emarginatus seeds contain a mixture of fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic), fixed oils, and mucilaginous polysaccharides that together give the infusions and macerations a demulcent, mucilaginous quality (Gbolade et al., 2014; Maciel et al., 2002). The seeds also yield furanodiene-type diterpenoids— vouacapane skeletons such as voucapane and 6α,7β-diacetoxy-vouacapan-17β-yl acetate—that are responsible for strong anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity in animal models (Pereira et al., 2004; Gbolade et al., 2014). These diterpenoids plausibly underlie the traditional internal and topical uses for coughs, bronchitis, and rheumatism, while the fatty/mucilaginous matrix may soothe irritated mucous membranes.

Today, research on Pterodon emarginatus remains active, with modern bioassays confirming anti-inflammatory and antitussive effects linked to its furanodiene diterpenoids (Pereira et al., 2004; Gbolade et al., 2014). Seeds and fixed oil are sold in regional markets in Minas Gerais and the Caatinga, and preparations such as the macerated seed “tea” or essential-oil distillates are still used by some local practitioners for respiratory and rheumatic complaints, while clinical data on human efficacy and safety remain limited.

Common products:
• Seed essential oil and resinous seed extracts (e.g., flower scent composition, 14,15-dihydroxyvouacapan-17-oic acid; SD–GC-MS profiling).

Industrial and craft applications:
• Seed essential oil is reported as a specialty fragrance material and as a source of diterpenes used in minor flavor-fragrance research and analysis.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
• No documented food or beverage use.

Colorants and tanning:
• No documented dye or tannin use.

Wood and fiber:
• No documented timber or fiber product use.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
• Seed essential oil and resinous extracts are used in fragrance research and as analytical standards in phytochemical studies; no established commercial perfumery entry reported.

Properties relevant to use:
• Key volatile constituents include (E)-β-farnesene, α-humulene, and other sesquiterpenes; non-volatile constituents include vouacapane-type diterpenes such as 14,15-dihydroxyvouacapan-17-oic acid.

Standards and regulation:
• No species-specific standards or regulatory frameworks identified.

Sustainability and sourcing:
• No formal conservation or sustainability assessments reported.

No subspecies added yet.

No variety added yet.

No subvariety added yet.

No forms added yet.

No germination or propagation data was added yet.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No known contributors. Be the first!

In private collections	0
In public collections	0

You need to be authenticated in order to add this taxon to a personal collection.