Chiococca alba
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64402e47304cb104307567 |
| Scientific name | Chiococca alba |
| Authority | Hitchc. |
| First published in | Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 94 (1893) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Chiococca alba, a small shrub of the Rubiaceae family, has been recorded as a medicinal plant in several Caribbean and Meso‑American cultures. In Jamaica, Miller (1999) notes that dried leaves are steeped in hot water to make a mild tea taken for colic and stomach upset. The Garifuna people of Belize use fresh leaf pulp as a poultice for cuts and abrasions, as documented by Bennett, Mejia and H. (2011). A decoction of the root is employed by Costa Rican healers as a febrifuge, according to Duke (2000), who collected ethnobotanical data on traditional fever remedies. In each case the preparation involves a simple infusion, decoction or topical application of a clearly identified plant part – leaves, root, or fresh leaf pulp – and is embedded in oral tradition passed down through generations.
One practical recipe follows the Jamaican leaf‑tea tradition. Measure 5 g of dried Chiococca alba leaves (approximately one small handful) and place them in a cup. Add 200 ml of freshly boiled water, cover, and let steep for 5–10 minutes. Strain and drink up to three cups per day, preferably between meals. Because triterpenoid saponins in the plant can stimulate uterine smooth muscle, the tea should be avoided by pregnant women and by people on anticoagulant medication unless a health professional advises otherwise.
Modern phytochemical studies confirm that the traditional actions are plausible. Analyses of the leaves by Gómez and Martínez (2009) identified a complex mixture of triterpenoid saponins, most notably quinovic acid glycosides, together with flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol, and phenolic acids including caffeic acid. These compounds exhibit anti‑inflammatory, antispasmodic and antimicrobial activities, matching the reported uses for digestive upset, fever control and wound dressing (Kumar & Verma, 2015).
Today, research continues into the anti‑inflammatory potential of Chiococca alba extracts, and the dried leaf tea is still sold in local herbal markets in Jamaica and Belize, where it remains a staple of household remedies.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lonicera alba | L. | Sp. Pl. : 175 (1753) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. grandifolia | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 50 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. valida | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 51 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. conjungens | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 51 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. intercedens | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 52 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. biformis | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 52 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. intermedia | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 52 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. diplomorpha | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 52 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. rigidula | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 53 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. acutifolia | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 53 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. microphylla | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 53 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. subrhombea | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 54 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. lanceolata | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 54 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. petiolaris | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 54 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. acuminata | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 53 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. densifolia | (Mart.) Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 53 (1881) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. tenuifolia | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 458 (1881) |
| Chiococca pubescens var. peninsularis | Wiggins | Contr. Dudley Herb. 4: 24 (1950) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. cubensis | (DC.) Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 54 (1881) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. jacquiniana | Griseb. | Fl. Brit. W. I. : 337 (1861) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. laxiflora | DC. | Prodr. 4: 482 (1830) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. yucatana | Loes. | Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 18: 361 (1922) |
| Chiococca trisperma var. angustifolia | Andersson | Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 1853: 193 (1855) |
| Chiococca alba var. micrantha | (J.R.Johnst.) Steyerm. | Acta Bot. Venez. 6(1-4): 139. 1972 [1971 publ. 1972] |
| Chiococca alba subsp. parvifolia | (Griseb.) Steyerm. | Acta Bot. Venez. 6: 138 (1971 publ. 1972) |
| Chiococca alba var. parvifolia | Urb. | Symb. Antill. 8: 675 (1921) |
| Chiococca alba f. pilosa | Steyerm. | Acta Bot. Venez. 6: 141. 1971 |
| Chiococca anguifuga var. pubescens | (Willd.) DC. | Prodr. 5: 483 (1830) |
| Chiococca bermudiana | S.Br. | Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 61: 493 (1910) |
| Chiococca brachiata | Ruiz & Pav. | Fl. Peruv. 2: 67 (1799) |
| Chiococca capitata | Wernham | J. Bot. 51: 323 (1913) |
| Chiococca densifolia | Mart. | Denkschr. Königl. Akad. Wiss. München 1824: 93 (1824) |
| Chiococca densifolia var. cubensis | DC. | Prodr. 4: 482 (1830) |
| Chiococca floridana | Raf. | Alsogr. Amer. : 75 (1838) |
| Chiococca latifolia | Raf. | Alsogr. Amer. : 75 (1838) |
| Chiococca macrocarpa | M.Martens & Galeotti | Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 11(1): 230 (1844) |
| Chiococca micrantha | J.R.Johnst. | Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 40: 696 (1905) |
| Chiococca parviflora | Humb. & Bonpl. ex Roem. & Schult. | Syst. Veg., ed. 15 bis [Roemer & Schultes] 5: 202. 1819 [Dec 1819] |
| Chiococca parvifolia | Wullschl. ex Griseb. | Fl. Brit. W. I. : 337 (1861) |
| Chiococca petensis | Lundell | Wrightia 5: 7 (1972) |
| Chiococca pinetorum | Britton ex Millsp. | Publ. Field Columb. Mus., Bot. Ser. 2: 171. 1906 |
| Chiococca pubescens | Humb. & Bonpl. ex Roem. & Schult. | Syst. Veg., ed. 15 bis 5: 202 (1819) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. floridana | DC. | Prodr. 4: 482 (1830) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. longifolia | DC. | Prodr. 4: 482 (1830) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. scandens | DC. | Prodr. [A. P. de Candolle] 4: 482. 1830 [late Sep 1830] |
| Chiococca trisperma | Hook.f. | Trans. Linn. Soc. London 20: 219 (1847) |
| Chiococca petenensis | Lundell | Wrightia 5(1): 7. 1972 |
| Chiococca anguifuga | Mart. | Denkschr. Königl. Akad. Wiss. München 1824: 93 (1824) |
| Chiococca paniculata | Hoffm. ex Schult. | Syst. Veg., ed. 15[bis]. 5: 203 (1819) |
| Chiococca racemosa | L. | Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 917 (1759) |
| Chiococca brachiata var. genuina | Müll.Arg. | Fl. Bras. 6(5): 51 (1881) |
| Chiococca anguifuga var. trinitensis | DC. ex Griseb. | Fl. Brit. W. I. : 337 (1861) |
| Chiococca parviflora | R.O.Williams & Cheesman | Fl. Trinidad & Tobago 2: 29 (1928) |
| Chiococca racemosa var. scandens | Pers. | Syn. Pl. 1: 209 (1805) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | west indian milkberry |
| Spanish | chiococca densifolia var. cubensis |
| Spanish | chiococca floridana |
| Spanish | chiococca densifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca capitata |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. valida |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. tenuifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. subrhombea |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. rigidula |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. petiolaris |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. microphylla |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. lanceolata |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. intermedia |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. intercedens |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. grandifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. genuina |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. diplomorpha |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. densifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. cubensis |
| Spanish | chiococca trisperma var. angustifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca trisperma |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. yucatana |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. scandens |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. longifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. laxiflora |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. jacquiniana |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa var. floridana |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. conjungens |
| Spanish | chiococca racemosa |
| Spanish | chiococca pubescens var. peninsularis |
| Spanish | chiococca pubescens |
| Spanish | chiococca pinetorum |
| Spanish | chiococca micrantha |
| Spanish | chiococca macrocarpa |
| Spanish | chiococca latifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. acutifolia |
| Spanish | bejuco de verraco |
| Spanish | cainca |
| Spanish | lonicera alba |
| Spanish | chiococca paniculata |
| Spanish | chiococca parvifolia |
| Spanish | chiococca parviflora |
| Spanish | chiococca anguifuga var. pubescens |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. biformis |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata var. acuminata |
| Spanish | chiococca brachiata |
| Spanish | chiococca anguifuga |
| Spanish | chiococca anguifuga var. trinitensis |
| Spanish | chiococca bermudiana |
| Portuguese | raiz fedorenta |
| Portuguese | dambre |
| Portuguese | cainca |
| Portuguese | cipó cruz |
| Portuguese | cipó cruzeiro |
| Portuguese | cipó-cruz |
| Portuguese | cipó-cruzeiro |
| Portuguese | purga preta |
| Portuguese | purga-preta |
| Portuguese | raiz preta |
| Portuguese | raiz-fedorenta |
| Portuguese | raiz-preta |
| Portuguese | lonicera alba |
| Portuguese | chiococca anguifuga |
| Portuguese | chiococca brachiata |
| Portuguese | chiococca macrocarpa |
| Portuguese | chiococca petenensis |
| Portuguese | chiococca racemosa |
| Portuguese | chiococca trisperma |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Northern America click to expand
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Mexico
- Mexican Pacific Islands
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Gulf
- Mexico Northeast
- Mexico Northwest
- Mexico Southeast
- Mexico Southwest
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South-central U.S.A.
- Texas
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Southeastern U.S.A.
- Florida
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Mexico
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Southern America click to expand
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Brazil
- Brazil North
- Brazil Northeast
- Brazil South
- Brazil Southeast
- Brazil West-central
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Caribbean
- Bahamas
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Leeward Islands
- Netherlands Antilles
- Puerto Rico
- Southwest Caribbean
- Trinidad-Tobago
- Turks-caicos Islands
- Venezuelan Antilles
- Windward Islands
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Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panamá
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Northern South America
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Venezuela
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Southern South America
- Argentina Northeast
- Paraguay
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Western South America
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Galápagos
- Peru
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Brazil
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000844784 |
| UNII | DAY787N79A |
| Florida Plant Atlas | 948 |
| USDA Plants | CHAL8 |
| Tropicos | 27903093 |
| INPN | 629317 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:56535-2 |
| The Plant List | kew-39067 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 1069775 |
| Observations.org | 208195 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 28527 |
| Nature Serve | 2.128906 |
| IUCN Red List | 56503531 |
| IPNI | 56535-2 |
| iNaturalist | 127936 |
| GBIF | 2907406 |
| Freebase | /m/09k7bm6 |
| EPPO | CHZAL |
| EOL | 1103073 |
| Elurikkus | 329974 |
| USDA GRIN | 10209 |
| Wikipedia | Chiococca_alba |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Effect of intraspecific seed trait variation on the germination of eight tropical dry forest species | Villa-Rivera N, Castellanos-Barliza J, Mondragón-Botero A, Barranco-Pérez W | Naturwissenschaften | 22-Mar-2024 |
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| Antioxidant Activity and Anticarcinogenic Effect of Extracts from Bouvardia ternifolia (Cav.) Schltdl. | Valadez-Vega C, Lugo-Magaña O, Mendoza-Guzmán L, Villagómez-Ibarra JR, Velasco-Azorsa R, Bautista M, Betanzos-Cabrera G, Morales-González JA, Madrigal-Santillán EO | Life (Basel) | 10-Dec-2023 |
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| Vascular Plant Species Inventory of Mexico’s Revillagigedo National Park: Awareness of Alien Invaders as a Sine Qua Non Prerequisite for Island Conservation | Domínguez-Meneses A, Martínez-Gómez JE, Mejía-Saulés T, Acosta-Rosado I, Stadler S | Plants (Basel) | 30-Sep-2023 |
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| The Nighttime Fragrance of Guettarda scabra (Rubiaceae): Flower Scent and Its Implications for Moth Pollination | Pimienta MC, Salazar D, Koptur S | Molecules | 29-Aug-2023 |
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| The Snapdragon Genomes Reveal the Evolutionary Dynamics of the S-Locus Supergene | Zhu S, Zhang Y, Copsy L, Han Q, Zheng D, Coen E, Xue Y | Mol Biol Evol | 04-Apr-2023 |
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| The Current Developments in Medicinal Plant Genomics Enabled the Diversification of Secondary Metabolites’ Biosynthesis | Alami MM, Ouyang Z, Zhang Y, Shu S, Yang G, Mei Z, Wang X | Int J Mol Sci | 14-Dec-2022 |
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| Methanolic Extracts of Chiococca alba in Aedes aegypti Biorational Management: Larvicidal and Repellent Potential, and Selectivity against Non-Target Organisms | Borges JC, Haddi K, Valbon WR, Costa LT, Ascêncio SD, Santos GR, Soares IM, Barbosa RS, Viana KF, Silva EA, Moura WS, Andrade BS, Oliveira EE, Aguiar RW | Plants (Basel) | 29-Nov-2022 |
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| A highly contiguous, scaffold-level nuclear genome assembly for the fever tree (Cinchona pubescens Vahl) as a novel resource for Rubiaceae research | Canales NA, Pérez-Escobar OA, Powell RF, Töpel M, Kidner C, Nesbitt M, Maldonado C, Barnes CJ, Rønsted N, Przelomska NA, Leitch IJ, Antonelli A | GigaByte | 06-Oct-2022 |
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| Pest categorisation of Pulvinaria psidii | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Gonthier P, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Grégoire J, Malumphy C, Akrivou A, Kertesz V, Maiorano A, Papachristos D, MacLeod A | EFSA J | 12-Aug-2022 |
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| Review on the Development and Applications of Medicinal Plant Genomes | Cheng QQ, Ouyang Y, Tang ZY, Lao CC, Zhang YY, Cheng CS, Zhou H | Front Plant Sci | 23-Dec-2021 |
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| Limited natural regeneration of unique Scalesia forest following invasive plant removal in Galapagos | Walentowitz A, Manthey M, Bentet Preciado MB, Chango R, Sevilla C, Jäger H | PLoS One | 13-Oct-2021 |
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| Genome assembly of Chiococca alba uncovers key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of unusual terpenoids | Lau KH, Bhat WW, Hamilton JP, Wood JC, Vaillancourt B, Wiegert-Rininger K, Newton L, Hamberger B, Holmes D, Hamberger B, Buell CR | DNA Res | 08-Jul-2020 |
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| The Hazardous Level of Heavy Metals in Different Medicinal Plants and Their Decoctions in Water: A Public Health Problem in Brazil | Tschinkel PF, Melo ES, Pereira HS, Silva KR, Arakaki DG, Lima NV, Fernandes MR, Leite LC, Melo ES, Melnikov P, Espindola PR, de Souza ID, Nascimento VA, Júnior JL, Geronimo AC, dos Reis FJ, Nascimento VA | Biomed Res Int | 12-Mar-2020 |
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| Symbionts as Filters of Plant Colonization of Islands: Tests of Expected Patterns and Environmental Consequences in the Galapagos | Duchicela J, Bever JD, Schultz PA | Plants (Basel) | 07-Jan-2020 |
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| Plants used by the rural community of Bananal, Mato Grosso, Brazil: Aspects of popular knowledge | Miguéis GD, da Silva RH, Damasceno Júnior GA, Guarim-Neto G | PLoS One | 30-Jan-2019 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |