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Did you know?
In Brazil guacatonga is called erva-de-lagarto, the "lizard herb", and pau-de-lagarto, "lizard wood". Folk legend says the tegu lizard will only fight a snake near this plant[3, 13].
Hold a guacatonga leaf up to the light and you will see it is dotted with tiny translucent oil glands[3, 5].
Two of its Brazilian names liken it to coffee: cafezinho-do-mato, "little coffee of the woods", and cafezeiro-do-mato, "coffee tree of the woods"[3, 13].
The genus Casearia honors Casearius, a Dutch missionary; sylvestris means "of the forest"[3].
Birds, especially thrushes, eat the sticky yellow coating around its seeds and spread them through the forest[3, 6].
It is one of the few Brazilian trees that serve as a honey plant for bees in winter[3].
Origins and history
Guacatonga grows as a shrub or small tree, usually 4 to 6 meters tall, with finely toothed, oblong to elliptic leaves and clusters of small, scented, greenish-white flowers that are visited by stingless bees[3, 5, 6]. It is a pioneer of forest edges and regrowth, found in both moist and dry forests, mostly in the lowlands but as high as about 1,500 meters in Brazil[3, 6].
The Swedish botanist Olof Swartz described it from the West Indies around 1800[1, 8], but it was long known before that to Brazil's indigenous peoples, whose Tupi-Guarani name it still carries[4]. In 2009 Brazil's Ministry of Health placed it on its national list of plants of interest to the public health system (RENISUS)[14, 15]. In 2010 Brazil's health regulator, ANVISA, added it to a list of herbal plants that may be sold in pharmacies[11], and in 2011 the national herbal formulary gave the leaf an official preparation, a tea[7].
Traditional uses
Clinical studies in people are still few[14, 15], but guacatonga's traditional use in Brazil is long and officially recognized.
Plant compounds
Guacatonga's signature compounds are clerodane diterpenes called casearins, found mainly in the leaf; about two dozen have been described[2, 9, 11, 14]. The leaf also contains an essential oil, together with flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins[5, 11, 14].
Precautions
Where our guacatonga comes from
Our guacatonga leaf and stem are wild-harvested. Every batch is tested for heavy metals, mold, yeast and pathogens.
- Wild-harvested
- South America
- Tested every batch
Raintree products with guacatonga
Guacatonga is also an ingredient in these Raintree products
Frequently asked questions
What is guacatonga?
A small tree of the American tropics, Casearia sylvestris, whose leaf is a traditional herb in Brazil.
Why is guacatonga called the lizard herb?
From a Brazilian folk legend that the tegu lizard seeks out the plant when it fights snakes. It is a story, not an observed behavior.
Where does guacatonga grow?
From Mexico and the Caribbean through Peru to Argentina and Uruguay, and in almost every state of Brazil.
How is guacatonga traditionally prepared?
The dried leaves are steeped in hot water as a tea.
Is guacatonga the same as chá-de-bugre?
Chá-de-bugre is one of its many Brazilian folk names, but the same name is also used for other plants, so it is best to go by the botanical name, Casearia sylvestris.
Which part of guacatonga does Raintree use?
The leaf, wild-harvested. Our capsules use the leaf and stem.
References
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Casearia sylvestris Sw. Plants of the World Online. powo.science.kew.org
- Ferreira PMP, Costa-Lotufo LV, Moraes MO, Barros FWA, Martins AMA, Cavalheiro AJ, Bolzani VS, Santos AG, Pessoa C. Folk uses and pharmacological properties of Casearia sylvestris: a medicinal review. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 2011;83(4):1373–1384. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652011005000040
- Carvalho PER. Cafezeiro-do-mato, Casearia sylvestris. Circular Técnica 138. Colombo: Embrapa Florestas; 2007. infoteca.cnptia.embrapa.br
- dos Santos AL, Amaral M, Hasegawa FR, Lago JHG, Tempone AG, Sartorelli P. (-)-T-Cadinol, a sesquiterpene isolated from Casearia sylvestris (Salicaceae), displayed in vitro activity and causes hyperpolarization of the membrane potential of Trypanosoma cruzi. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2021;12:734127. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.734127
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Horto Didático de Plantas Medicinais do HU/CCS. Guaçatonga. hortodidatico.ufsc.br
- Fern K. Casearia sylvestris. Useful Tropical Plants Database. tropical.theferns.info
- Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA). Formulário de Fitoterápicos da Farmacopeia Brasileira. 1st ed. Brasília: Anvisa; 2011:25 (Casearia sylvestris, infusion).
- International Plant Names Index. Casearia sylvestris Sw. ipni.org
- Xia L, Guo Q, Tu P, Chai X. The genus Casearia: a phytochemical and pharmacological overview. Phytochemistry Reviews. 2015;14(1):99–135. doi:10.1007/s11101-014-9336-6
- Tua Saúde. Guaçatonga (reviewed by M. Reis, RN; updated 28 Aug 2024). tuasaude.com
- Claudino JC, do Sacramento LVS, Koch I, Santos HA, Cavalheiro AJ, Tininis AG, dos Santos AG. Evaluation of morpho-anatomical and chemical differences between varieties of the medicinal plant Casearia sylvestris Swartz. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 2013;85(4):1253–1265.
- GBIF.org. Occurrence records of Casearia sylvestris Sw. in Peru (305 records, including herbarium specimens at the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO) and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (USM), via Tropicos). gbif.org. Accessed 29 Sep 2026.
- GBIF.org. Casearia sylvestris Sw.: vernacular names, from ITIS, TAXREF (MNHN, France), Flora e Funga do Brasil and Catalogue of Life. gbif.org/species/5331148. Accessed 29 Sep 2026.
- de Araújo ÉJF, de Araújo DYML, de Freitas RM, Ferreira PMP. Aspectos toxicológicos da planta medicinal Casearia sylvestris Swartz: revisão de literatura. Revista de Ciências Farmacêuticas Básica e Aplicada. 2014;35(3):355–361.
- da Silva RA. Casearia sylvestris Sw: uma planta brasileira de interesse do SUS [specialization monograph]. Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Farmanguinhos; 2016. arca.fiocruz.br