MutambaGuazuma ulmifolia

Did you know?

• Linnaeus first placed mutamba in the cacao genus, naming it Theobroma guazuma in 1753^{[1, 2]}.

• Its species name, ulmifolia, means "elm-leaved," after the shape of its leaves, and in English it is called West Indian elm^{[3, 4]}.

• The Brazilian name mutamba comes from Kimbundu, a Bantu language of Angola, in which mutamba is the tamarind tree^[6].

• Another of its Brazilian names is fruta-de-macaco, "monkey fruit"^{[3, 4]}.

• The ripe fruit is said to taste like dried figs, and its pulp and seeds have been made into popsicles and ice cream^{[4, 7]}.

• Scientists have tested its bark as a natural, plant-based coagulant for clearing wastewater^[13].

Origins and history

Mutamba is a pioneer. It springs up quickly on cleared and disturbed land and along stream banks, and it is a characteristic tree of young secondary forest^{[3, 4]}. The largest trees reach about 30 meters (100 feet)^{[3, 4]}. Bees pollinate its small yellowish flowers^{[3, 4]}, and its hard, warty fruit, about an inch long, turns from green to black as it ripens^{[3, 4]}.

Linnaeus described the tree in 1753 as Theobroma guazuma, in the same genus as cacao^{[1, 2]}. In 1789 the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck gave it the name it carries today, Guazuma ulmifolia^{[1, 4]}. Its common names follow its range: guácimo or guácima in Spanish-speaking countries; West Indian elm, bastard cedar and bay cedar in English; and mutamba, embira and fruta-de-macaco in Brazil^{[1, 3, 4]}.

Mutamba is a tree people use every day. Its fruit is eaten fresh or dried, raw or cooked, and its seeds fresh or cooked^{[3, 4]}. In Mexico the ripe fruit and seeds have been ground into flour for tortillas, atole and pinole, and the roasted seeds have stood in for coffee^[5]. Across its native range it is an important source of fodder: cattle, horses and other animals eat the tender leaves and the fruit, especially late in the dry season when pasture grasses run out^{[1, 3, 4]}. The tough, fibrous bark and young stems are twisted into rope and twine^{[3, 4]}. The wood is used for crates, boxes and interior carpentry, and it makes an excellent charcoal^{[3, 4]}. It is a familiar tree of cattle pastures across the tropics of the Americas^[3].

Traditional uses

Clinical studies of mutamba in people are still few, but its traditional use is rich, from Mexico to Brazil^{[4, 7]}.

• Bark, fruit and seed teas

  In Mexico a tea is made from the bark and fruit^[7]; in Brazil the bark is simmered into a tea or a syrup^[4]; and the crushed seeds are soaked in water to make an infusion^[3].

• Digestive comfort

  Mutamba teas are a traditional digestive aid in Mexico and Brazil. Mutamba supports digestive comfort.*^{[3, 4, 7]}

• Respiratory health

  The seed infusion and the bark tea and syrup have traditionally been taken for the chest and airways. Mutamba supports respiratory health.*^{[3, 4]}

• Hair and scalp care

  In Brazil, the steeped bark is traditionally applied to the hair and scalp, and the bark goes into herbal shampoos and hair lotions to keep hair looking thick and healthy.*^{[4, 7]}

• Antioxidant compounds

  Mutamba bark provides proanthocyanidins, naturally occurring antioxidant compounds.*^{[7, 9]}

Plant compounds

Mutamba bark is rich in proanthocyanidins, also called condensed tannins, including a group known as procyanidins^{[8, 9]}. The fruit provides dietary fiber and phenolic compounds^{[7, 12]}.