Common names | Mutamba, Bay cedar, West Indian elm 

Scientific name | Guazuma ulmifolia
Used part | Bark

Known active compounds | procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2, catechins 

Potential benefits in cosmetics | anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, hair growth 

Product name | Mutamba-ANB

 

 

Plant Story

Gauzuma ulmifolia, commonly known as bay cedar, West Indian elm, or mutamba, is a tree native to tropical Americas and found throughout the Amazon rainforest. Mexico has a long history of its use as medicine. They used the decoction of bark to treat diarrhea, hemorrhages, and uterine pain. Mayan healers boiled the bark to treat stomach inflammation. The indigenous people in the Amazon have used mutamba for asthma, bronchitis, and kidney problems. The bark decoction was also used topically to promote hair growth and to treat various skin diseases.

 

Mutamba bark is rich in tannins and proanthocyanidins. Many compounds were identified from the bark, which include catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2, farnesol, friedelin, and kaurenoic acid. One of its main compounds, procyanidin B2 was reported to promote hair cell growth, and it might explain the traditional use of mutamba for hair loss and baldness. The aqueous extracts of mutamba bark and leaves showed anti-oxidant activities when tested with DPPH assay. The bark extract showed better activity than the leaves. The extracts of mutamba bark also showed anti-microbial properties against Candida krusei, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Staphylococcus aureus.