Mimosa tenuiflora, syn.Mimosa hostilis, also known asjurema preta,calumbi (Brazil),tepezcohuite (México),carbonal,cabrera,jurema,black jurema, andbinho de jurema, is a perennial tree or shrub native to the northeastern region ofBrazil (Paraíba,Rio Grande do Norte,Ceará,Pernambuco,Bahia) and found as far north as southernMexico (Oaxaca and coast ofChiapas), and the following countries:El Salvador,Honduras,Panama,Colombia andVenezuela.[3] It is most often found in lower altitudes, but it can be found as high as 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[3]
Thefern-like branches haveleaves that areMimosa like, finely pinnate, growing to 5 cm (2.0 in) long. Each compound leaf contains 15–33 pairs of bright green leaflets 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long. The tree itself grows up to 8 m (26 ft) tall[3] and it can reach 4–5 m (13–16 ft) tall in less than 5 years. The white,[3] fragrantflowers occur in loosely cylindrical spikes 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long. In theNorthern Hemisphere it blossoms and produces fruit from November to June or July.[4] In theSouthern Hemisphere it blooms primarily from September to January. Thefruit is brittle and averages 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) long. Each pod contains 4–6 seeds that are oval, flat, light brown and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter. There are about 145 seeds/1 g (0.035 oz).[5] In the Southern Hemisphere, the fruit ripens from February to April.
SmallMimosa tenuiflora stem and roots
The tree's bark is dark brown to gray. It splits lengthwise and the inside is reddish brown.
The tree's wood is dark reddish brown with a yellow center. It is very dense, durable and strong, having a density of about1.11 g/cm3.[6]
Mimosa tenuiflora does very well after a forest fire, or other major ecological disturbance.[7] It is a prolificpioneer plant.[7] It drops its leaves on the ground, continuously forming a thin layer of mulch and eventuallyhumus. Along with its ability to fix nitrogen, the tree conditions the soil, making it ready for other plant species to come along.
A tea made of the leaves and stem has been used to treat tooth pain.[8] For cases ofcough andbronchitis, a water extract (decoction) ofMimosa tenuiflora is drunk.[9] A handful of bark in one liter of water is used by itself or in a syrup.[9] The solution is drunk until the symptoms subside.[9]
One preliminary clinical study foundMimosa tenuiflora to be effective in treating venous leg ulcerations.[10][11]
Aqueous extracts ofMimosa are widely used for wound healing[12][13] and burns in Central and South America. Consequently, the products of the plant (generally grouped under the term "Tepezcohuite") have become a popular and easily produced[14] cosmetic ingredient in commercial skincare products, used and marketed by celebrities including Kylie Jenner[15] and Salma Hayek.[16]
Mimosa tenuiflora syn.Mimosa hostilis provides life saving food for animals indrought.
The tree is an acceptable source offorage orfodder for animals, providing vital protein and other nutrients.[7] It does well in the dry season and in drought, while providing life saving food for local livestock and animals.[7] Cows, goats and sheep eat the pods and leaves. There seems to be evidence thatMimosa tenuiflora forage or fodder causedevelopment defects to pregnantruminants in Brazil.[17][18]
The tree is an important source of forage for bees, especially during the dry season and in the beginning of the wet season.
Like most plants in the familyFabaceae,Mimosa tenuiflora fertilizes the soil vianitrogen fixing bacteria.[19] The tree is useful in fighting soil erosion and for reforestation.
Mimosa tenuiflora is a very good source of fuel wood and works very well for making posts,[19] most likely because of its high tannin content (16%[20]), which protects it from rot. Due to its hightannin content, the bark of the tree is widely used as a natural dye and in leather production. It is used to make bridges, buildings, fences, furniture and wheels. It is an excellent source ofcharcoal and at least one study has been done to see why this is the case.[21]
The healing properties of the tree make it useful in treating domestic animals. A solution of the leaves or bark can also be used for washing animals in the prevention of parasites. Because the tree keeps most of its leaves during the dry season, it is an important source of shade for animals and plants during that time.
Mimosa tenuiflora is anentheogen used by the Jurema Cult (O Culto da Jurema) in northeastern Brazil.[23] Dried MexicanMimosa tenuiflora root bark has been shown to have adimethyltryptamine (DMT) content of about 1-1.7%.[3] The stem bark has about 0.03% DMT.[24]
The parts of the tree are traditionally used in northeastern Brazil in apsychoactivedecoction also calledJurema or Yurema. Analogously, the traditional Western Amazonian sacramentAyahuasca is brewed from indigenousayahuasca vines.However, to date noβ-carbolines such asharmala alkaloids have been detected inMimosa tenuiflora decoctions, yet the Jurema is used in combination with several plants.[25][26][27][28]
This presents challenges to the pharmacological understanding of how DMT from the plant is rendered orally active as an entheogen,[citation needed] because the psychoactivity of ingested DMT requires the presence of amonoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), such as a β-carboline. If an MAOI is neither present in the plant nor added to the mixture, theenzymemonoamine oxidase (MAO) will metabolize DMT in the human gut, preventing the active molecule from entering the blood and brain.[citation needed]
The plant is also used inclandestine manufacture of crystalline DMT.[citation needed] In this form, it is psychoactive by itself when vaporized and inhaled.
The isolation of the chemical compoundyuremamine fromMimosa tenuiflora as reported in 2005 represents a new class of phytoindoles,[29] which may explain an apparent oral activity of DMT in Jurema.[citation needed]
For outside planting,USDA Zone 9 or higher is recommended.[30]
In nature,Mimosa tenuiflora "[...] fruits and seeds are disseminated by the wind in a radius of 5–8 m (16–26 ft) from the mother plant; rain carries them from slopes to lower plains and human activities contribute to their dissemination."[31]
For cultivation, the seed pods are collected once they start to spontaneously open on the tree. The collected pods are laid out in the sun so that the pods open up and release their seeds. The seeds can then be planted in sandy soil with sun exposure.
Scarification of the seed via mechanical means or by usingsulfuric acid greatly increases the germination rate of the seeds over non-treatment.[31] The seeds can be sown directly into holes in the ground or planted in prepared areas.
The seeds can germinate in temperatures ranging from10 to 30 °C, but the highest germination rate occurs at around25 °C (about 96%), even after four years of storage.[31] Germination takes about 2–4 weeks.
It is also possible to propagateMimosa tenuiflora viacuttings.[3]
Trimming adultMimosa tenuiflorae during the rainy season is not recommended as it can kill them.[6]
Article 32 makes an exception forMimosa tenuiflora and other wild psychotropic plants, to protect use in religious rituals in case such plants themselves were in the future added to Schedule I.
"The cultivation of plants from which psychotropic substances are obtained is not controlled by the Vienna Convention... Neither the crown (fruit, mescal button) of thePeyote cactus nor the roots of the plantMimosa hostilis norPsilocybe mushrooms themselves are included in Schedule 1, but only their respective principals,mescaline,DMT, andpsilocin."
^Camargo-Ricalde SL (December 2000). "[Description, distribution, anatomy, chemical composition and uses of Mimosa tenuiflora (Fabaceae-Mimosoideae) in Mexico]".Rev. Biol. Trop. (in Spanish).48 (4):939–54.PMID11487939.
^Rivera-Arce E, Chávez-Soto MA, Herrera-Arellano A, et al. (February 2007). "Therapeutic effectiveness of a Mimosa tenuiflora cortex extract in venous leg ulceration treatment".J Ethnopharmacol.109 (3):523–8.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.08.032.PMID17088036.
^Pimentel LA, Correa FR, Gardner D, et al. (November 2007). "Mimosa tenuiflora as a cause of malformations in ruminants in the northeastern Brazilian semiarid rangelands".Vet. Pathol.44 (6):928–31.doi:10.1354/vp.44-6-928.PMID18039908.S2CID11946559.
^Rivera-Arce E, Gattuso M, Alvarado R, et al. (September 2007). "Pharmacognostical studies of the plant drug Mimosae tenuiflorae cortex".J Ethnopharmacol.113 (3):400–8.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.06.023.PMID17709219.
^Camargo-Ricalde SL. (Dec 2000), "Description, distribution, anatomy, chemical composition and uses of Mimosa tenuiflora (Fabaceae-Mimosoideae) in Mexico",Rev. Biol. Trop.,48 (4):939–54,PMID11487939
^da Mota, Clarice Novaes.Jurema's Children in the Forest of Spirits: Healing and ritual among two Brazilian indigenous groups. Intermediate Technology, 1997.
^MOTA, Clarice Novaes da; ALBUQUERQUE, Ulysses P.. "As muitas faces da Jurema: de espécie botânica à divindade afro-indígena."Recife: Bagaço (2002).
^GRUNEWALD, R. Sujeitos da jurema e o Resgate da Ciência do Índio. In: LABATE, B. & GOULART, S.(orgs). O uso Ritual das plantas de poder. São Paulo. Mercado das Letras, 2005.
^CAMARGO, Maria Thereza Lemos de Arruda . As plantas medicinais e o sagrado: A etnobotânica em uma revisão historiográfica da medicina popular no Brasil. 1ª ed. São Paulo: Ícone, 2014.
Camargo-Ricalde SL (December 2000). "[Description, distribution, anatomy, chemical composition and uses of Mimosa tenuiflora (Fabaceae-Mimosoideae) in Mexico]".Rev. Biol. Trop. (in Spanish).48 (4):939–54.PMID11487939.
