Rudgea viburnoides
StarRudgea viburnoides
Synonyms: Coffea viburnoides
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Brazilian folk medicine, especially in Minas Gerais, Rudgea viburnoides (congonha-de-bugre) has been used for some three centuries. A tea made from the leaves is taken as a diuretic and as a blood depurative or "cleanser", and the plant has also been used for rheumatic complaints, in slimming preparations, and for kidney and bladder ailments (Brazilian ethnopharmacological literature). Experimental pharmacological studies of leaf extracts in rats have supported the traditional diuretic reputation of the plant.
Botanical Description
Rudgea viburnoides is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the madder family Rubiaceae, native to the Brazilian Cerrado and adjacent savanna and woodland of central and southeastern South America. It typically grows two to six metres tall, with stiff branches and opposite, leathery, obovate to elliptic leaves that are glossy and prominently veined, joined by interpetiolar stipules characteristic of the family. The fragrant flowers are white to cream and tubular with spreading lobes, borne in dense terminal clusters (cymes or panicles), and are followed by small fleshy berry-like fruits that ripen dark and are dispersed by birds. It is a conspicuous component of the Cerrado flora, tolerant of the seasonally dry, fire-prone and nutrient-poor conditions of that biome. Long known to local people, it is popularly called congonha, congonha-de-bugre or simply bugre, names shared with several other plants whose leaves have been used as substitutes for or adulterants of mate.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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