Family: Cycad

Genus: Cycas

Species: revolute

Common names: King sago palm, sago palm

General Description: Sago palm is one of the most available and economical sources of food starch in the world. An international conference recently suggested the possibility of the Sago as an option for worldwide consumption as food supplies dwindle. It is very slow growing; the young plant is two to three feet tall and, outside of its native home may be found in the ground or in a pot on a patio. Since it needs sun, it does not grow well away from a window inside a building. In the tropics, the Sago Palm is found in lowland forests and freshwater swamps. It is versatile and can grow in a variety of soils.

Due to Sago palm's popularity in the past half-century, this feather leaf palm is found from coast lines to landscapes around the world. It is over 300 years old and can grow to 10-12 feet tall with dignified umbrella crowns.

Location: Sago palm is native to the tropics from Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, to Japan.

Uses: Sago is a starch ground into a powder. The trunk is split open after the tree is cut; the pith is crushed and kneaded, which releases starch. The material is then washed and strained to extract the starch, which is put into a container for local use or export. The Sago Palm is a major staple food for New Guinea and the Moluccas. It is often cooked and pressed into a pancake and served with fish. Sago looks like tapioca; each resembles pearly grains of starch, but they come from different sources. Tapioca is made from the root of the cassava plant, and Sago starch comes from the palm.

Sago Palms have erect, sturdy trunks that grow wider as the plant matures. The diameter can be as great as two feet, and sometimes wider. Some very old Sagos display twenty feet of trunk.
Sagos typically grow cones during spring or summer. Usually a new set of leaves appears at the same time. Seeds develop slowly as well. Suckers often grow from the base, with several stems clumping together after some time.

Disclaimer: The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Any reference to medicinal use is not intended to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.



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Family: Elaeocarpaceae

Genus: Elaeocarpus

Species: carolinensis

Common names: sadak

General Description: Sadak (Elaeocarpus carolinensis) is a canopy tree that grows to 50 feet high in the rainforest and is considered critical for rainforest survival. The leaves are alternately arranged on the stem and are oblong-shaped, each four to six inches long and one to two inches wide. The leaves are thick and serrated on the edges. As the end of the growing season approaches, they turn red before falling.

Flowers of the Sadak tree emerge in clusters with five to ten flowers per cluster. They are small and the calyx and petals are equal in length; the petals are notched on the tip. The bright blue fruit is round and as it matures, the skin begins to wrinkle.

The Sadak tree is indigenous to the Federated States of Micronesia on the Caroline and Palau Islands. This species grows in the lowland-upland wet forests and tropical cloud forests, at elevations ranging from sea-level to 1400 feet above the sea. This species is also found in Taiwan.

The genus Elaeocarpus contains 250 species found in a number of continents and countries, including Asia and Australia; and island countries of Madagascar, Mauritius, Melesia, New Zealand, the Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific. Two species of this genus are found in Hawaii, and one (Elaeocarpus bifidus) grows both on Kauai and Oahu.

On the Caroline and Palau Islands, the Sadak tree is now surrounded by agriculture/forestry industry, thus becoming one of the 'remnant' trees in the rainforest.

Disclaimer: The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Any reference to medicinal use is not intended to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.



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Family: Lauraceae

Genus: Aniba

Species: canelilla, rosaeodora

Common names: Casca preciosa, Rosewood, Pau-rosa, Legno di rose, Brazilian rosewood

General Description: Rosewood is known for the value of the wood, rather than for herbal consumption, although there has been some historical documentation of its use as a healthcare supplement. It is considered to be the most important wood to acoustic guitar and other musical instrument building today. Brazilian Rosewood is only able to reach its most brilliant colors when the trees are allowed to grow to old ages. Its trunk grows in spirals, creating a beautiful grain in harvested wood.

As with most kinds of rosewood, this timber is very hard and dense. It is used for flooring and for building furniture, in addition to musical instruments. It is also used for turnery, such as wooden chess sets, bowls, platters and candlesticks.

This valuable tree is known by numerous names, including Bahia Rosewood, Brazilian Rosewood, Rio Rosewood, Jacarandá De Brasil, Pianowood, Caviuna, and Obuina (Dalbergia nigra). The species is a legume, from the Leguminosa family.

Location: Rosewood is found in Brazil, from the eastern forests of the Baja (Bahai) to Rio de Janerio. It is seriously threatened by habitat loss, since most of its habitat has been converted to farmland. Due to its endangered status, it is CITES-listed, and illegal to trade. However, Honduras rosewood, which is also a rare species, is considered a substitute for Brazilian rosewood; Honduras rosewood is highly desired for making marimbas and xylophones.

Uses: Rosewood essential oil is from Aniba rosaeodora, a tree from the Amazon rainforests. The oil obtained from the wood and leaves is used in fragrances and soaps. Because Rosewood is an oily wood with open grain, its oil is wonderful for use in any skin care formulations as it rejuvenates and regenerates skin cells.

Rosewood is an evergreen tree now controlled as an endangered species by the Government of Brazil. In 1975, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, came into existence and made it illegal to cut down Brazilian rosewood trees or export any new lumber. Wood harvested before June 11, 1992 is illegal to export; however a guitar with Brazilian rosewood parts can still be sold abroad if the shipment is accompanied by documentation testifying to its provenance.

Finally, Brazilian law makes illegal the harvesting of living Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) trees. Its salvation may well be the fact that the Brazilian government requires a new Rosewood tree be planted for every one cut down.

Disclaimer: The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Any reference to medicinal use is not intended to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.



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Family: Apocynaceae

Genus: Aspidosperma

Species: excelsum

Common names: avore de carapana, arvore dos mosquitos, canalete, carapanauba, jaroeroe, musara, paddle tree, paddlewood

General Description: Remo caspi is a large canopy tree with extensive reinforcement to support its height. Some of its root system is above ground and provides immense support for this huge tree. Remo caspi grows to the top of the Amazon Rainforest, up to 100 feet. Small white flowers emerge on this tree and a fruit capsule also grows from its branches. "Remo caspi" is Spanish for 'paddle' wood and makes reference to its large roots.

Uses: The wood from the roots is used to make canoe paddles because it is both light weight and durable. In traditional tribal and herbal medicine, Remo caspi has been used for a variety of ailments. In Brazil, it is an agent used for intestinal distress, both gas and as an aid for digestion; thus it is a carminative. Brazilians also use this herb for bronchitis, inflammation, fever, diabetes, cancer and malaria. Some reports also suggest Remo caspi has antioxidant properties. It has been used widely in the Amazon to treat malaria, sexual problems, coughs and bronchitis. Other South American countries use the bark of this tree for a variety of ailments: some Indian people chew on the bark to relieve toothaches; others use it to prevent cavities, treat malaria and hepatitis. In Peruvian herbal medicine, the root bark is used as an aphrodisiac, antiseptic, antibiotic, and wound-healer; it is also used in Peru to treat malaria, high blood pressure and bronchitis.

However, in South America, Remo caspi is probably best known as construction material in the lumber industry. The problem with using this wood for construction is its lack of sustainability.

Disclaimer: The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Any reference to medicinal use is not intended to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.



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Family:Rubiaceae

Genus: Cinchona

Species:officinalis, ledgeriana, succirubra, calisaya

Common names: quinine bark, cinchona, Jesuit's bark

General Description: The members of this genus contains about forty species of trees that all grow 15-20 m in height and produce white, pink, or yellow flowers. Quinine bark, also known as Cinchona, is one of the most popular and well-known plants of the rainforest.

Location: They are cultivated in many tropical areas such as India and Java, but are native to the Andes Mountains.

Uses: The medicinally active bark is stripped from the tree, dried and powdered, and generally used to treat malaria symptoms. Today, it is used infrequently due to the threat of death if consumed in large quantities. However, Quinine was used sporadically through the first half of the 18th century for cardiac problems and arrhythmia and it became a standard of cardiac therapy in the second half of the 19th century. Another alkaloid chemical called quinidine was discovered to be responsible for this beneficial cardiac effect. Quinidine, a compound produced from quinine, is still used in cardiology today, sold as a prescription drug for arrhythmia. The sales demand for this drug still generates the need for harvesting natural quinine bark today because scientists have been unsuccessful in synthesizing this chemical without utilizing the natural quinine found in cinchona bark.

In addition to it use for malaria and heart arrhythmias, quinine bark is also used to calm nerves, stimulate digestion, as an anti-parasite and anti-bacterial agent, and fever reducer.

Disclaimer: The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Any reference to medicinal use is not intended to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.


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