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Tamamuri is a very common and well-respected remedy for rheumatism and arthritis throughout the Amazon and in traditional medicine systems in South America.* It is also a very common remedy for syphilis, which is how it earned one of its common names, "vegetable mercury." Mercury was the leading treatment for syphilis in the late 1800s and early 1900s. . . and before we knew any better!* For more information about tamamuri (Brosimum acutifolium), please refer to the Database File for Tamamuri in the Tropical Plant Database. More information can also be found in the new Antimicrobial Guide. To see pictures of tamamuri, click here.

Traditional Uses:* for arthritis, rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis; for general pain and inflammation (i.e.; muscle pain, injuries, headaches, etc.); for syphilis; for yeast infections (candida) and skin fungi; for gastric ulcers (H. pylori) and other gastrointestinal problems

Suggested Use:* Take 60 drops 2 - 3 times daily or as needed.
Contraindications: Tamamuri contains two plant chemicals with documented estrogenic actions in animal studies. Women with estrogen-positive cancers should avoid the use of tamamuri until further research confirms tamamuri's effect on estrogen.

Drug Interactions: None known.

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Published Research on Tamamuri

All available third-party research on tamamuri be found at PubMed. A partial listing of the third-party published research on tamamuri updated through Feb 2019 is shown below:

Anti-inflammatory and PKC Inhibitory Actions:
Kuete, V., et al. "Chemistry and pharmacology of 4-hydroxylonchocarpin: A review." Chin. J. Integr. Med. 2013 Jun; 19(6): 475-80.
Kim, Y., et al. "Anti-inflammatory effects of liquiritigenin as a consequence of the inhibition of NF-kappaB-dependent iNOS and proinflammatory cytokines production." Br. J. Pharmacol. 2008 May; 154(1): 165-73.
Dos Santos, M., et al. "Avaliação do tratamento da artrite induzida por adjuvante completo de freund em ratos Lewis com as frações isoladas de Brosimum acutifolium." Proceedings of the XV Congresso de Iniciação Científica da UFAM. Brazil. Aug. 2003; page 223.
Dos Santos, M., et al. "Avaliação da toxicidade do extrato hidro-alcoólico e das frações isoladas de Brosimum acutifolium no tratamento da artrite induzida por adjuvante completo de freund em ratos Lewis." Proceedings of the XV Congresso de Iniciação Científica da UFAM. Brazil. Aug. 2003; page 222.
Ohsaki, A., et al. "Structures and biological activities of constituents from Brosimum acutifolium." Revista de Fitoterapia. 2002; 2 (S1): 208.
Takashima, J., et al. "Mururins A-C, three new lignoids from Brosimum acutifolium and their protein kinase inhibitory activity." Planta Med. 2002; 68(7): 621-625.
Aksoy, E., et al. "Protein kinase C epsilon: A new target to control inflammation and immune-mediated disorders." Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 2004; 36(2): 183-8.

Cytotoxic & Antitumor Actions:
Kuete, V., et al. "Chemistry and pharmacology of 4-hydroxylonchocarpin: A review." Chin. J. Integr. Med. 2013 Jun; 19(6): 475-80.
Stallings-Mann, M., et al. "A novel small-molecule inhibitor of protein kinase Ciota blocks transformed growth of non-small-cell lung cancer cells." Cancer Res. 2006 Feb; 66(3):1767-74.
Takashima, J., et al. "Brosimacutins J-M, four new flavonoids from Brosimum acutifolium and their cytotoxic activity." Planta Med. 2005 Jul;71(7):654-8.
Cohen, E., et al. "Protein kinase C zeta mediates epidermal growth factor-induced growth of head and neck tumor cells by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase." Cancer Res. 2006 Jun; 66(12): 6296-303.
Monks, N., et al. "Anti-tumour screening of Brazilian plants." Pharma. Biol. 2002; 40(8): 603–616.
Takashima, J., et al. "Brosimacutins J-M, four new flavonoids from Brosimum acutifolium and their cytotoxic activity." Planta Med. 2005; 71(7): 654-8.

Antimicrobial Actions:
Researchers at Cornell University reported that tamamuri bark showed in vitro antibacterial actions against Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Helicobacter pylori and Candida albicans in research published in 2002. They also reported that it was active against a common strain of skin fungus. These actions are probably directely related to two chemicals found in tamamuri, liquiritigenin and 4-hydroxylonchocarpin, which both have strong actions against bacteria and fungi.
Kuete, V., et al. "Chemistry and pharmacology of 4-hydroxylonchocarpin: A review." Chin. J. Integr. Med. 2013 Jun; 19(6): 475-80.
Feldman, M., et al. "Comparative evaluation of two structurally related flavonoids, isoliquiritigenin and liquiritigenin, for their oral infection therapeutic potential." J. Nat. Prod. 2011 Sep; 74(9): 1862-7.
Lee, J., et al. "Liquiritigenin, a licorice flavonoid, helps mice resist disseminated candidiasis due to Candida albicans by Th1 immune response, whereas liquiritin, its glycoside form, does not." Int. Immunopharmacol. 2009 May; 9(5): 632-8.
Correia, A., et al. "Amazonian plant crude extract screening for activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria." Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2008 Nov-Dec; 12(6): 369-80.
Herforth, A., et al. "Amazonian Women's Medicine: Treatments for Mycoses." Poster: Society for Economic Botany 2002 vol 56(4).
Herforth, A., et al. " Antifungal plants of the Peruvian Amazon: A survey of ethnomedical uses and biological activity." Cornel University Publication 2002.

Antioxidant Actions:
Martins, F., et al. "Antioxidant activity and potential photoprotective from Amazon native flora extracts." J. Photochem. Photobiol. B. 2016 Aug; 161: 34-9.
Choi, E., et al. "Liquiritigenin restores osteoblast damage through regulating oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction." Phytother. Res. 2014 Jun; 28(6): 880-6.
Kuete, V., et al. "Chemistry and pharmacology of 4-hydroxylonchocarpin: A review." Chin. J. Integr. Med. 2013 Jun; 19(6): 475-80.

Chemicals Identified:
Keßberg, A., et al. "Utilizing an o-quinone methide in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation: enantioselective synthesis of brosimine a, brosimine b, and brosimacutin L." Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2016 Jan; 55(3): 1160-3.
Moretti, C., et al. "Identification of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (bufotenine) in takini (Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg, Moraceae), a shamanic potion used in the Guiana Plateau." J. Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Jun; 106(2): 198-202.
Takashima, J., et al. "Brosimacutins A-I, nine new flavonoids from Brosimum acutifolium." J. Nat. Prod. 2002; 65(12): 1843-1847.
Takashima, J., et al. "Acutifolins A-F, a new flavan-derived constituent and five new flavans from Brosimum acutifolium." J. Nat. Prod. 2001: 64(12): 1493-1496.
Teixeira, A., et al. "Structure determination by H and C NMR of a new flavan isolated from Brosimum acutifolium: 4',7-dihydroxy-8-prenylflavan." Magn. Reson. Chem. 2000: 38(4): 301-304.
Torres, S., et al. "Flavonoids from Brosimum acutifolium." Phytochemistry. 2000; 53(8): 1047-1050.
Ferrari, F., et al. "(-)-epicatechin 5-o-beta-d-xylopyranoside from Brosimopsis acutifolium." Phytochemistry. 1998; 47(6): 1165-1166.
Torres, S., et al. "Two flavans from Brosimum acutifolium." Phytochemistry. 1997; 44(2): 347-349.