Pitanga aka Surinam Cherry

It is high in anti-oxidant, vitamin A and C. It also has some B complex vitamins and trace minerals. The leaves and barks have anti septic and anti-parasitic properties. In Surinam, people make a decoction of the leaves to treat cold and lower blood pressure.

Surinam cherries have been a source of traditional medicine in South America for centuries: Brazilians use the leaf as an astringent, febrifuge, and stomachic. The powerful essential oils found in the leaves make them an effective remedy for colds and as a vemifuge, which is why those in Surinam make a decoction from them.

According to the “Encyclopedia of World Medicinal Plants,” the leaves are used as treatment to lower blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and uric acid levels. The bark treats diarrhea, gout, hypertension, edema, eye infections, and gastrointestinal disorders.

The medical community has found many health benefits of Surinam cherries and parts of the plant as well:

-According to the Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, cherry leaves offer a remedy for life-threatening sepsis.

-As per a study in “Food and Chemical Toxicology,” the essential oils in Surinam cherries have potentantimicrobial properties, fighting pathogenic bacteria including Staph, listeria, and two Candida species.

-According to the “Journal of Ethnopharmacology,” the benefits of the leaves as a an antihypertensive was affirmed, thereby being a natural remedy for heart patients

-The “Journal of Phytomedicine” published a study revealing hypothermic and antinociceptive (pain reduction) qualities

-As per a 2000 study published in Phytomedicine, parts of the plant illustrated antimalarial activities when tested in rats.