Guarumo
OTHER NAME(S): Chancarro, Grayumbo, Guarumbo, Guarumo Blanco, Hormiguillo, Pop-A-Gun, Snakewood Tree, Tree Of Laziness, Trompeto, Trumpet Tree, Yagrumo, Cecropia obtusifolia
Overview
Guarumo is a tree. The leaves and stem are used to make medicine.
People use guarumo for asthma, diabetes, heart failure, joint diseases, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Guarumo appears to reduce blood sugar levels by slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates.
Guarumo appears to reduce blood sugar levels by slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Diabetes. Drinking guarumo tea before meals might lower blood sugar and improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. This includes people with diabetes who are already taking medicine for diabetes. But current research includes only small, low quality studies. Larger, higher quality studies that show benefit are needed before guarumo can be recommended for diabetes.
- Asthma.
- Bronchitis.
- Cough.
- Heart failure.
- High blood pressure.
- Liver disorders.
- Pain.
- Skin wounds, when applied to the skin.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of guarumo for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Guarumo is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as a tea. Tea prepared with guarumo leaf appears to be safe when taken by mouth daily for up to 32 weeks. Guarumo tea might cause some mild side effects, including excessive salivation, heartburn, and feeling tired. But these side effects appear to be uncommon.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if guarumo is safe or what the side effects might be.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Guarumo is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as a tea. Tea prepared with guarumo leaf appears to be safe when taken by mouth daily for up to 32 weeks. Guarumo tea might cause some mild side effects, including excessive salivation, heartburn, and feeling tired. But these side effects appear to be uncommon.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if guarumo is safe or what the side effects might be.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if guarumo is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Diabetes: Guarumo might lower blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should monitor their blood glucose levels closely. If you have diabetes, it's best to check with your healthcare provider before starting guarumo.
Low blood pressure: Guarumo might lower blood pressure. In theory, guarumo might lower pressure too much if taken by people who already have low blood pressure.
Surgery: Guarumo can slow down the central nervous system (CNS). Anesthesia and some other medications used during surgery have the same effect. There is concern that using guarumo along with these other medications might slow down the CNS too much and cause extreme sleepiness. Stop using guarumo at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Sedative medications (CNS depressants) interacts with GuarumoGuarumo might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Medications that cause sleepiness are called sedatives. Taking guarumo along with sedative medications might cause serious side effects. Do not take guarumo if you are taking sedative medications. Some sedative medications include clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), phenobarbital (Donnatal), zolpidem (Ambien), and others.
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with GuarumoGuarumo might lower blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking guarumo along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
- Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs) interacts with GuarumoGuarumo might lower blood pressure. Taking guarumo along with medications for high blood pressure might cause your blood pressure to go too low. Some medications for high blood pressure include captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem), Amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDiuril), furosemide (Lasix), and many others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of guarumo depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for guarumo. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Revilla-Monsalve, M. C., Andrade-Cetto, A., Palomino-Garibay, M. A., Wiedenfeld, H., and Islas-Andrade, S. Hypoglycemic effect of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extracts on type 2 diabetic patients. J Ethnopharmacol 2007;111(3):636-40.
- Toledo, V. M., Tellez, M. G., Sortibran, A. N., Andrade-Cetto, A., and Rodriguez-Arnaiz, R. Genotoxicity testing of Cecropia obtusifolia extracts in two in vivo assays: the wing somatic mutation and recombination test of Drosophila and the human cytokinesis-block micronucleus test. J Ethnopharmacol 2008;116(1):58-63.
- Alonso-Castro, A. J., Miranda-Torres, A. C., Gonzalez-Chavez, M. M., and Salazar-Olivo, L. A. Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol and its active compound, chlorogenic acid, stimulate 2-NBDglucose uptake in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant 3T3 adipocytes. J Ethnopharmacol 2008;120(3):458-64.
- Andrade-Cetto, A. and Wiedenfeld, H. Hypoglycemic effect of Cecropia obtusifolia on streptozotocin diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2001;78(2-3):145-9.
- Mellado, V. and Lozoya, M. Effect of the aqueous extract of Cecropia obtusifolia on the blood sugar of normal and pancreatectomized dogs. Int J Crude Drug Res 1984;22:11-16.
- Andrade-Cetto, A., Becerra-Jimenez, J., and Cardenas-Vazquez, R. Alfa-glucosidase-inhibiting activity of some Mexican plants used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. J Ethnopharmacol 2008;116(1):27-32.
- Perez-Guerrero, C., Herrera, M. D., Ortiz, R., Alvarez, de Sotomayor, and Fernandez, M. A. A pharmacological study of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extract. J Ethnopharmacol 2001;76(3):279-84.
- Vidrio, H., Garcia-Marquez, F., Reyes, J., and Soto, R. M. Hypotensive activity of Cecropia obtusifolia. J Pharm Sci 1982;71:475-76.
- Salas, I., Brenes, J. R., and Morales, O. M. Antihypertensive effect of Cecropia obtusifolia (Moraceae) leaf extract on rats. Rev Biol Trop 1987;35(1):127-30.
- Salas, I. G., Morales, O. M., and Brenes, J. R. Effect of chronic administration of Cecropia obtusifolia (Moraceae) on mean arterial pressure in rats. Rev Biol Trop 1987;35(2):359-62.
- Herrera-Arellano, A., Aguilar-Santamaria, L., Garcia-Hernandez, B., Nicasio-Torres, P., and Tortoriello, J. Clinical trial of Cecropia obtusifolia and Marrubium vulgare leaf extracts on blood glucose and serum lipids in type 2 diabetics. Phytomedicine 2004;11(7-8):561-566.
- Alvarez-Buylla ER, Martinez-Ramos M. Demography and allometry of Cecropia obtusifolia, a neotropical pioneer tree - an evaluation of the climax-pioneer paradigm for tropical rain forests. J Ecol 1992;80:275-290.
- Guerrero EI, Morán-Pinzón JA, Ortíz LG, et al. Vasoactive effects of different fractions from two Panamanians plants used in Amerindian traditional medicine. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;131(2):497-501.