Rainforest Research Report
By Christian Drapeau, BSc.,
MSc.
CARQUEJA
Baccharis Trimera
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The bright
green leafy stalks of Carqueja have a succulent consistency.
This perennial green herb has a lovely yellowish-orange flowers
at the top of the plant. |
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Common Names:
Carqueja, cacalia amara, cuchi-cuchi,
quinsu-cucho, Carqueja-do-mato
Part used:
Leaf, aerial parts.
Description and Habitat:
Carqueja is a shrub-like perennial green plant that grows in many terrains
of South America. It grows in dry highlands, rocky grounds, sandy fields,
riverbanks and swampy areas throughout the Amazon Rainforest in Peru,
Brazil and Columbia as well as tropical parts of Argentina, Paraguay
and Uruguay. Carqueja does not have leaves or stems; instead, it has
bi-winged or tri-winged branches that are leaf-like and fulfill photosynthetic
functions. Yellowish-orange flowers are scattered along the stalks and
tend to accumulate at the top. The whole plant can reach up to four
feet high, though it is commonly two to three feet high.
Indigenous Traditional Use:
Carqueja has been used by Indigenous People for centuries for stamina
as well as for fertility in women and virility in men. From a therapeutic
standpoint, Carqueja has been used for a wide variety of ailments pertaining
to the digestive system for which it is considered rather effective.
For example, natives would use Carqueja to strengthen the digestive
process, eliminate intestinal parasites, stop diarrhea and to ease irritation
of the digestive system after an episode of indigestion, diarrhea or
food poisoning. However, the main use of Carqueja is for supporting
the liver. Natives would use it to alleviate various liver dysfunctions,
to purge the liver, to eliminate obstructions of the gall bladder and
as a blood cleanser. Natives were also reported to use Carqueja for
reducing fever and for alleviating inflammatory conditions.
The traditional use consisted of infusing
a good amount of dried Carqueja into one liter of water, which was drunk
throughout the day. People would also chew on the fresh fleshy stalk.
Scientific Studies - Mechanism
of Action
Flavonoids have been isolated from Carqueja that were shown
to protect the liver against toxins. In this scientific work, the mechanism
of action has not been explained. However, flavonoids have been shown
to protect against liver toxicity by binding to toxins and preventing
their absorption. For example, silymarin, a flavonoid that is common
to green plants and which is present in milk thistle and in blue-green
algae, was shown to offer 100% protection against several liver toxins.
Likewise chlorophyll,though it is not a flavonoid, was shown to offer
significant protection against the most potent liver carcinogen, aflatoxin.
In a study performed on mice, pretreatment
with Carqueja significantly reduced inflammation and pain in several
models of inflammation. Carqueja also reduced intestinal contraction,
which supports its soothing effect in cases of irritation of the digestive
system. Carqueja also prevented the development of ulcers, which may
be linked to its anti-inflammatory properties. All these benefits may
be linked to the ability of Carqueja to inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis
due to some prostaglandins being inflammatory compounds. Since prostaglandins
are also mediators of pain and fever, this data may support the indigenous
use of Carqueja for reducing fever.
More recently, compounds were isolated
from Carqueja that had the ability to reduce calcium flow in smooth
muscles and relax vascular smooth muscles in rats. In brief, the arteries
of the body are surrounded with smooth muscles whose purposeis to control
blood pressure by contracting (increasing blood pressure) or relaxing
(reducing blood pressure). The internal signal for a smooth muscle to
contract is an inflow of calcium within the smooth muscle cells. This
inflow of calcium can be triggered by a variety of signals and common
drugs for the treatment of high blood pressure aimed at reducing calcium
inflow into smooth cells. Therefore, pending more studies, Carqueja
could be an auxillary natural approachto address the challenges associated
with hypertension.
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BENEFITS
AND USE OF CARQUEJA
Digestive System
In order to promote good digestion to support good liver function
and to help maintain good blood cleansing consume Carqueja every
day with meals (Digestazon™)
Physical Energy
Although no studies confirmed this benefit remember that the first
report of indigenous use was for stamina fertility in women and
virility in men As you consume Carqueja daily for digestive support
you will also gain benefits for general energy and stamina.
Inflamations
For conditions linked to inflammation know that consuming Digestazon
daily may assist in the management of various inflammatory processes.
It can be taken in combination with other herbs such as Jatoba
and Uña de Gato (Shipibo
Teas, Arcozon™) some of the
best antiinflammatory herbs.
For Immune Support
Although there is no reported use of Carqueja for the control
of blood pressure, studies in rats suggest Carqueja might help
control high blood pressure.
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The information contained in
this article is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended
to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you have
any health concern, it is recommended that you seek the advise of a
certified health practitioner.
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Christian Drapeau, BSc.,
MSc., is a neurophysiologist with over 13 years research experience
in the fields of natural foods and nutrition. He is the former Chief
Scientist at Cell Tech where he directed research on Aphanizomenon
flos-aquae, and is currently Chief Scientist for Desert Lake
Technologies, Oregon. Mr. Drapeau received a BSc. in Neurophysiology
from McGill University, Montreal, and a MSc. from the Montreal Neurological
Institute, McGill University, Montreal. |
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See also:
- Amazon Herb formulas containing Carqueja:
Calmazon™, Digestazon™,
Illumination™, Kavazon™
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