Jatobá

In Amazonian herbal medicine, jatobá bark is regarded as a strengthening, astringent and antimicrobial tree medicine.

Traditional indications include cystitis, prostatitis, Candida, fungal infections, respiratory complaints, coughs, hepatitis, stomach complaints, diarrhoea and intestinal parasites.

The bark and resin are both used, depending on the region, the preparation and the condition.

In Brazilian folk medicine, jatobá is used for urinary complaints, prostate conditions, respiratory irritation, bronchitis and asthma, sore throat, anaemia, kidney problems, rheumatism, gastric disorders, wounds and general inflammation ^{1,20Reference 1Bezerra GP et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. — animal, in vitroView study →Reference 20Coelho Gonçalves CA et al. · 2026ReviewChemical and biological properties of Hymenaea courbaril L.: a reviewView study →}.

Bark tea is a popular drink among lumberjacks working in Brazil’s forests, taken as a natural energy tonic ^{21Reference 21Orwa C et al. · 2009Hymenaea courbaril — botanic description, ecology, distribution and products — species databaseView study →}.

The pulp inside the pods is eaten as food, while the bark and resin are the medicinal parts ^{21Reference 21Orwa C et al. · 2009Hymenaea courbaril — botanic description, ecology, distribution and products — species databaseView study →}.

Antioxidant activity is the herb’s most reproduced finding. In a bioassay-guided study of the stem bark, the whole ethanol extract and several fractions strongly scavenged the DPPH radical ^{1Reference 1Bezerra GP et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. — animal, in vitroView study →}. Independent studies since have reported high total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in bark, leaf and seed extracts, with the highest phenolic content in the stem bark ^{2,4,5,6Reference 2Cruz JERD et al. · 2023In vitroEvaluation of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-biofilm effects of the stem bark, leaf, and seed extracts from Hymenaea courbaril — in vitroView study →Reference 4Scaramussa SAL et al. · 2024In vitroExtracts from jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.) peel and seeds: antioxidant and antimicrobial activity — in vitroView study →Reference 5Spera KD et al. · 2019In vitroGenotoxicity, anti-melanoma and antioxidant activities of Hymenaea courbaril L. seed extract — in vitro, animalView study →Reference 6de Matos JM et al. · 2024In vitroChemical prospection and antioxidant activity of Humiria balsamifera and Hymenaea courbaril L. — in vitroView study →}.

The activity tracks the phenolic content: flavonoids such as astilbin, plus condensed procyanidins and the flavan-3-ols catechin and epicatechin ^{1,3Reference 1Bezerra GP et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. — animal, in vitroView study →Reference 3Gomes LM et al. · 2025In vitroAssessment of cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of Hymenaea courbaril L. stem barks extract — in vitro, in silicoView study →}.

Seed extracts also protected DNA from damage in mouse bone-marrow cells ^{5Reference 5Spera KD et al. · 2019In vitroGenotoxicity, anti-melanoma and antioxidant activities of Hymenaea courbaril L. seed extract — in vitro, animalView study →}.

All measurements are chemical assays or cell work, with no in-vivo biomarker study and no human data.

Bark, leaf and seed extracts inhibit a range of bacteria in vitro. A standardised stem-bark extract, rich in catechin and epicatechin, inhibited a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolate ^{3Reference 3Gomes LM et al. · 2025In vitroAssessment of cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of Hymenaea courbaril L. stem barks extract — in vitro, in silicoView study →}.

In a study of stem-bark, leaf and seed extracts, the leaf extracts inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation by 78%, matching chloramphenicol (79%) ^{2Reference 2Cruz JERD et al. · 2023In vitroEvaluation of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-biofilm effects of the stem bark, leaf, and seed extracts from Hymenaea courbaril — in vitroView study →}.

Seed extracts inhibited most of the bacteria tested, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC 1–8 mg/mL). Combining peel and seed extracts cut the inhibitory concentration 4- to 32-fold against Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella ^{4Reference 4Scaramussa SAL et al. · 2024In vitroExtracts from jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.) peel and seeds: antioxidant and antimicrobial activity — in vitroView study →}.

Stem-bark extracts of the related H. stigonocarpa inhibited S. aureus at MICs of 64–526 µg/mL and visibly damaged its cell wall; the authors attributed the effect to tannins and flavonoids ^{18Reference 18Dimech GS et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical and antibacterial investigations of the stem bark of Hymenaea stigonocarpa and its effect on Staphylococcus aureus ultrastructure — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: No in-vivo infection model and no clinical work; the MICs for H. courbaril seed extracts are in the mg/mL range, far from antibiotic-level potency.

The direct evidence is one rat study. In rats challenged with ovalbumin, oral pretreatment with the ethyl-acetate fraction of the stem-bark extract prevented airway hyperresponsiveness and reduced white cells in the airways, particularly eosinophils and neutrophils ^{1Reference 1Bezerra GP et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. — animal, in vitroView study →}.

Studies of related species add support. In H. martiana, called jatobá in northeastern Brazil, an ethanolic extract and its ethyl-acetate fraction containing astilbin reduced carrageenan paw edema, leukocyte migration and pain responses in mice at 100–400 mg/kg by injection ^{9Reference 9Pacheco AGM et al. · 2021AnimalAntinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Hymenaea martiana Hayne (Fabaceae) in mice — animal modelView study →}.

H. eriogyne bark and leaf extracts reduced edema, leukocyte migration, pro-inflammatory cytokines and myeloperoxidase in two animal models. The bark, which is richer in astilbin, did better than the leaf, and only the bark lowered malondialdehyde ^{10Reference 10Daniele-Silva A et al. · 2024Anti-inflammatory and antiophidic effects of Hymenaea eriogyne Benth extract and in-silico structure–activity prediction — animal, in silicoView study →}.

Astilbin isolated from H. martiana (40 mg/kg) protected rat liver against carbon tetrachloride injury more strongly than vitamin E, restoring lipid peroxides and tissue prostanoids to normal ^{11Reference 11Closa D et al. · 1997AnimalProstanoids and free radicals in CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats: effect of astilbin — animal modelView study →}.

Gap: Only one study uses H. courbaril itself; the strongest in-vivo data are from related species, and there is no human anti-inflammatory evidence.

The best antifungal data come from the fresh xylem sap, not the bark. Filtered H. courbaril sap and fisetin, which precipitates out of it, inhibited the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex and dermatophytes, at MIC <256 µg/mL for the sap and <128 µg/mL for fisetin. Fisetin was less toxic to mouse cells than the sap (IC50 158 vs 109 µg/mL) ^{7Reference 7da Costa MP et al. · 2014In vitroAntifungal and cytotoxicity activities of the fresh xylem sap of Hymenaea courbaril L. and its major constituent fisetin — in vitroView study →}.

In 1983, caryophyllene oxide was identified as the leaf compound that keeps leaf-cutting ants off the tree in Costa Rica. It proved strongly antifungal against the ants’ cultured fungus and against other fungi ^{8Reference 8Hubbell SP et al. · 1983In vitroAn antifungal terpenoid defends a neotropical tree (Hymenaea) against attack by fungus-growing ants — in vitro, ecologicalView study →}.

Neither study tests the tannin-rich bark decoction used traditionally for Candida and skin fungus.

Gap: No study tests the bark preparation people actually use against fungi, and there is no clinical antifungal data.

In the same bioassay-guided bark study, the stem-bark extract relaxed rat tracheal smooth muscle, with the ethyl-acetate fraction the most effective. Astilbin isolated from that fraction reproduced part of the effect ^{1Reference 1Bezerra GP et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. — animal, in vitroView study →}.

The fraction reduced contractions that depend on calcium entry through voltage- and receptor-operated calcium channels, and it was more potent against the voltage-operated ones ^{1Reference 1Bezerra GP et al. · 2013In vitroPhytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. — animal, in vitroView study →}.

This is one study in isolated tissue and treated rats, with no human data.

A screen of Brazilian plants traditionally used for diarrhoea found H. courbaril leaf extract among the strongest in-vitro inhibitors of simian rotavirus SA11. It prevented the viral cytopathic effect, and RT-PCR detected no viral genetic material ^{12Reference 12Cecílio AB et al. · 2012In vitroScreening of Brazilian medicinal plants for antiviral activity against rotavirus — in vitroView study →}.

Tannins, flavonoids, saponins, coumarins and terpenes were the main compound classes in the active leaf extracts ^{12Reference 12Cecílio AB et al. · 2012In vitroScreening of Brazilian medicinal plants for antiviral activity against rotavirus — in vitroView study →}.

It is a single cell-culture study against one virus, using leaf rather than bark.

Extracts of the jatobá fruit coat, an industrial by-product of jatobá-flour milling, inhibited α-amylase in vitro (IC50 51 µg/mL for the hydroalcoholic and 82 µg/mL for the aqueous extract; non-competitive). Both reduced starch-induced hyperglycaemia in mice in a starch-tolerance test ^{13Reference 13Polo AC et al. · 2025In vitroInhibitory effects of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts from jatobá coat (Hymenaea courbaril) on α-amylase — in vitro, animalView study →}.

In-silico work pointed to procyanidin dimers, taxifolin 7-O-rhamnoside and quercetin 7-rhamnoside as contributors ^{13Reference 13Polo AC et al. · 2025In vitroInhibitory effects of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts from jatobá coat (Hymenaea courbaril) on α-amylase — in vitro, animalView study →}.

Gap: Single study, a different plant part from the medicinal bark, and no glucose-lowering data in a diabetic model or in humans.

A hydroethanolic H. courbaril seed extract was cytotoxic to B16F10 melanoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent way ^{5Reference 5Spera KD et al. · 2019In vitroGenotoxicity, anti-melanoma and antioxidant activities of Hymenaea courbaril L. seed extract — in vitro, animalView study →}. A standardised bark extract was non-toxic to RAW 264.7 macrophages ^{3Reference 3Gomes LM et al. · 2025In vitroAssessment of cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of Hymenaea courbaril L. stem barks extract — in vitro, in silicoView study →}.

Two dihydroflavonol rhamnosides from the bark of the related H. parvifolia inhibited casein kinase II, an enzyme involved in cell proliferation ^{19Reference 19Ishibashi M et al. · 1999In vitroCasein kinase II inhibitors isolated from Hymenaea parvifolia and Wulffia baccata — in vitroView study →}.

No in-vivo tumour model or human data exist.

The traditional use is for intestinal worms, but the experimental data are insecticidal and antiprotozoal. The essential oils of the fruit peel killed Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. The ripe-peel oil (mainly α-copaene, spathulenol and β-selinene) was the more potent, at LC50 14.8 µg/mL. The unripe-peel oil (germacrene-D 32%, β-caryophyllene 27%) gave LC50 28.4 µg/mL. The diterpene zanzibaric acid was isolated from the ripe peel ^{14Reference 14Aguiar JC et al. · 2010In vitroChemical constituents and larvicidal activity of Hymenaea courbaril fruit peel — in vitroView study →}.

H. courbaril extracts showed only weak activity against cattle-tick larvae ^{15Reference 15Valente PP et al. · 2014In vitroIn vitro acaricidal efficacy of plant extracts from Brazilian flora against Rhipicephalus microplus — in vitroView study →}. Leaf extracts had moderate antileishmanial activity (IC50 36–44 µg/mL) ^{16Reference 16Ribeiro TG et al. · 2014In vitroAntileishmanial activity and cytotoxicity of Brazilian plants — in vitroView study →}. An antiplasmodial screen of plants from El Salvador that included H. courbaril found its active compounds in another plant, Calea tenuifolia ^{17Reference 17Köhler I et al. · 2002In vitroIn vitro antiplasmodial investigation of medicinal plants from El Salvador — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: No study tests the medicinal preparation against intestinal worms; the positive signals are in mosquito larvae and use the fruit-peel oil.

Tannins. Jatobá bark is rich in condensed tannins. Like other high-tannin herbs it can cause nausea, constipation or stomach upset, especially at high doses or with long use, and long or heavy use may reduce the absorption of iron and other minerals.

Toxicity. A review of the species reports low acute toxicity in animal studies ^{20Reference 20Coelho Gonçalves CA et al. · 2026ReviewChemical and biological properties of Hymenaea courbaril L.: a reviewView study →}, and a standardised stem-bark extract was non-toxic to macrophage cells in vitro ^{3Reference 3Gomes LM et al. · 2025In vitroAssessment of cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of Hymenaea courbaril L. stem barks extract — in vitro, in silicoView study →}. There are no repeat-dose or human safety studies.

Interactions. No drug-interaction or cytochrome-P450 study of jatobá exists. Tannins can reduce the absorption of iron, other minerals and some alkaloid drugs taken at the same time.

Infections. The urinary, prostate, fungal and parasitic conditions jatobá is used for can be serious. Fever, recurrent infection or signs of spreading infection call for medical assessment.