Casearia sylvestris herb treatment

Casearia sylvestris is a plant used in the treatment of several diseases, including cancer. Studies have shown that C. sylvestris presents an interesting antitumoral potential, due to the presence of casearins and some sesquiterpens with antitumoral activity. Casearia sylvestris is popularly known in Brazil as guaçatonga.

The Casearia sylvestris is used in folk medicine in Brazil and all Latin American to treat inflammation, cancer, microbial infection and snake bites. Studies showed that Casearia sylvestris aqueous extract can inhibit many toxic effects caused by snake venoms (or caused by phospholipase A(2) isolated) from different species, mainly of Bothrops genus. Inhibition of enzymatic and myotoxic activities, decrease of edema formation and increase of the survival rate of rats injected with lethal doses of bothropic venoms are some toxic effects inhibited by Casearia sylvestris.

Casearin X, its degradation product and other clerodane diterpenes from leaves of Casearia sylvestris: evaluation of cytotoxicity against normal and tumor human cells.
Chem Biodivers. 2010 Jan; dos Santos AG, Ferreira PM, Vieira Júnior GM, Perez CC, Gomes Tininis A, Silva GH, Bolzani Vda S, Costa-Lotufo LV, Pessoa Cdo O, Cavalheiro AJ. Núcleo de Bioensaios, Biossíntese e Ecofisiologia de Produtos Naturais, Instituto de Química, São Paulo State University, CP 355, 14800-900, Araraquara-SP, Brazil.
An EtOH extract of the leaves of Casearia sylvestris afforded new clerodane diterpene, casearin X, together with the known compounds casearins B, D, L, and O, and caseargrewiin F. Casearin X degraded to the corresponding dialdehyde when stored in CDCl(3). The diterpenes isolated were cytotoxic to human cancer cell lines, with caseargrewiin F being the most active and the new clerodane, casearin X, the second active compound with IC(50) values comparable to the positive control doxorubicin. All isolated diterpenes showed lower activities against normal human cells than against cancer cell lines, which might indicate a possible selective action on cancer cells. Casearin X dialdehyde was not cytotoxic to cancer cells indicating that the occurrence of these CO groups at C(18) and C(19) is incompatible with the cytotoxic activity.

Casearia sylvestris contains gallic acid and ellagic acid.

choline supplement dosage side effects health use