Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Blood tree bark is the bark of Harungana madagascariensis, a small tree of tropical Africa and Madagascar. The Yoruba name is amuje. Cut bark and twigs weep a red-orange sap, which is where the name "blood tree" comes from.
In West African herbal practice the bark was used as a tea or wash. Healers reached for it for stomach upsets, loose stools, wounds, skin problems and fevers. The red sap also led to its use for "blood" complaints such as anaemia (low levels of healthy red blood cells).
Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. Almost all research is in test tubes and animals, and good human trials are missing. Long and respected traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
The bark holds anthraquinone-type compounds, the same family found in senna and other laxative plants. That is why this page treats it with caution rather than as a casual daily tea.
No one has shown in people how, or whether, this bark works.
Laboratory work gives some clues. In test tubes, bark extracts slow the growth of several bacteria and fungi. In cell studies they also show antioxidant activity.
Whether any of that happens in a human body is not established.
In animal studies, extracts have reduced swelling, lowered fever and lowered blood sugar. Animal results often fail to repeat in people, so they cannot be read as proof.
The bark contains anthranoids, close relatives of the compounds in senna. In the gut these types of compound can draw in water and speed things up. That may explain the loose stools some users report, and it is a plausible reason for the plant's old use in bowel complaints.
Traditional healers also linked the red sap to blood building. There is no good evidence that the bark raises iron levels or treats anaemia. Tannins in bark tea may in fact reduce how much iron you absorb from food.
In short, there are mechanisms worth studying, but no proven path from plant to benefit in humans.
You will mostly meet amuje in these forms.
- Dried bark pieces, sold loose in West African markets and by some online sellers. - Bark powder, sometimes in capsules. - A decoction, meaning bark simmered in water to make a strong tea.
- Tinctures, where the bark is soaked in alcohol. - Fresh sap or crushed bark, applied to the skin in traditional practice. - Mixed "blood tonic" or "herbal mixture" bottles that list amuje among several plants.
Mixed bottled products are the hardest to judge. You often cannot tell how much of each plant is present. Some such mixtures have also been found to contain added drugs or alcohol.
There is no standard extract and no agreed strength. Two products with the same label may differ widely in what they contain.
Blood tree bark has a long standing in West and Central African herbal medicine.
It is recorded in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and the Congo basin. Yoruba practice knows it as amuje. The red sap was treated as a sign of its link to the blood, a common idea in older plant lore.
Traditional healers used bark decoctions for diarrhoea and dysentery, stomach pain and fevers. The sap and crushed bark were put on wounds, sores and fungal skin patches. Leaf and root were used too, often for different complaints.
The tree also had everyday uses. The bark yields a dye, and the wood is used for tool handles and building.
These records describe what healers did. They are not a test of whether it helped, and they do not tell you it is safe to try on your own.
Stop taking it and see a doctor the same day if you notice any of these.
- Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine with pale stools, or pain under your right ribs. - Severe or bloody diarrhoea, or diarrhoea lasting more than two days. - Vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down. - Muscle weakness, cramps or a fluttering heartbeat. - A spreading rash, swelling of the face or lips, or trouble breathing.
Go to emergency care for chest pain, fainting, or a fever with confusion or stiff neck. Fever in a malaria area needs a test straight away.
Tell any doctor you see that you have taken amuje bark, and bring the packet.
Amuje bark is not an approved medicine in the UK, the EU, the US, Canada or Australia.
In those places it may be sold as a botanical or herbal supplement, with no health claims allowed. EU rules also limit hydroxyanthracene compounds, the laxative-type group found in this bark, in food supplements.
In Nigeria, Ghana and nearby countries the bark is sold openly in markets and in registered herbal mixtures.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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