Hog plum
Quick Facts
- What it is: A West African tropical tree, Spondias mombin, whose yellow fruit is eaten and whose leaves and bark are used in folk medicine.
- Main uses: Diarrhoea, Wound and skin care, Sore mouth and throat, Fever, Fruit as food and vitamin C
- Active ingredients: Ellagitannins (geraniin), Caffeic acid, Chlorogenic acid, Quercetin, Saponins, Vitamin C
- Forms: Fresh fruit, Juice and pulp, Dried leaf tea, Bark decoction, Leaf poultice, Leaf powder capsules, Tincture
- Time to effect: Not established for leaf or bark; the fruit is simply food.
- Side effects: Mostly mild gut upset; the real concern is womb contractions in pregnancy and low blood sugar with diabetes drugs.
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What is Hog plum?
Hog plum is a tropical tree, Spondias mombin. The Yoruba people of Nigeria call it iyeye. It grows across West Africa, and also in the Caribbean and tropical America.
The small yellow fruit is eaten fresh or pressed into juice. The leaves and bark are the parts used in folk medicine. They are boiled into a tea, a wash or a poultice (a soft pad laid on the skin).
Here is the honest verdict. The ripe fruit is an ordinary food and safe to eat for most people. The leaf and bark remedies have almost no human trial support, and long use in tradition is not proof that they work or that they are safe.
One point matters more than the rest. Leaf and bark preparations have a long history of use to bring on labour. That is a real hazard in pregnancy, and the safety block below spells it out.
How does Hog plum work?
No one has shown how hog plum works in people. Almost all of the findings come from test tubes and animals.
In laboratory tests, extracts of the leaf slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Cell studies have also reported activity against herpes viruses. Whether any of this happens in a human body is not established.
In animal studies, leaf extract made the womb muscle contract. This fits the traditional use in childbirth, and it is the main reason the plant is treated as unsafe in pregnancy.
In rats, leaf extracts have lowered blood sugar and blood pressure. These results have not been repeated in good human trials. Treat them as a signal to be careful with medicines, not as proof of benefit.
The fruit works in a plainer way. It supplies water, sugars, fibre and vitamin C, like other fresh fruit. That part is simple food, not medicine.
What forms does Hog plum come in?
Most people meet hog plum as food. It is sold as fresh fruit, frozen pulp, juice, jam and chilled drinks in West African, Caribbean and Brazilian markets.
Medicinal forms include:
Fresh or dried leaves, boiled into a tea or decoction (a drink made by simmering plant parts).
Bark decoctions, used as a drink or a wash.
Crushed fresh leaves used as a poultice on wounds and sores.
Leaf powder in capsules, sold online as a supplement.
Tinctures (alcohol extracts) and liquid leaf extracts.
Mouth rinses and gargles made from the boiled leaf.
Quality control is weak. Few sellers test for the correct species, and labels rarely state how much leaf is in a capsule.
Where it comes from:
Hog plum has deep standing in West African practice. Yoruba healers knew it as iyeye and used leaf and bark preparations widely.
Recorded traditional uses included:
Leaf teas for diarrhoea, stomach pain and fever.
Crushed leaves laid on wounds, burns and skin sores.
Leaf washes and gargles for sore mouths and throats.
Leaf preparations given by traditional birth attendants to speed labour and to help clear the womb after birth.
Bark decoctions for coughs and for eye complaints.
The tree spread with trade and with the transatlantic slave trade. Similar uses were later written down in Brazil, where the fruit is called cajá, and across the Caribbean.
These records describe what people did. They are not a test of whether it helped, and they are not a safety check.
Who should avoid Hog plum?
- Never use hog plum leaf or bark in any form if you are pregnant, at any stage
- Never use it to start labour, speed labour or end a pregnancy
- Avoid leaf and bark products if you are breastfeeding, as there is no safety data
- Do not give leaf or bark remedies to babies or young children
- Do not use leaf or bark products if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, unless your doctor agrees
- Do not use it alongside insulin or diabetes tablets without telling your doctor, because of the risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
- Avoid it if you are allergic to mango, cashew or pistachio, as hog plum is in the same plant family
- Do not use leaf or bark products if you have liver or kidney disease, unless your doctor agrees
- Do not use leaf or bark products in the two weeks before planned surgery
- Do not use it in place of rehydration salts for heavy diarrhoea, above all in a child
When should you see a doctor?
Stop leaf or bark products and see a doctor if you notice any of these.
Diarrhoea lasting more than two days, or any blood in the stool.
Signs of dehydration: no urine for many hours, sunken eyes, floppiness in a child.
A wound that turns red, hot, swollen or starts to ooze, or a fever with it.
Shakiness, sweating, confusion or fainting, which can mean low blood sugar.
Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes), dark urine or pain over your right ribs.
Go to an emergency department at once for swelling of the lips, face or throat, or trouble breathing. Do the same if you are pregnant and have cramping, bleeding or reduced baby movements after taking it.
Is Hog plum legal where you live?
The fruit is an ordinary food and is sold freely in many countries. In the United States, leaf and bark products are sold as dietary supplements, which are not approved by the FDA to treat any disease. In the UK and EU they are sold as botanical food supplements, not as licensed medicines.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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