What is mucura?
Mucura is a herbal remedy made from Petiveria alliacea, a leafy plant of the American tropics. It is also called anamu or guinea hen weed. The root and leaves smell strongly of garlic.
In Latin American and Caribbean folk medicine it was used for aches, fevers, colds and "cleansing". Today it is sold as a tea, a capsule or a tincture.
Traditional use is not proof that a remedy works. It is also not proof that a remedy is safe. For mucura, nearly all research is in cells and animals, so its benefits in people stay unproven.
The plant carries real cautions. It can thin the blood, lower blood sugar, and it has a folk history as an abortifacient (something used to end a pregnancy).
How does mucura work?
No one has shown what mucura does inside the human body. The ideas below come from lab and animal work only.
In test tubes, its sulfur compounds slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Cell studies also report effects on cancer cell lines. Whether any of this happens in a person is not established.
In animals, extracts have lowered blood sugar and eased signs of pain and swelling. Lab work suggests effects on immune cells too.
These findings point researchers where to look. They are not proof of benefit, and they do not predict a dose for people.
What forms does mucura come in?
Mucura is sold most often as dried root or leaf, and as capsules. Tinctures and liquid extracts are also easy to find.
- Dried root or leaf, brewed as a tea. - Capsules of milled powder. - Alcohol tinctures and liquid drops.
- Washes and poultices put on the skin in folk use. - Mixed "immune" or "detox" blends sold with other herbs.
None of these forms is standardised. Strength can differ widely between brands and between harvests.
Blends raise a second problem. You cannot tell how much mucura is in them, or what else the blend adds.
Where it comes from:
Mucura has a long record in the folk medicine of the Amazon, the Caribbean and Central America. Written accounts of its use go back centuries.
Healers used it for fevers, colds, aches, swollen joints and skin problems. Leaves were also boiled for washes and steam baths.
In parts of Afro-Caribbean practice the plant was used in spiritual baths and for warding off harm. Market sellers still stock it under the names anamu and guinea hen weed.
Some traditions used it to bring on a late period or to end a pregnancy. That history is a warning, not a recommendation. These accounts describe past practice, not a guide for use at home.
Who should avoid mucura?
- Never use mucura if you are pregnant, or if you may be pregnant; it has a folk history of ending pregnancy.
- Do not use it if you are trying to conceive.
- Do not use it if you are breastfeeding.
- Do not use it if you take warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, heparin or any other blood thinner.
- Do not use it if you take aspirin or clopidogrel to prevent clots.
- Do not use it if you have a bleeding disorder such as haemophilia (a condition where blood does not clot properly).
- Do not use it in the two weeks before any planned surgery or dental surgery.
- Do not use it if you take insulin or tablets for diabetes, unless your doctor agrees and checks your sugar.
- Do not use it if you have had an organ transplant, or if you take immunosuppressants (drugs that damp down the immune system).
- Avoid it if you have low blood pressure, or take medicine to lower blood pressure, unless your doctor agrees.
- Do not give it to children.
- Do not use it in place of treatment for cancer, infection or any serious illness.
When should you see a doctor?
Stop taking mucura and get medical help the same day if you notice bruising with no cause, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, or blood in your urine.
Go to an emergency department now if you have black or tarry stools, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, or bleeding that will not stop.
Get urgent help if you feel shaky, sweaty and confused, which can mean very low blood sugar. The same goes for fainting, or swelling of the face, lips or throat.
If you are pregnant and have taken mucura, call your midwife or doctor straight away. Cramping or bleeding needs emergency care.
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