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What Is a Safe Dosage for Catuaba?

Catuaba, also known as Chuchuhuasha, Tatuaba or Pau de Reposta, is a name for a medicinal herbal tea made from the bark of one of several native Brazilian trees. The species preferably used for catuaba include "Trichilia catigua," "Erythroxylum catuaba" and "Erythroxylum vaccinofolium."

  1. Traditional Preparations

    • Catuaba has been used traditionally in Brazil as an aphrodisiac and central nervous system stimulant, and it is for these purposes that catuaba is still used today in Western herbal medicine. Traditionally, catuaba was made by pouring boiling water over a handful of catuaba until the bark was covered, then letting the mixture stand overnight before drinking it.

    Infusion

    • A safe herbal infusion can be made at home by taking 5 g of dried catuaba bark and adding it to 1 cup of boiling water. Simmer this mixture for 20 minutes on a hot stove and allow to cool before drinking. The recommended dosage for this infusion is 3 cups daily.

    Tincture

    • A tincture is a liquid extract made up of a combination of water and ethanol. The best quality tincture will be 40 percent ethanol and 60 percent water, as this will yield the highest amount of catuaba extract. The recommended dosage for a tincture is 2 ml (twice daily). This daily dosage is equivalent to 2 g of dried herbal extract of catuaba.

    Toxicity and Safety

    • So far there have been no official reports of toxicity, drug interactions or side effects from taking catuaba extracts. In a study published in "Phytotherapy Research" in January 2005, researcher Celso Oliveira found that giving the extremely high dose of 25 ml daily to healthy volunteers for 28 days had no noticeable toxic side effects.

    Warnings

    • In one study published in "Planta Medica" in 2004, catuaba products were examined, and out of 14 tested, over half of them were found to have drug compounds not related to any of the botanical catuaba species.When purchasing catuaba, be sure that it comes from the species "Trichilia catigua," "Erythroxylum catuaba" or "Erythroxylum vaccinofolium."

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