A Narrative Review of Libidibia ferrea: Botanical Aspects, Ethnopharmacological Properties, Phytochemical Characteristics, Toxicity, and Experimental Tests

Abstract

Introduction: Jucá or pau-ferro (Libidibia ferrea) is an arboreal plant from the Fabaceae family. It is commonly used in traditional medicine in the treatment of various diseases, including inflammatory process.
 Aims: The objective of this narrative review is to present botanical aspects, ethnopharmacological properties, phytochemical characteristics, toxicity highlighting, and experimental models with L. ferrea.
 Results: Botanical Aspects: Jucá has several uses such as in landscaping (stem and canopy), in arborization of urban areas. Ethnopharmacological Properties: It is used in the treatment of various diseases such as diabetes, flu, asthma and, inflammatory processes of which different parts are used (root, stem bark, leaves, fruits, seeds). Phytochemical Characteristics: Phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and terpenoids are among the compounds monthly used. Toxicity: In vivo models have been used to verify toxicity and in most studies the plant presented no toxicity in its use. Experimental studies: Animals, such as mice, dogs, rats, etc. and different models of studies to analyze the action of the plant were used.
 Conclusions: Such low toxicity, associated with its widespread use in folk medicine and its various effects demonstrated in the studies included in this Review have corroborated for the continuity of the research with L. ferrea. New studies, however, ought to follow methodological guidelines, such as the Animal Research: reporting in vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) so that, a methodological design secures more homogeneous studies capable of quantifying the actual size of the effect in the plant may have in clinical studies.

Unlocking the power of Libidibia ferrea extracts: antimicrobial, antioxidant, and protective properties for potential use in poultry production

“…In the Caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome located in the northeast of the country and characterized by adaptations to high temperatures and water scarcity, numerous plant species have been studied and documented in the literature for their use in traditional medicine. This encompasses the production and formulation of medicines ( Almeida et al, 2021a ). However, research in this area remains limited, especially in demonstrating the pharmacological properties of these plants compared to other areas of study ( Prazeres et al, 2019 ).…”

Phenological description and thermal time requirements for the seedling phase of three Brazilian native forest species

“…It has a perennial cycle, semideciduous, heliophilous, large‐sized tree (10.0–20.0 m tall) (Bezerra et al, 2020; Lenhard et al, 2013). Its wood is highly valued in civil construction and woodworking for its superior quality and high density (0.99–1.27 g cm −3 ) (N. C. O. S. Almeida et al, 2021; Carvalho et al, 2017; Fagundes et al, 2021). Furthermore, one of the most noteworthy aspects of this species lies in its use in folk medicine.…”

“…Its leaves and bark contain compounds like gallic acid and derivatives, terpenes, fatty acids, and chalcone trimer pauferrol, which are responsible for its various pharmacological properties, including antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative, healing, antifungal, and antibacterial effects. (N. C. O. S. Almeida et al, 2021;Fagundes et al, 2021). L. ferrea also is used in landscaping and recovery of degraded areas (Bezerra et al, 2020).…”