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Botanical illustration of Bobinsana
MedicinalSourced entry

Bobinsana

Calliandra angustifolia

A small Amazonian riverbank tree with pink powder-puff flowers. Indigenous communities use it for tiredness, stomach aches and bites, and it's one of the "teacher plants" used alongside ayahuasca. It has barely been studied.

What is Bobinsana?

Plant family
Fabaceae, the pea and bean family
Parts used
The bark and other parts
Where it grows
The Amazon region of South America
Genus
Calliandra
Species
angustifolia

Also called

Bobinzana

Traditionally used for

  • Tiredness (traditional)
  • Stomach ache (traditional)
  • Bites (traditional)
  • Ayahuasca ceremonies

Traditionally described as

    What does the research say?

    Traditional use

    These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

    • The Asháninka people of the Peruvian Amazon use bobinsana:

      • For tiredness in older people and to strengthen them
      • For stomach aches and as a laxative
      • To strengthen newborn babies and help babies walk sooner
      [1]

    • Kichwa communities in the Amazon use bobinsana for mosquito and animal bites.[2]

    • Bobinsana is one of many "teacher" or "master" plants often used with ayahuasca in Amazonian healing and self-development practices.[3]

    Laboratory & animal research

    Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

    • In a rat study, an alcohol-based extract of bobinsana bark didn't reduce swelling.[4]

    In short

    Its safety hasn't been studied.

    Sources

    1. [1] Asháninka medicinal plants: a case study from the native community of Bajo Quimiriki, Junín, Peru · DOI: 10.1186/1746-4269-6-21Peer-reviewed study
    2. [2] In Silico Research of New Therapeutics Rotenoids Derivatives against Leishmania amazonensis Infection · DOI: 10.3390/biology11010133Peer-reviewed study
    3. [3] N,N-dimethyltryptamine and Amazonian ayahuasca plant medicine · DOI: 10.1002/hup.2835Peer-reviewed study
    4. [4] Database survey of anti-inflammatory plants in South America: a review · DOI: 10.3390/ijms12042692Peer-reviewed study

    This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.