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Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir.

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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of South America

Part of the book series: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World ((MAPW,volume 5))

Abstract

The use of Mimosa tenuiflora ([Willd.] Poir.) dates back to pre-colonial American civilizations. This plant has been used for a variety of purposes, such as magic-religious rituals; as a medicinal resource with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and cicatrization properties; for fence construction and as a fuel. It contains high concentrations of tannins and flavonoids, which are mainly used to treat skin diseases. M. tenuiflora also contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine, a tryptamine alkaloid with psychoactive properties, which causes changes in humans’ mental states. Therefore, most of the studies on the bioactive compounds of M. tenuiflora have focused on its psychoactive actions and on the effectiveness of the flavonoids and tannins for cicatrization.

figure a

Mimosa tenuiflora ([Willd.] Poir.)

Photo: G.P. Lewis

Available in: https://www.kew.org/science/tropamerica/neotropikey/families/Leguminosae_(Mimosoideae).htm

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Acknowledgments

We are especially grateful to the National Institute of Science and Technology in Ethnobiology, Bioprospecting and Nature Conservation, certified by CNPq, with financial support from FACEPE (Foundation for the Support of Science and Technology of the State of Pernambuco).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Sistemas Socioecológicos, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil

    Andrêsa Suana Argemiro Alves & Gilney Charll Santos

  2. Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

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  1. Andrêsa Suana Argemiro Alves
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  2. Gilney Charll Santos
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  3. Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

  2. Natural Product Research Laboratory, Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar, India

    Umesh Patil

  3. Department of Botany, Faculty of Agriculture & Food Science, West Hungarian University, Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary

    Ákos Máthé

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Alves, A.S.A., Santos, G.C., Albuquerque, U.P. (2018). Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir.. In: Albuquerque, U., Patil, U., Máthé, Á. (eds) Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of South America. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1552-0_31

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