Contrayerva, or contrajerva, is the medicinal rhizome of various tropical Central American and South American species of Dorstenia in the family Moraceae, mainly Dorstenia contrajerva and the closely related Dorstenia drakena but also Dorstenia brasiliensis. The word contrayerva means “counter herb” in Spanish. It was given this name since a 16th-century description (see below) claimed that the leaves of a herb (yerva = hierba) were used by South American Indians to counter the deadly poisonous effect of the same herb (“contra yerva”) when used as an arrow poison. Seventeenth-century herbalists and botanists identified this herb as the aromatic root that had been brought from Peru to England by Francis Drake, and claimed that it was an antidote against all kinds of poison. By the late 18th century contrayerva had lost its reputation as an antidote, but it continued to be listed in European and American pharmacopoeias and herbals until the 1920s as a gentle stimulant, tonic and diaphoretic.Grieve, M. “Contrayerva”, A Modern Herbal. Retrieved on 14.10.2017.Remington, Joseph P.; Wood, Horatio C.; and others. The Dispensatory of the United States of America, Twentieth Edition, Philadelphia 1918. It is still used in folk medicine in Central and South America.
Description of the contrayerva root In the entry "Contra-yerva" in Chambers’ Cyclopedia of 1728, it is said that the root is smaller than that of the iris, reddish outside and white inside, knotty, and fibrous. To be of use, it must be new, heavy, and of a dusky red color. Its odor resembles that of fig leaves. Its taste is aromatic, accompanied with some acrimony.Chambers, Ephraim. Cyclopaedia: or, An Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 1, London 1728: 319
William Woodville wrote in Medical Botany: "The root of Contrayerva has a peculiar kind of aromatic smell, and a light astringent warm bitterish taste, and on being long chewed it discovers somewhat of a sweetish sharpness. According to Lewis, 'Contrayerva root gives out its virtue, by the assistance of heat, both to water and rectified spirit, and tinges the former of a dark brownish red, the latter of a brighter reddish colour: the watery decoction is very mucilaginous, so as not to pass through a filter.' [Lewis Mat. Med.]"Woodville, William. "Dorstenia contrayerva. Contrayerva" in Medical Botany, 1790-1794. Second edition, 1810, Vol. I, p. 485.
The Dispensatory of the United States of America (1918) describes the root, as found in commerce, as oblong, long, of varying thickness, very hard, rough, and solid, of a reddish-brown color externally, and pale within; and has numerous, long, slender, yellowish rootlets attached to its inferior part. The odor is aromatic; the taste warm, slightly bitter, and pungent. The sensible properties are extracted by alcohol and boiling water. The decoction is highly mucilaginous. The tincture reddens infusion of litmus, and precipitates on the addition of water.
Origin of the contrayerva root The official contrayerva root or radix contrayervae in 18th century English medical literature was Dorstenia contrajerva, but the roots of other Dorstenia species such as the closely related Dorstenia drakenaand Dorstenia brasiliensis were also often collected and sold. The 18th century physician and botanist William Woodville wrote: “upon the faith of Dr. Houston, who examined the Contrayerva plants in their native soil, we should otherwise have had no doubt in referring the official radix contrayervae to the species (i.e. Dorstenia contrajerva) he has described, as has been done by Bergius and Murray. But as Houston has observed, that the roots of different species of Dorstenia are promiscuously gathered and exported for those of the Contrayerva; and as all the species bear a great resemblance to each other, we conceive the further discussion of this subject to be of no material consequence.” The 19th century English pharmacologist Jonathan Pereira wrote in his Elements of Materia Medica that the Contrayerva root “usually met in the shops” is not Dorstenia contrajerva but Dorstenia brasiliensis—“A native of Jamaica, Brazil, and Trinidad.”Pereira, Jonathan. The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Vol. II, Part I, London 1855: 381
The first mention of contrayerva is found in Nicolás Monardes Historia medicinal de las cosas que se traen de nuestras Indias Occidentales, 1580. In this work Monardes reproduced a letter by an informant in Peru, the Spaniard Pedro de Osma y de Xara y Zejo, who writes that he has been informed by his soldier cousin that the leaves of a herb (“yerua” = yerva = hierba) with broad leaves resembling those of the plantain are used as by the native Indians as a counter herb (“contra yerua”) against injuries caused by arrows poisoned with the deadly poison made from this same poisonous herb (“una yerua, que es contra yerua”).“nos dize hallado una yerua, que es contra yerua, de la que los Caribes, que mata sin remedio: la qual usan aquellos Indios valientes en sus guerras y caças: los quales biuen desde las Charcas hasta Chile: que biuen como Alara bes, manteniendo se de solamente caça, y carne humana. Que han muerto con aquellas flechas enherboladas infinidad delos Espanóles: los quales dizen que no son buenos para comer que es carne dura, y assi quando los matan, los tienen à manir tres y quatro dias. Con aquesta yerua que han hallado, se remediara mucho el daño que hazen, porque à ellos, no los temen los nuestros, sino a la yerua con que tira, que los hace morir rauiando sin ningun remedio. Agora con la contra yerua que ha hallado, estan todos muy alegres. Dizen que es una yerua que lleua unas hojas anchas, que quiere parecer a las hojas del Llanten de España: la qual majada y puesta enla herida ponçoñada, mata el veneno, y quita luego los accidentes, que hace el veneno dela yerua. Tienese por gran negocio en aquella tierra, auerse hallado tal remedio. Y sepa v.m. que se hallo la contra yerua enla misma tierra, dose baze la yerua: y creo que también la ay en otras partes, pero alli do le haze el daño a qrido nuestro Señor descubrir el remedio.” Monardes, Nicolás . Historia medicinal de las cosas que se traen de nuestras Indias Occidentales, Seville, 1580: 61–62. There is no mention of the root in the letter and book nor any recipes.
A report recorded by Hans Sloane in the early 18th century describes the manner the Spanish in America are said to have discovered the use of the contrayerva: When a Spaniard was injured by a poison arrow shot by an Indian, the Spaniards threatened to injure one of their Indian prisoners with a poisoned arrow unless he revealed the cure. Thereupon the “Indian immediately chaw'd some of this Contra Yerva, and put it into the wound, and it healed.”Sloane, Hans. A voyage to the islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica, 1707: lv.
Carolus Clusius described the root twice in his Exoticorum libri decem (1605), without making a link between the two. First he describes it as the Drakena radixClusius, Carolus. Exoticorum libri decem, 1605: 83. and later on, in a translation from a Spanish work by Monardus or Nicolás Monardes, as contrayerva,Clusius, Carolus. Exoticorum libri decem, 1605: 311.
The English herbalist Thomas Johnson linked the two roots (1633): Contra-yerva Clusius Drakena radix Clusius Monardus Contra-yerva. Historia Lugdunensis Clusius
Johnson continues by giving translations from Clusius' Exoticorum libri decem: “... Monardus Clusius. Monard.) Contra-yerva, Monardus.”Appendix by Thomas Johnson, in Gerard, John. The Herball Or Generall Historie of Plantes: Very Much Enlarged and Amended by Thomas Johnson Citizen and Apothecarye of London, Volume 2, 1636: 1621–1622.
Seventeenth century medical and botanical writers were confused about the identity of the root, with Gaspard Bauhin or Bauhinus misidentifying the Contrayerva and Radix Drakena as the root of a Cyperus sedge, and others misidentifying it with the Mexican Coanenepilli, a Passionflower vine, described by the Spanish naturalist and physician Francisco Hernández de Toledo.Ole Worm. Museum Wormianum seu Historia rerum rariorum, Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios, 1655: 154Geoffroy, Estiènne-François. De vegetalibus exoticus, Joannis Desaint & Caroli Saillant, 1741: 36–37.
Chemical constituents The United States Pharmacopoeia and the National Formulary (1927) says that the root of Dorstenia contrajerva contains contrayerbine, cajapine, volatile oil, resin, a bitter principle, and starch.Culbreth, David M. A Manual of Materia Medica and Pharmacology, 7th edition, Philadelphia, 1927. A 2016 study isolated the following 11 compounds from Dorstenia contrajerva: dorsjervin A, dorsjervin B, psoralen, dorstenin, squalene, γ-sitosterol, cycloartocarpesin, 1-O-linolenoyl-2-O-stearoyl-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl glycerol, bergapten, dorsteniol, and xanthoarnol.Peniche-Pavía, H.A., et al. “Metabolites isolated from the rhizomes of Dorstenia contrajerva with anti-leishmanial activity”. Retrieved 15.10.2017.
The cardenolide syriogenin has also been isolated in the root of D. contrajerva.Casagrande, C., Ronchetti F., Russo, G. “The structure of syriogenin” Tetrahedron, Volume 30, Issue 19, 1974, pages 3587-3589
In roots of Dorstenia species that are used in Brazilian folk medicine, furocoumarins were identified as the most abundant compounds.
Medicinal uses In folk medicine in Honduras the boiled root of Dorstenia contrajerva is used to cure diarrhea, dysentery, and stomach ache. The slightly roasted and ground root is used to treat intestinal worms and parasites. The crushed root is mixed with water to treat the bites of snakes. In Nicaragua the boiled root is used to prevent diarrhea; minced raw rhizomes are used to treat diarrhea, sickness, upset stomach, indigestion, and worms. In El Salvador it is used for stomachache and to prevent vomiting. In Costa Rica the boiled root is used in curing diarrhea, and an infusion to lower fever. It is considered useful in curing persistent diarrhea as well as an emmenagogue. In Mexico the latex is used to heal wounds and the inflorescences are given to teething children. In the Amazon region of Peru it is used as a tonic, against gangrene, and as an antidote for bee and wasp stings. In Argentina, the whole plant is used to treat snakebite. In Venezuela it is used as a sudorific and as a cure for dysentery.Ocampo, Rafael & Balick, Michael J. Plants of Semillas Sagradas: An Ethnomedicinal Garden in Costa Rica 2009: 40–41.
Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Latin America lists the following medicinal activities of Dorstenia contrajerva: alexiteric, anti-HIV, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, leishmanicide, orexigenic, stimulant, tonic.Duke, James A. Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Latin America, CRC Press, 2008: 273.
The Dispensatory of the United States of 1918 and United States Pharmacopoeia and the National Formulary of 1927 says that contrayerva has been used for low fevers, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, and other diseases that require stimulation; in the form of a decoction or tincture. Maud Grieve said in her Modern Herbal (1931) that Contrayerva given as a powder or decoction is a stimulant, tonic, and diaphoretic”
The traditional topical utilization of Dorstenia rhizome preparations in the treatment of skin diseases is supported by the identification of Furocoumarins as the most abundant compounds in the roots of [Dorstenia] species used in Brazilian folk medicine.