Suma
Other names : Hebanthe eriantha, Brazilian ginseng, Pfaffia paniculata.
Special Precautions of suma
- a paper written in Food Chemical Toxicology in 2004 found that Brazilian medicinal herbs had unusually high concentrations of lead, and that regular consumption could potentially lead to health problems.
- Suma root can also cause an allergic reaction in some people, particularly in people with asthma due to its affect on IgE activity.
Health Benefits and uses of suma are
The root of this rambling ground vine found in South America is used traditionally as a medicine and tonic. Nicknamed "para tudo" which means "for all," suma is a traditional herbal medicine. Nutritionally, suma root contains 19 different amino acids, a large number of electrolytes, trace minerals, iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, B1, B2, E, K, and pantothenic acid. Its high germanium content probably accounts for its properties as an oxygenator at the cellular level; its high iron content may account for its traditional use for anemia. The root also contains novel phytochemicals including saponins (pfaffosides), pfaffic acid, beta-ecdysterone, glycosides, and nortriterpenes. Suma root is an herbaceous vine commonly found in Brazil and other parts of South America. The rap on suma root is that it’s been used by native americans and other indigenous peoples in the America’s for hundreds of years to treat illness, improve immunity and hormonal balance, and increase the body’s self-healing abilities. It’s been purported to have cancer-fighting and immuno-stimulating effects.
- Adaptogen : Research done on the healing effects of suma root suggest that it has mild effects on your body’s adoptogenic abilities and immune system functioning.
- Oxidation and Cell Growth : A number of studies conducted with mice demonstrated an ability for suma root (Pfaffia paniculata) to inhibit unhealthy cell growth in the liver. Most of these studies were conducted at the University of Sao Paolo between 2004-2009 and the results were fairly consistent: in vitro, mouse cells treated with brazilian ginseng extract showed slower cell growth and an increased rate of apoptosis (“cell death”). However, the mechanism for how this works is still largely unknown. When discussing the results, the authors were always careful to make a particular message clear : "These results indicate an antiangiogenic effect of this extract. The mechanisms of this antiangiogenic activity of P. paniculata should be further investigated." That was from the abstract of this paper. In another paper the same authors suggest that Brazilian ginseng demonstrates an ability to slow cell-growth, but it does not demonstrate any ability to mediate cell-signaling, suggesting a future path of research for brazilian ginseng’s chemopreventive mechanism. Another study treated human breast cells with a Pfaffia paniculata extract which resulted in a reduction in cell growth. These studies are encouraging, but in the long run they are far from conclusive. Most of them were conducted with mice, and focused on a particular type of cell in a very controlled situation. You need a lot more research done on this sort of thing before you can say “X causes Y” with any sort of confidence.
- Immune System Stimulation : Suma root has demonstrated an ability to increase immune cell production and overall immune system activity. Macrophages are large immune cells that act like garbage collectors in your body, and several studies have shown that macrophagic activity can increase when exposed to brazilian ginseng. Another type of molecule called a Natural Killer (NK) cell were produced in greater amounts in mice when given ginseng extract.
