lignum vitae / Guayacán

Guayacán is a beautiful tree native to the American Caribbean. It is an evergreen tree that reaches a height of 5 to 20 meters and has a round crown that provides pleasant shade. Flowers are light blue or purple in color. Fruits are heart-shaped, each containing several black seeds.

Guayacán extracts show good antioxidant activity and may be suitable for development as medicine and food supplements. Its bark, flowers, and leaves are reported to mainly contain saponins, such as galanin and guaiacum.

Tea is produced by boiling the leaves, and it is also made from its flowers. Guaiac wood is used as a flavoring in foods and edible oils and fats, and it is also used to flavor chewing gum and cakes.

Its dense canopy provides excellent shade, making it perfect for open areas exposed to high solar radiation. Its flowers produce nectar that attracts several species of honeybees.  

Regrettably, the wild populations of this species are very reduced due to the exploitation of wood to which it was subjected for several years, which is why it is currently listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UICN).

A medicinal resin called "guaiacol" is secreted from its skin, and this resin, which either spontaneously oozes from the damaged tree or is artificially extracted from the wood, is commercialized for medicinal purposes.

This plant's primary importance lies in its wood, shade, and aesthetic appeal.

• Guaiacum extract is said to be useful for pain and inflammation,  
• Guaiac is a natural resin extracted from the wood of the Guaiacum officinale plant, which is effective in the early diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer,
• The resin of this plant is used to treat syphilis,  
• It also stimulates the digestive system,  
• This resin is used for the treatment of rheumatism, pharyngitis, and laryngitis,  
• It is used to relieve toothache and rheumatic pain, too,
• The guaiac resin is used in pills and made into tinctures, extracts, and syrups for cleansing,  
• Cold distillation produces an oily liquid from guaiac resin, which is used in a variety of ways for coughs, tracheitis, and tuberculosis,
• Also, it is used to treat sore throats and gout,  
• The resin is used to treat respiratory disorders,
• It also strengthens blood circulation,
• Steeping the leaves of the tree to make the tea can also be used to fight high blood pressure,  tonsillitis and gout,  
• You can also mix crushed Guaiacum leaves with coconut oil to treat blisters, skin sores, abscesses, and boils,  
•  Tea made from flowers is used to treat bronchitis, asthma, colds, coughs, flu, and congestion,
• Homoeopathic anti-rheumatoid and antioxidant activity of Guaiacum officinale has been observed.