Suma – Brazilian Ginseng

(Pfaffia paniculata) Photo source: commons.wikimedia.org

South America’s rainforests are an amazing world with incredible biodiversity. They are home to many plants with extraordinary effects on the human body – some have not yet been discovered, others are known only to local shamans, but the effectiveness of many has been confirmed by modern science. Among them is the pfafia latna or sumac. It is an effective adaptogen with positive effects on sexuality, fertility, hormonal balance and many other beneficial effects.

Description and occurrence

Suma is a creeping shrub-like liana with an extensive root system and leaves that are 2-8 dm long and 1-4 cm wide. It is a member of the weasel family. It occurs naturally in tropical areas of the Amazon basin, especially in Brazil, Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela. It requires a tropical climate with high rainfall and soil rich in minerals, especially iron, to grow. The root is used for medicinal purposes and is usually harvested in the winter season, from May to July (1, 7).

Suma is an important part of the healing systems of the indigenous people of the Amazon. In one of the local languages it is even referred to as “Para toda”, which translates to “for everything”. Indeed, in traditional South American phytotherapy, it is used for a wide range of ailments, be it digestive diseases, arthritis, diabetes, asthma or cancer, but its adaptogenic properties, its ability to act as a general tonic and to reduce the negative effects of stress (i.e. the adaptogenic action that sometimes gives it the nickname ‘Brazilian ginseng’) are also valued. It is also a very popular sexual stimulant. (2, 3, 7)

Active ingredients

Suma contains a group of triterpenoid saponins (glucosides) referred to as pfaffosides (pfaffoside A, B, C, D, E and F). There are also many other unique substances such as stigmasterol, sitosterol, allantoin and pfaffic acid (4, 8).

An interesting component is the three types of ecdysterone (mainly beta-ecdysterone), which are substances capable of binding to receptors designed for testosterone. As a result, they also have effects similar to this hormone, whether it is an effect on sexuality and fertility, or on athletic performance (5).

Suma also contains some vitamins, minerals and trace elements, including relatively rare ones such as germanium, which is essential for the functioning of the immune system and energy production processes (4, 7).

History

The history of the use of soma is very difficult to map because of the lack of written sources on natural South American healing. The first written references to its use date back 300 years. (1)

Interest in sumo increased significantly in 1976, when Soviet scientist Syrov extracted ecdysterone from it and found that this substance has a more pronounced anabolic effect (effect on muscle growth and muscle strength) than some anabolic steroids. This led to an investigation into its possible use in Soviet Olympic athletes. (6)

Suma is also the subject of a Japanese patent for the extraction of beta-ecdysterone – 2.5 g of this substance can be extracted from 400 g of the root. (7)

Healing effects

Suma is one of the most understudied plants. There is a virtual absence of clinical studies – animal or cell culture studies predominate. There have been few studies on human volunteers and most have been small-scale, or have investigated the effect of substances isolated from Suma, not the plant itself. However, epigenetic effects have been described for some of the constituents. It is also interesting that the effects confirmed by the studies coincide with the areas of traditional medicinal use of suma by indigenous people. Therefore, this plant would also deserve much more detailed investigation.

Sexuality, fertility and hormonal balance

Suma is often used by the indigenous people of Brazil for its ability to promote sexuality, and this has been demonstrated in studies conducted to date. And interestingly, it probably helps mainly those who really need it in this regard. For example, when scientists administered it to male rats, there were no observable changes in those with normal sexual activity. However, male rats that were not very sexually active, or even appeared impotent, showed a significant increase in sexual activity (8).

Catfish has also been shown to have a significant ability to improve the production of male and female sex hormones, specifically estradiol-17β, progesterone and testosterone. (9) Due to these facts, a positive effect on both male and female fertility can be assumed.

Menopause

Suma, according to current knowledge, can also effectively reduce symptoms associated with menopause. Its combination with another South American plant called mountain maca has proven to be very effective in this regard – in one study, its use led to a halving of menopause symptom scores. Not only did it reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes, but also irritability and other mood disorders. This is due both to the ability of catfish to promote the production of sex hormones and to its content of substances that are similar in structure to the female sex hormone estrogen. (10)

Inflammatory bowel disease

Strong anti-inflammatory effects of catfish and its effectiveness in inflammatory bowel disease have been confirmed in animal model studies. Here, its use led to a reduction in CRP (C-reactive protein, which indicates the level of inflammation in the body) and macroscopic damage to the intestine (11).

Tumour diseases

Sumac root extract suppresses excessive proliferation (rapid, uncontrolled cell division), while increasing apoptosis, or programmed cell death of damaged cells. Both of these processes are typically impaired in cancer. At the same time, it has an anti-angiogenic effect, i.e. it limits the formation of new blood vessels necessary for the blood supply to the growing tumour.

Efficacy has been demonstrated, for example, in liver tumours, including one preceded by fibrosis of this organ. Experiments in mice have also confirmed increased activity of immune cells called macrophages after consuming catfish, which in animals resulted in a reduction of Ehrlich tumours, for example. (12-14)

Skin and appearance

One small study showed that administering suma root extract can help reduce dark circles under the eyes. This is probably due to its anti-inflammatory action, which improves the patency of small blood vessels around the eyes. (17)

The ecdysterone it contains promotes healing of skin injuries and may also help reduce the visible symptoms of psoriasis. (18)

Ecdysterone in sum also helps to suppress the production of the skin pigment melatonin, which can manifest itself, for example, by reducing the formation of dark spots on the skin (19).

Sports performance

Ecdysterone binds to testosterone receptors, thus promoting muscle protein production, muscle growth, muscle strength and endurance. At the same time, it also affects estrogen receptors in muscle tissue and thus, for example, helps to prevent muscle loss in post-menopausal women. However, it is currently on the International Anti-Doping Agency’s monitoring programme (20, 21).

Diabetes

In traditional South American medicine, suma is also used to regulate blood glucose levels. This effect has also been confirmed in the case of pfaffic acid, which is contained in suma (7).

Digestive disorders

A study in rats has shown that suma has the ability to inhibit the production of stomach acid, thereby preventing the development of stomach ulcers and heartburn (22).

Liver and kidneys

In one study, ecdysterone helped improve kidney function in rats with acute kidney injury. It also helps protect liver tissue against oxidative damage.

Mental performance, stress

Suma acts as an adaptogen, i.e. reduces the negative effects of stress on the body. It also promotes mental performance and memory and also reduces the negative effects of alcohol on brain tissue. (23)

Use and contraindications

Suma is generally fairly well tolerated, no serious negative effects have been reported. It is not recommended for use with substances affecting the hormonal system, especially the sex hormone system (testosterone, hormonal contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy for menopause). It should also be avoided when treating or increasing the risk of hormone-related cancers (e.g. breast, ovarian or endometrial cancer) (1, 15, 16).

Suitable combinations

Suma is most commonly used alone, but some combinations with other South American plants are also possible.

Sexuality: sumac + damiana (Turnera diffusa) (9)

Menopause: suma + maca mountain (10)