Green Drink Reviews

Jaborandi: Don’t Sweat It

March 1st, 2008

When you talk about healthy hair and stimulated hair growth in Brazil, you are probably talking about a plant called Jaborandi (pronounced djah-bohr-ahn-djee), or in scientific terms Pilocarpus jaborandi Holmes. This plant is native to the Amazon region and has been used by the people of Brazil since colonial times, and before that by the native Tupis people. The word jaborandi comes from the Tupi language and means, “plant that makes the mouth water.”

Jaborandi does, in fact, help to produce saliva and perspiration, being a sudorific herb. It’s also an anti-inflammatory, digestive aid and diuretic and it helps increase blood pressure and circulation. Due to diverse side effects, it’s not recommended to use this herb in its natural state without some knowledge of its use. Indigenous groups, believed that its ability to cause excessive sweating was useful in curing disease and even prevent poisons from harming the body.

The chemical component that is responsible for all these benefits is called Pilocarpina, an alkaloid that is currently being tested throughout the medical and pharmaceutical industries as a treatment for glaucoma, since it appears to reduce pressure within the eyes. Pilocarpina tablets are prescribed in Brazil for patients undergoing radiotherapy, as it stimulates the saliva glands.

For all its medical uses, the plant is most widely used in Brazil because of its astringent qualities that help to clean the pores and hair follicles. Its stimulating effects on the scalp make it the number one remedy for hair loss, oily hair and dandruff.

In the interior of Brazil, where I grew up, it’s easy to find a sprig of jaborandi if you know someone with some plant knowledge (there are many). The extract is reddish-brown and smells fresh and clean. I often made my own extracts from the leaves and used them in shampoo — especially for my husband’s oily hair.

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