Coriaria thymifolia

Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.

Pinan

Coriariaceae Edible: Fruit Potential hazards — see below 75 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A tropical plant in the Coriariaceae family that produces purple-black fruits when ripe, mainly eaten by children.

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Edible Uses

In Ecuador, its fruits are reportedly eaten to produce an inebriated state. The eater is said to experience “sensations of soaring through the air”. The effects are said to be similar to those produced by Petunia violacea. Coriaria ruscifolia grows in Mexico as well; it has been suggested that it was the Aztec inebriant known as tlacopétatl. In the Las Huaringas region, a lake plateau in the northern Peruvian Andes, the local healers (curanderos) refer to Coriaria ruscifolia as contra-alergica, “against allergies.” They use the herbage to prepare a bath additive that they use to wash patients suffering from allergic reactions.

Traditional Uses

CAUTION. It is probably poisonous. The fruit should not be eaten in large amounts due to a narcotic effect.

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Known Hazards

The fruits contain catechol derivatives and probably several sesquiterpenes. Sources state that a toxic substance coriamyrtine has been isolated from the plant. The effects are described as initially stimulating but then becoming less pleasant. Death from nervous exhaustion can result. Coriamyrtine is a sesquiterpene; other sesquiterpenes including coriatine, tutine, and pseudotutine have also been reported. Known in Chile as deu, dewü, huique, huiqui, and matarratones, it is reputed to be a toxic hallucinogen. The fruits are made into rat poison in Chile and are said to be lethal for small children. The Mapuche use a tea made from the leaves as an emetic.

Distribution

A tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Ecuador, South America,

Other Information

The fruit are mainly eaten by children.

Notes

There are about 30 Coriaria species.

References (4)

Joyal, E., 1987, Ethnobotanical Field Notes from Ecuador: Camp, Prieto, Jorgensen, and Giler. Economic Botany 41(2): 163-189
Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 162
Smith, N., Mori, S.A., et al, 2004, Flowering Plants of the Neotropics. Princeton. p 116
Sp. pl. 4(2):819. 1806