Kingdom Plantae Family Myrtaceae Rank Species | Order Myrtales Genus Pimenta | |
Similar Pimenta, Blepharocalyx salicifolius, Blepharocalyx, Pimenta racemosa, Calyptranthes | ||
Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus, popularly known as cataia, craveiro or louro-cravo, is a species from the Myrtaceae family.
It is largely distributed in pantropical and subtropical regions, including Central America and South America.
Medicinal plant
It is a medicinal plant in traditional folk medicine. The leaves are used to prepare a refreshing drink known for its putative diuretic, sedative, and aphrodisiac actions.
The population of Guaraqueçaba, in the state of Paraná, Brazil, uses an infusion of P. pseudocaryophyllus leaves in the form of tea to treat the predisposition to arthritical and gouty affections of the joints, fever and other diseases. Studies about P. pseudocaryophyllus describe its extracts as having anxiolytic and sedative action and antioxidant activity.