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Botanical illustration of Savannah Cherry
CulinarySourced entry

Savannah Cherry

Eugenia calycina

A threatened shrub of Brazil's Cerrado savanna with small red berries rich in antioxidant pigments. Its leaf oil killed mosquito larvae in lab tests.

Safety at a glance

  • PregnancyNothing recorded
  • BreastfeedingNothing recorded
  • MedicinesNothing recorded
  • Who should avoid itNothing recorded
  • AllergiesNothing recorded
  • ToxicityNothing recorded

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Savannah Cherry?

Plant family
Myrtaceae, the myrtle family
Parts used
The fruit and leaves
Where it grows
The Cerrado savanna of Brazil
Genus
Eugenia
Species
calycina

Also called

Cerrado Cherry

Traditionally used for

  • Edible fruit

Traditionally described as

  • Antioxidant
  • Kills mosquito larvae (in lab studies)

Natural compounds

Cyanidin-3-Glucoside

Safety

Contamination

  • Savannah cherry grows only in Brazil's Cerrado and is threatened with extinction.[1]Study

What does the research say?

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • The red berries are low in calories and rich in anthocyanins (red plant pigments), rutin and ellagic acid, with strong antioxidant activity in lab tests.[2]Study

    Technical detail: cyanidin-3-glucoside 242.97 µg/g; ORAC, FRAP and ABTS assays.

  • In lab tests, oil from the leaves killed the larvae of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads dengue, at doses lower than those that harmed mammal cells.[1]Study

    Technical detail: LC50 166.4 µg/mL at 48 h; main compounds bicyclogermacrene, spathulenol and β-caryophyllene.

In short

It's threatened with extinction; no safety studies were found.

Sources

  1. [1] Essential oil from leaves of Eugenia calycina Cambes: Natural larvicidal against Aedes aegypti · DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.10732Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Eugenia calycina and Eugenia stigmatosa as Promising Sources of Antioxidant Phenolic Compounds · DOI: 10.3390/plants13152039Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.