It is widely found in areas such as the Caribbean, South America, Central America and Mexico serving several uses that vary from its value in carpentry to its utility in medicine.
The seeds and fruit are gelatinous like chia. Soak a handful of west indian elm for a few hours, grind until liquefy, strain and drink. It is good for women’s relaxation and stress and for the health of ovaries and menstruation.
A decoction of bark and leaf is used for constipation and kidney disorders.
Guazuma ulmifolia Lam., more commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, has shown great potential in clinical studies as an anti-diabetic therapy for people suffering from Type-II diabetes (T2-D) (Alonso-Castro et al. 2008). G. ulmifolia is especially of interest to researchers because while it does possess anti-diabetic properties, it does not seem to induce obesity, as many of its pharmaceutical counterparts are inclined to do (ibid.). Additionally, G. ulmifolia has exhibited antihypertensive, vasorelaxing, and antiobesity activity (Iswantini et al. 2011; Magos et al. 2008). All of these actions, along with G. ulmifolia’s high antioxidant potential (Feltrin et al 2012), make this plant a relevant therapeutic for many people struggling with diabetes and its associated comorbidities, such as weight gain and cardiovascular conditions.
One study found that when used in conjunction with the chemotherapeutic agent, Doxorubicin, aqueous extracts of the bark and leaf of G. ulmifolia reduced oxidative stress and exhibited cardioprotective activity without interfering with the agent’s chemotherapeutic activity. Therefore, G. ulmifolia may also be a potentially beneficial adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment (Dos Santos et al. 2018).
Eating large amounts of different parts of the plant can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Note: West Indian elm bark has been documented in several animal studies to have uterine stimulant activity and it should not be taken during pregnancy.
Alonso-Castro, A. J., & Salazar-Olivo, L. A. (2008). The anti-diabetic properties of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam are mediated by the stimulation of glucose uptake in normal and diabetic adipocytes without inducing adipogenesis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 118(2), 252–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2008.04.007
Dos Santos, J. M., Alfredo, T. M., Antunes, K. Á., da Cunha, J. da S. M., Costa, E. M. A., Lima, E. S., … de Picoli Souza, K. (2018). Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. Decreases Oxidative Stress in Blood Cells and Prevents Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2018, 2935051. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2935051
Feltrin, A., Boligon, A., Janovik, V., & Athayde, M. (2012). Antioxidant Potential, Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents from the Stem Bark of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. Asian Journal of Biological Sciences, 5(5), 268–272. https://doi.org/10.3923/ajbs.2012.268.272
Iswantini, D., Silitonga, R. F., Martatilofa, E., & Darusman, L. K. (2011). Zingiber cassumunar, Guazuma ulmifolia, and Murraya paniculata Extracts as Antiobesity: In Vitro Inhibitory Effect on Pancreatic Lipase Activity. HAYATI Journal of Biosciences, 18(1), 6–10. https://doi.org/10.4308/hjb.18.1.6
Magos, G. A., Mateos, J. C., Páez, E., Fernández, G., Lobato, C., Márquez, C., & Enríquez, R. G. (2008). Hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects of the procyanidin fraction from Guazuma ulmifolia bark in normotensive and hypertensive rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 117(1), 58–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2008.01.015