Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Crajiru is a climbing vine from the Amazon, used as a leaf tea and as a skin wash. Its botanical name is Fridericia chica. The leaves hold a deep red pigment that stains skin, cloth and water.
In Brazil and nearby countries it is also called pariri or chica leaf. Healers used it for wounds, skin rashes, gut cramps and "weak blood". Today it is sold as dried leaf, capsules, liquid extracts and skin gels.
Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. Nearly all the testing has been in test tubes and in animals. Good human trials are very few and very small.
So the health claims made for crajiru are not proven in people. Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe. That point applies to everything on this page.
No one has shown how crajiru works in the human body. The ideas below come from lab and animal work, not from people.
In test tubes, the red pigments and flavonoids in the leaf mop up reactive molecules. In rats and mice, leaf extracts have reduced swelling and helped skin wounds close faster. Whether the same happens on human skin is not established.
Lab studies also report that leaf extracts slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. One lab theme is an effect on the parasite that causes leishmaniasis. These are early findings in dishes and animals only.
Animal work has also hinted at lower blood sugar and some stomach protection. These results are small, mixed and not confirmed in humans. Treat any mechanism story you read about crajiru as a hypothesis, not a fact.
Crajiru is sold and used in a few simple forms.
- Dried crushed leaf, brewed as a red tea or infusion - Capsules of powdered leaf - Liquid extracts and tinctures in alcohol or glycerine - Skin gels, creams and ointments made with leaf extract - Fresh leaf washes and poultices, used at home in growing regions
The raw leaf has long been used as a body and face paint. Product strength is not standardised, so two brands can differ widely.
Crajiru has deep standing in Amazonian plant medicine. Indigenous peoples of Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela used the red leaf as paint for skin and craft.
Healers also applied leaf washes and poultices to cuts, sores and skin eruptions. Teas were taken for gut cramps, diarrhoea and vaginal discharge. The plant also carried a reputation as a blood tonic for tiredness and pale skin.
Written records of these uses appear in Brazilian folk medicine surveys from the 1900s onward. The plant later entered Brazilian lists of medicinal species of interest for study. That listing marks research interest, not proof of benefit.
This history explains why people reach for crajiru. It does not tell you that the old uses hold up, and it is not a reason to self-treat a serious problem.
Stop using crajiru and see a doctor if any of these happen.
- A wound gets redder, hotter, more swollen, or leaks pus - You get a fever with a wound, rash or diarrhoea - Your rash spreads, blisters, or itches badly - Diarrhoea lasts more than two days, or has blood in it - You feel shaky, sweaty or confused, which can mean low blood sugar - You notice yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine
Get emergency help for swelling of the lips, face or throat, or trouble breathing. These can be signs of a severe allergic reaction.
In Brazil crajiru is sold as a herbal product and appears on the national list of plants of interest for study in the public health system. In the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union it is sold as a food supplement. It is not approved anywhere as a medicine to treat disease.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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