People often wonder- what are the health benefits of mauby bark? We tried our best to answer this interesting question!
The Colurbina arborescens tree, which is a native of the Caribbean islands (chiefly Barbados), is commonly known as the Mauby tree. A non-alcoholic beverage made from the bark or flowers of the tree is supposed to possess medicinal properties. It is a folk remedy for hundreds of years in these islands. Limited scientific studies have proved the presence of beneficial compounds in the bark.
You can make the beverage by boiling dry bark for up to an hour with other ingredients like orange peels, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, aniseeds, or vanilla. Dilution and sweetening are also done to make it palatable as the concentrate that is obtained is bitter. Sometimes, the locals prefer a fermented variety of drink, which has increased alcoholic content. Mauby beverage is now available commercially as a syrup all over the world and is also available online. Drink it icy cold to enjoy its taste!
What are the Health Benefits of Mauby Bark:
The drink has a cooling and relaxing effect on the body and is a great thirst quencher. A study carried out by Kwame Amin in New York proved that the bark lower high blood pressure, as the folk medicine practitioners claimed.
- It helps stabilize your blood sugar levels.
- Polyphenols present in the bark act as antioxidants protecting your body from chronic illnesses.
- Has an aphrodisiacal effect.
- Anthocyanins and flavonoids in the bark have an anti-inflammatory effect, making it helpful in treating/preventing diseases like arthritis and asthma.
- Isoflavones are present in high concentrations and may help prevent breast cancer.
- It is effective in combating diarrhea and dysentery.
- It is also helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s.
- Saponins in the bark help lower your cholesterol levels.
- It acts as a diuretic and helps detoxify your body.
Make your own mauby bark drink at home:
- Boil pieces of the bark in 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Cool the decoction, leaving it to steep overnight. Strain it, dilute it with water and sweeten it with white or brown sugar to make a refreshing drink.
- Adding spices like cloves, aniseed, or nutmeg along with the mauby bark will enhance the taste and also offer you additional health benefits.
- You can also add ginger while boiling the bark.
- You can dilute 1 oz of commercially available mauby syrup with 11/2 oz of rum and a juice of ½ a lime for a different taste.
- Drink it with crushed ice, as this can enhance the taste.
Side effects of mauby bark:
- It sometimes may have a laxative effect when you drink it for the first time.
- Adding sugar to the drink makes it unhealthy.
- It is essential to source the bark from the right species, and that is something only a native of the islands will be an expert at identifying.
- Some studies claim that Mauby bark drink may interact adversely with certain drugs like the anticoagulant drug warfarin.