Pharmacological Effects of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Barbatimão): Rapid Review of Reviews

Introduction: Barbatimão (Stryphnodendron adstringens) is a plant native to the Cerrado biome, renowned for its wound-healing and anti-inflammatory potential, which is linked to its metabolism. These medicinal activities are attributed to active substances such as condensed tannins, which are rich in proanthocyanidin polymers, flavonoids, prodelphinidins, and prorobinetinidins. Objectives: This study aims to consolidate the knowledge from the literature and assess the overall certainty of evidence regarding the effects of Barbatimão. Method: This is a rapid review of systematic reviews, and the procedures and reports adhere to the methodological recommendations outlined by Smith et al. for conducting a systematic review of systematic reviews on health interventions, Cochrane's guidelines for rapid reviews, and the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for the review. Results: The searches yielded 6 freely available reviews. All of them highlight its wound-healing effect linked to the high content of condensed tannins, and 4 (66%) of them also provide data on additional pharmacological functionalities: angiogenic, antibacterial, and antifungal. However, the toxic action of Barbatimão, in undetermined quantities and concentrations, poses a limiting factor to these positive outcomes. Conclusion: This plant emerges as promising for the development of a herbal medicinal product; however, further studies and research are required to validate this pharmacological potential, as well as to establish usage details ensuring safety.