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Gouania lupuloides - (L.)Urb.

Common Name Chew Stick
Family Rhamnaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Dry, moist, or wet thickets or forest, most often in second-growth thickets, ascending from sea level to elevations of around 1,500 metres[331 ].
Range Central America - Panama to Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Gouania lupuloides Chew Stick


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Gouania lupuloides Chew Stick
Dick Culbert - wikimedia.org

 

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Summary

Gouania lupuloides or commonly known as Chew Stick is a shrub with arching branches of up to 12 m long. It can be found in Central America particularly in Panama to Mexico, and the Caribbean. The stems are bitter and aromatic and have been used as a substitute for hops in brewing beer. Also, it is often chewed to clean the teeth and harden the gums. In Yucatan, root decoction is used as a gargle for sores in the mouth and throat. Stem infusion is used for gonorrhea and dropsy.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of climber
Gouania lupuloides is a CLIMBER growing to 10 m (32ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Banisteria lupuloides L. Gouania domingensis L. Gouania glabra Jacq. Lupulus lupuloides (L.) Kuntze

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Stem
Edible Uses: Drink

The aromatic, bitter stems have been used as a substitute for hops in brewing beer[301 , 331 ]. They are used to add flavour and body to a range of drinks including soda, ginger beer, root beer and root tonics[301 ]. This is a very agreeable bitter. It is used as a substitute for hops in ginger beer, and cool drinks[346 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Bitter  Mouthwash

A decoction of the root is used in Yucatan as a gargle for sores in the mouth and throat[331 ]. An infusion (of the stem?) has been employed in the treatment of gonorrhoea and dropsy, and as a light grateful bitter, in cases of debility, to restore the tone of the stomach[346 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Teeth

Other Uses: The stems of this and other species probably contain saponin, and when they are chewed large quantities of lather are produced. The stems are often chewed to clean the teeth and harden the gums[46 , 331 ]. A piece of a branch, about as thick as the little finger, is softened by chewing, and then rubbed against the teeth. In this manner a tooth-brush, and, with it, a powder are obtained, equal, if not superior, to any in use in Europe[346 ]. When powdered, the stem forms an excellent dentifrice; its aromatic bitter producing a healthy state of the gums, and the mucilage it contains working up by the brush into a kind of soap-like froth[346 ].

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

A tropical plant. The flowers are much frequented by bees[331 ].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plant Propagation

Seed

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Chaw-stick, Chewstick,

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas), Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán) SOUTHERN AMERICA: West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(L.)Urb.

Botanical References

1

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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Subject : Gouania lupuloides  
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