Seasonal Effect on the Chemical Composition of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir Stem Bark from the Semi‐Arid Region of Pernambuco, Brazil
Chemistry & Biodiversity September 23, 2025 Nathália Andrezza Carvalho de Souza, Pedro Guilherme Sousa de Sá, Tarcísio Cícero de Lima Araújo et al. 2 citations
The chemical composition of Mimosa tenuiflora (Jurema-preta), a plant used in traditional medicine, varies with seasons. Over two years of bimonthly collections in northeastern Brazil, phenolic compounds (especially flavonoids) increased with water stress, radiation, and temperature. Production of the psychoactive compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) decreased with higher radiation and temperature but was unaffected by rainfall. Total alkaloids and overall yield showed little connection to climate. These findings highlight the importance of considering season when harvesting the plant for pharmacological use.