Ethnobotanical Uses
provided by EOL authors
The name "molle" comes from the traditional Quechua term for tree ("mulli") but it is now used across many languages including Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara, to refer to this tree. Seeds of the plant are nearly ubiquitous among archaeological sites of the Central Andes that explore the Middle Horizon Period (550-1000CE); it has been postulated that this was because of the widespread production of chicha (a mildly alcoholic beverage made by fermenting the berries of the tree). The outer layer of its fruits were used by the Inca in order to produce sweet beverages, boiled syrup and gruel when mixed with maize. Products of the red berries can also be fermented into vinegar. Today, its berries are sold as pink pepper corns and often ground and blended with commercial black pepper (Piper nigrum). Essential oils from the tree leaves are used as insect repellent and to treat ophthalmia and rheumatism. They are also anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. The bark sap can be used as a plaster for treating wounds, infections and ulcers and as an anti-inflammatory. When taken orally it acts as a diuretic. Tree products can also be used as insecticide, and leaves, branches and fruits were traditionally placed in middens (piles of human domestic waste) to reduce invertebrate infestation. The ethanolic and hexanic extracts from the fruits and leaves have been shown to be effective at controlling several pests though there is a slight risk of toxicity to vertebrates. A study testing effects of exposure in rats found there were no lasting effects after seven days. Studies of the impact of ethanolic fruit and leaf extracts in mice have found it's antidepressant properties roughly as effective as fluoxetine (10mg/kg, p.o.) when using the tail suspension test. Additional testing has found that these properties may be due to the presence of rutin in the ethanolic extracts. Other products of S. molle include astringents, insect-resistant timber, tannins, yellow textile dye and mastic gum.
